PRESS RELEASE
July 12, 2016
On Saturday, July 16, 2016, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Bedford Police Department, Virginia State Police and Bedford County Fire and Rescue will conduct joint training exercises starting at 10:00 a.m. The exercises will be held at the Bedford Elementary School and the Army Reserve Center, both located in the town of Bedford. The training will focus on active shooter situations. The planning for these exercises has been going on for several months. During the training, residents may hear loud bangs and sirens.
Safety is a primary concern and all measures have been taken to ensure a ‘real life’ safe training event. No live ammunition will be used in the exercise. The public will be notified of the exercises through the media and by telephone calls using the county’s emergency notification system. The public will be asked to avoid these areas from 10:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.
The media will be asked to stage at a designated area at Liberty Lake Park, located on Burks Hill Road and will be briefed on the training at 9:00 a.m.
On Friday, July 15, 2016, the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office will be sending out AlertBedford phone, email, and sms notifications to the area near the exercises. The Town of Bedford will also be sending out their own phone, email, and sms notification as well.
