NPPD holds active shooter drill at southeast Nebraska power plant

HALLAM, Neb. (News Channel Nebraska) - An unfortunate headline that’s becoming more common in the news is active shooters and mass shootings. The Nebraska Public Power District is trying to do something about that and keep their employees safe. On Wednesday morning, NPPD held an active shooter drill at the Sheldon Power Station in southeast Nebraska.

“Just like a weather, fire, or medical emergency, an active shooter has become a part of the world we live in today, in the event that something like that would actually happen,” plant manger Chris Cerveny said.

Cervins explained how the roughly 65 employees at the plant were told to go about their day like normal, as they didn’t know when the drill would take place. Therefore, when it began, it simulated how they should act if a true active shooter was on the premises. The “shooter” went around the outside and inside of the plant with a yellow gun, blowing a whistle which represented “gun shots”.

On Wednesday morning, NPPD held an active shooter drill at the Sheldon Power Station in... — On Wednesday morning, NPPD held an active shooter drill at the Sheldon Power Station in southeast Nebraska.(NPPD)

Area law enforcement and first responders were on scene to observe and assist and Cerveny says it’s a good opportunity to make sure law enforcement and the plant are on the same page. Nebraska State Patrol and the Hallam Fire and Rescue, among others, participated.

“County sheriff is here, fire brigade, etc.,” Cerveny said. “It’s a good opportunity for everyone to work together, understand the plant, and know the protocol if something were to happen.”

“We like to work with our community partners to make sure everybody’s on the same page in case an event like this were to occur,” said Sgt. Tommy Trotter, Lancaster County Sheriff.

One of the main focuses for the station and law enforcement looked at is how to navigate the plant if an active shooter was inside.

“There’s a lot of concerns about how long it take, if there was a threat here, how long it would actually take them to go through the whole facility and figure out if the threat was gone or not,” Cerveny said. “It would be a big challenge. There’s a lot of places to hide.”

Sgt. Trotter says he wants the public to know this is a situation they take seriously and practice often.

“We do train on this regularly and we’re prepared for this,” Sgt. Trotter said. “If an unfortunate event were to happen, we’re ready. Not just us, but our neighboring law enforcement agencies, our rescue responders, and community businesses.”