FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA – The Fargo Police and Fire Departments along with other regional public safety agencies will participate in a coordinated Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response (ASHER) training exercise on Wednesday, July 15 at Ben Franklin Middle School. The full day training will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ben Franklin Middle School (1420 8th St. N.) in Fargo.
This is a closed training exercise and is not open to members of the media or the general public.
This training has been planned for several months as part of an annual regional preparedness effort and is not connected to any threats, intelligence concerns or active incidents. Throughout the day, residents may see increased first responder activity in the area. Training scenarios will involve coordinated movement of personnel, emergency vehicles entering and exiting the site with lights activated, and loud noises meant to simulate realistic conditions. Team members may be seen carrying training firearms and moving around the exterior of the building. These activities are controlled, planned and closed to the public. Ben Franklin summer programming will continue as scheduled, and there is no expected impact to nearby facilities.
The ASHER exercise enhances how law enforcement, fire and EMS partners work together during high risk incidents, strengthening communication, coordination and shared regional readiness. Public safety services will continue to operate normally during the training, and residents should continue to report emergencies by dialing 9 1 1.