‘We always remain vigilant,’ Safety and security a top priority at Fort Jackson

With two deadly active shooter situations on military bases this week, it may raise concern over safety at these institutions.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) — With two deadly active shooter situations on military bases this week, it may raise concern over safety at these institutions.

Although not a naval base, Fort Jackson is the largest Army basic training site in the country. There’s thousands of people on the post at all times.

“We do mourn the losses of brothers and sisters at Pearl Harbor and Pensacola,” said Rick Nieberding, Protection Chief at Fort Jackson. “We always remain vigilant. Certainly, these two attacks increase our awareness of our surroundings.”

Safety and security are top priorities. They instill the philosophy ‘see something, say something’ to everyone that lives or works there.

“We tell somebody, something looks out of place, somebody is acting a little peculiar. And that’s how we protect ourselves, along with our first responders,” said Nieberding.

There’s a checkpoint at every gated entrance, with modifications and upgrades to the outside wall going on right now.

“We have security forces at each one of those gates, and they help protect and provide that first layer of security for our installation,” said Nieberding. “We’re always looking to increase our security posture, and part of that is just continued improvements in our access-control points.”

There are active shooter drills held on the fort. The most recent one was this past September.

“We learned from that, and where we need to improve we do, and that’s all part of our plan to exercise our active shooter drills,” said Nieberding. “We look out for one another. We have our military police that provide a great asset to us. They work together with Richland County and the Columbia Police Department.”

The safety procedures help reassure parents and loved ones that their child going through basic training is kept safe.

“We secure them, we make sure they’re safe. And that’s part of our culture within this community, a safe environment to live, work and play and really train America’s army,” said Nieberding.