UVU prepares for mass-casualty incident with mock bombing drill
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- Members of the Orem Fire Department respond to someone with a simulated injury during a mock bombing drill held at Utah Valley University on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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- A simulated victim is prepped to be loaded onto a Life Flight helicopter during a mock bombing drill held at Utah Valley University on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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- An Orem police officer responds to a simulated victim during a mock bombing drill held at Utah Valley University on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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- Someone simulating an injury from smoke inhalation lies on the floor inside the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University during a mock bombing drill held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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- Emergency responders tend to patients with simulated injuries during a mock bombing drill held at Utah Valley University on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
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- People with simulated injuries lie on the ground outside of the UCCU Center on the campus of Utah Valley University during a mock bombing drill held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, the sound of two ear-ringing explosions could be heard across the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem.
The blasts, which gave the impression that multiple bombs had been detonated, were only part of a drill — but the scene outside of the UCCU Center on UVU’s campus was nothing short of realistic.
The university held a full-scale, multi-agency emergency response exercise that mimicked a bombing on campus and its subsequent aftermath.
Police officers, firefighters, emergency response teams, a Life Flight helicopter and SWAT units from across Utah Valley as well as dozens of volunteers covered in theater makeup portraying injured victims all participated in the drill.
Robin Ebmeyer, director of emergency management and safety at UVU, said the exercise was the culmination of a yearlong planning process to address the risk of bomb threats if one were to ever occur on campus.
“We’re a university, and we’re very open, especially (at) a building like this that has activities, events in it all the time (where) people come and go. … So we feel like we should address that threat,” Ebmeyer told reporters.
UVU has held active-shooter drills and other exercises to prepare for a variety of mass-casualty events in the past. Tuesday’s drill comes after several recent bomb-related occurrences in Utah County.
Last week, police said someone called in bomb threats to multiple government buildings in Provo, which forced bomb sweeps and evacuations of the targeted facilities.
In that incident, no explosive devices were ever found, police said.
In April, charges were announced against an Orem man after police said they discovered several homemade bombs in his vehicle and apartment.
Ebmeyer said the recent incidents solidified the university’s decision to host the bomb simulation and the need to be prepared in the event of a real-life situation.
“It just gives the community, EMS, police, EOD (emergency ordnance disposal) — all those different groups that would normally respond to something like — this the opportunity to work together in a much more controlled environment versus the actual environment,” she said.
The exercise also provided context for several Mountainland Technical College students who participated in the drill and are currently learning what it takes to work as an emergency medical technician.
Laini Roberts, an Eagle Mountain resident who attends the college and participated in the drill, said it provided some perspective on what a true mass-casualty event may entail and how to care for injured patients.
“I feel like it’s important because it gives other people practice,” she said. “You just never know if you’re prepared.”
Shawn Advincula, another Mountainland student who is studying to be an EMT, said he found the drill to be extremely beneficial.
“I’m in the basic EMT class, and it’s fun to see kind of how it would go in person,” he said. “I mean, (the teachers) they teach us in words and stuff, but actually … practicality is really nice to watch and see what’s going on.”
Marc Ellison, an American Fork resident, volunteers with the Utah County Medical Reserve Corps and said drills like this helps him strengthen his skillset in emergency management.
“It’s just (like) getting more practical experience, kind of like on-the-job training,” he said.
UVU Police Chief Jeff Long said in light of recent bomb threats in Utah and across the nation, Tuesday’s drill yielded invaluable training.
“So this is (a) real-world type of scenario; you know, something we hope never happens, but we definitely have to train for,” he said.
Long said the university and its emergency management team plans to conduct a post-event review to identify areas for improvement and learning from the exercise. But in the meantime, he said he feels confident in the ability of the responders to handle a real-life situation effectively.
