Eugene first responders train for mass casualty emergencies downtown

Police cars, fire crews and other first responders are expected to be visible around the former PeaceHealth University District Hospital campus as Eugene agencies run a mass-casualty drill designed for the kind of downtown emergency residents hope never happens.

The multi-day Active Violent Incident exercise runs April 21 through April 24 at the old PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center University District site. Eugene Springfield Fire and the Eugene Police Department are using the vacant campus for morning and afternoon training sessions that may bring added activity, some loud noises and a heavier emergency presence in the area near downtown Eugene and the University of Oregon corridor.

Officials say the point is not spectacle but readiness. If a real mass-casualty event struck downtown, police and fire would have to coordinate quickly across agencies, assign roles, move information and manage the scene without confusion. The drill is meant to test communication, decision-making and scene management under pressure, with particular attention to how well the departments work together when seconds matter.

That cooperation has changed over the past eight years. Early joint training exposed awkward communication and clunky coordination, but repeated drills helped build familiarity and trust. What once required officers and firefighters to be taught how to work on one another’s radio frequencies is now standard practice, a sign of how much the partnership has matured since the program began.

Eugene Springfield Fire Deputy Chief Markus Lay said serious incidents remain rare, but they are real possibilities that demand discipline and practice. Sgt. Matt Lowen has described active violent incidents as low-frequency, high-impact catastrophes, the kind of events agencies cannot afford to assume they will handle well without rehearsal.

The training is being funded through the Oregon Health Authority’s Hospital Preparedness Program, which supports exercises and other preparedness work through health care coalitions. Officials say that funding also covers backfill costs, allowing agencies to keep community staffing levels intact while personnel take part in the drill. The effort fits Oregon’s regional preparedness system, which is set up to be flexible and scalable if a disaster stretches local resources.

The location adds another layer of urgency. PeaceHealth closed the University District emergency department in December 2023, and the hospital later shut down altogether. The building first opened in 1936, and its closure left Eugene without an emergency department at that site. In 2024, Oregon Health Authority data showed RiverBend emergency department visits rose 24% after the University District ED closed, underscoring the pressure on the region’s remaining emergency care system.

Eugene Police SWAT has said it has partnered with PeaceHealth for years and trains monthly to stay ready for hostage rescue and active-violent-incident tactics. This week’s exercise extends that same readiness work into a downtown setting, where officials say clear communication and fast coordination would be the difference between confusion and control.