Statesboro ERT heads to 33rd Annual SWAT Round-Up International

Statesboro’s Emergency Response Team is in Orlando for the week for the 33rd Annual ‘SWAT Round-Up International’ competition.

Team members Jared Shababy, Sneed Collins, Jeremy Glisson, Louis Parker, Patrick Webb, Thomas McKeithen, and Travis Kreun will be the only team representing Georgia amongst over sixty teams in one of the nation’s most training-intensive competitions.

The event, which officially begins Sunday afternoon, includes a range of training opportunities from actual classes and debriefings to real-life physically intensive scenarios and obstacles. While geared as a competition, the event is all about improving precision and skill while learning from other teams. ERT’s Team Leader Jared Shababy said one of the best parts of the SWAT Round-Up is the debriefings from high-profile SWAT operations. “In previous years, we’ve heard from members of different agencies like HRT who rescued the kid from the Alabama bunker and the team that rescued the Gwinnett firefighters. We heard what they did right, what they did wrong, what they could do better. This year, we’ll hear from some of the team from the Boston Marathon bomber search.”

ERT has seen significant support from the community to attend the event for the past few years, including a complimentary vehicle from Statesboro’s Franklin Chevrolet, along with gear from local vendors in the region. Additionally, it is community groups that have come together to help fund the trip, including travel expenses, for the team to participate.

While ERT trains year-round, Statesboro’s team has shifted their focus to prepare for this competition specifically over the last three or four months. The SWAT Round-Up is more physical training and shooting under extreme fatigue, as opposed to their usual training on barricaded persons or hostage situations. Their training facility is complete with many of the obstacles they’ll see in Orlando, many of which were built with the help of Statesboro High School students.

The competition is scored for time and gauged for precision, but Major Rob Bryan says, “there’s no better way to train.”

The SWAT Round-Up runs through November 13. You can read more on the competition here. Take an inside look at Statesboro’s ERT members here.

Many thanks to Assistant Team Leader Sneed Collins for wearing the AllOnGeorgia GoPro in the video below: