Last week, you may have wondered why there was such a commotion at the campus of Union Elementary and High School.
You probably saw all kinds of emergency vehicles from police and sheriff’s department vehicles to fire trucks and ambulances. Don’t worry, it wasn’t the worst case scenario, but first responders were preparing for what we hope is the unthinkable.
Local law enforcement and emergency responders held an active shooter drill. They simulated an emergency situation with a mock shooter, who unleased his fury on the campus.
Places such as schools have emergency plans, but they don’t ever get a chance to practice them unless they are actually in a crisis situation. And by then, the plan may be out the window, especially if no one is familiar with it or it was developed without ever testing it.
Starting off at 8:30 a.m. last Wednesday by a few volunteer high school students tossing firecrackers to simulate gunshots, police and swat officers practiced entering and clearing the school building, while other officers hid inside pretending to be the shooters and Union School District staff took the place of students.
“You hate training for something like that, but if it happens, we’ll be ready,” Joedy Pennington, commander of the Newton County SRT team, told our managing editor Thomas Howard.
However, Wednesday’s training paid off as both Pennington and USD superintendent Tyler Hansford reported positive feedback from the officers involved.
All of the law enforcement agencies participating in the active shooter training coordinated well and completed their objectives, Pennington reported.
This is a great opportunity for everyone to practice what would happen if we ever had an incident. I hope we never need to use it, but going through it will help everyone stay much calmer for any emergency, whether it’s an active shooter or a natural disaster.
We applaud you all for helping keep our schools and community safe.
Contact Brent at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com.
