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Preparing for the unthinkable

Area emergency responders test their skills during mock school shooting

BONDAD – Almost two dozen volunteers had their faces painted or fake wounds applied Tuesday at Sunnyside Elementary as part of a large-scale training exercise in preparation for the unimaginable: an active shooter inside one of our schools.

The goal was to prepare emergency workers, the school district and other first responders for a mass casualty event, said Kathy Morris, coordinator of Safe Schools.

The No. 1 objective was to provide safety for students, staff members and the community should a mass-casualty event occur.

“We are testing a wide range of capabilities from law enforcement to victim’s advocates to EMS response to the 9-R reunification with children,” said La Plata County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dan Bender. “A lot of different components and areas are being tested in this exercise.”

More than 240 participants and about 20 agencies participated, including law enforcement, school officials, EMS workers and victim advocates.

The drill began about 9 a.m. at the school, 75 County Road 218, about seven miles south of Durango.

In preparation for the event, Bender placed flashing lights and a faux pipe bomb in the school to create distractions for emergency responders.

The visual and sound distractions simulate what emergency personnel would have to overcome when responding to a real-life threat, Bender said.

While briefing volunteers before the start of the event, Bayfield Marshall Joe McIntyre explained what they should expect.

“We are trying to make this as real as possible,” McIntyre said. “You are going to hear simulated gunfire, screaming and yelling, and a fire alarm is going to go off. It’s going to be draining.”

About 26 adults volunteered to act as students for the simulation, said Kathy Morris, coordinator of Safe Schools.

All volunteers were community members or staff from Durango School District 9-R. Children were not involved in the simulation.

The activity began when Bender, who acted as the single shooter in the activity, entered the school wearing a long black trench coat armed with two pistols and a rifle.

Bender fired multiple blanks before dispatch was notified of the mock situation about 9:05 a.m., said Lt. Keith Cramer, with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.

The Durango Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, La Plata County Sheriff’s Office and Durango Fire Protection District responded immediately and arrived on scene about 9:40 a.m., Bender said.

Deputy Chris Burke with the sheriff’s office was the first to enter the school. Other law enforcement followed closely behind, tending to victims in the halls before clearing classrooms and securing the main entrance of the school to allow other emergency responders to enter the building.

After the entrance was secured, emergency personnel from Durango Fire Protection District entered the building in teams to gather victims.

“It may look brutal, the way they are pulling victims out, but you want to get them out of the line of fire,” Bender said.

Throughout the activity, all emergency agencies were working together to benefit the community, said Kari Tillotson, one of the volunteers for the simulation.

“Every man and woman that showed up was phenomenal,” Morris said.

After evacuating victims from the building, 15 volunteers who had simulated injuries were taken to area hospitals.

Six of the victims in the simulation were killed, Cramer said.

Lt. Ed Aber with the sheriff’s office verified that the single shooter was one of the six dead people in the event.

After the building was evacuated and the scene was secured, uninjured students were brought to the 9-R School District Administration Building to be reunited with their parents.

Volunteers acting as parents of the victims reported to the Administration Building, where they were required to show photo identification before being reunited with their children.

Bender said if this had been a real incident, there would be glitches and misinformation galore.

“We have experienced that, but that’s a good thing, because it’s something we can work through. ... That’s why we are doing this exercise.”

tferraro@durangoherald.com. Herald staff writers Vanessa Guthrie, Chase Olivarius-McAlister and Dale Rodebaugh contributed to this report.



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