It didn't really happen -- but it could

    On a Tuesday morning, the calm halls of a school suddenly became a scene of chaos as gunshots echoed and the screams of the wounded pierced the air.

     But, it was only a drill, a real-life training exercise to prepare law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical personnel on what to do in the event such a horrific scene was ever played out in one of our schools or public buildings.

Representatives from several law enforcement agencies, fire departments and EMS agencies took part in the training exercise at Avoyelles High in Moreauville on June 23.

      The two-day training included classroom work on the Monday evening before the Tuesday morning exercise.

     At 7:45 a.m., the training events began to unfold. Within an hour, a “shooter” was subdued and in police custody.

    The scenario was one of a lone gunman who entered the hallways of Avoyelles High and started shooting students and staff.  A school security officer called 911 to report the shooting as shots could be heard in the auditorium. An officer took a position that allowed him to both observe the gunman and to communicate with responding agencies.

     The APSO Emergency Response Team (ERT) and other law enforcement personnel gathered at the Moreauville Fire Department station to establish a command post before deploying to the school. Gunfire could still be heard inside the school. A State Police helicopter circled overhead as the team approached the school.

 

   The team secured the rear of the school before making its way into a doorway leading to a front hall where they were met with the scene of several wounded students crying for help. The 5-man team did not have the luxury to stop and minister to the wounded. They stepped over the victims and continued their mission to find the shooter and stop more casualties. The search yielded fruit a few moments later when, in an exchange of gunfire, the  deputies found and apprehended the shooter in the school auditorium.

      A few minutes later, officers gave the all-clear, indicating that there were no more threats within the building.

   At that time, medical personnel rushed into the school to tend to the wounded. The more severely wounded were placed into ambulances or airlifted by helicopter. Police, guns still drawn, escorted those carrying the wounded to a triage location on the football field.

    This was the third “active shooter” training exercise in the past three years. The first two were conducted at the former Bunkie Middle School and were only for law enforcement personnel.

    The exercise was conducted by APSO Deputy Jody Carmouche, the department’s training director and firearms instructor. The combination training added fire department and EMS personnel to the scenario.

 

    “This year we had an active shooter with students playing the injured,” Sheriff Doug Anderson said. “We don’t ever want this situation to happen, but if it does we want everyone to know what to do.”

     Anderson was pleased with the response, but noted there were a few mistakes made during the training exercise. 

When the event was over, participants met together in front of the school to review the lessons learned during the event -- what was done right and what needs to be improved.

   “Today’s exercise was needed because it involved a combination of emergency services needed in the event of an active shooter,” Anderson said. “This puts everyone on the same page.”

    The two-day training cost $10,000, which was covered by a grant through the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness.

“This was needed to help us be prepared,” OEP Director Joey Frank said. “You never want something like this to happen, but the training is in place in case it does happen.”

    Avoyelles Superintendent of Schools Blaine Dauzat and several school officials were present during the exercise. Dauzat called the training important, not just for emergency personnel but also for school personnel.

    “We need an evacuation plan for students and staff in place,” Dauzat said. “We need to have a hard copy of the student’s information ready to go at a moment’s notice.” 

    Dauzat said the training was important because it made the various parties in an emergency work together. “Our issue is separate from law enforcement,” he said. “We have to get the students out of the school safely; get the students back to their parents without mass confusion. The learning experience today for school personnel was very valuable for us in the future.”