LIMA, OH (WLIO) - An active shooter drill helped different agencies in Lima and Allen County stay prepared in case of an actual threat.
Lima City Schools partnered with Lima Police and Fire as well as the Allen County Emergency Management Agency to identify ways that they can improve overall response in case of an active shooter threat. A training exercise was held at South Science and Technology Magnet School.
The collaboration also will help students and staff stay prepared in case they are faced with an active shooter situation.
"Letting them know that if you can escape the building it’s safe to do that… you can break a window and climb out… it’s safe to do that too," said Jill Ackerman, Superintendent of Lima City Schools. "So it’s just an opportunity to really be deliberate and having conversations, and teaching kids what would be the best way to respond."
Lima City Schools hope that the drill will continue the conversation on how they can keep updating their safety measures when to active threats on school grounds.
"And even after that the incident happened in Texas in the spring, we could sit back down and really reevaluate what more do we need to do," said Ackerman. "So it’s an ongoing discussion, we are thinking about it all the time, we’re having those conversations were doing ongoing training."
Officials from the Lima Police Department hope that the training will help students better understand what they can do in a difficult situation.
"First I hope they take it seriously and that if there’s anything ever happens like this they are prepared," said Sgt. Matt Douglass of the Lima Police Department. "They know to either if they can lockdown, lockdown. And if they can get out, they can get out. If they have to fight, they would have to fight... but knowing just being preparing for an incident of this nature."
