Something like an active shooter isn't something that you can predict -but it is something that you can prepare for. Â That's exactly what was planned at the St. Marys Middle and High School complex on Wednesday morning.
"We've been planning from the sheriff's office, police department, fire department, EMS, we've been planning this for about a year," said Detective Jacob Sutton of the St. Marys Police Department.
The school was put on a fake lock down, creating an environment similar to what it would be like if there was an active shooter inside, to teach the staff how to handle the situation.
"Our goals were to teach our teachers triage because in an active shooter event, they're going to have injuries, they're going to be locked down, and that's one of the things we teach and we want to teach them what to do when they have injuries or how to treat them," Sutton said.
But the exercise wasn't just for the school's sake, the law enforcement involved also benefited.
"There were agencies from all over the county, police and fire, and it gave us all an opportunity to come together, learn these tactics altogether and help each other out if it happened in New Bremen, or Wapak, or St. Marys, we can all come together and handle these situations together," said St. Marys Police Chief Mark Ernst.
With the unpredictability of an active shooter, students and staff knew that going through the training would be in their best interest.
"We're an education for kids, and obviously their safety is our number one goal. Â If something were to arise, they want to know how to react to it and they understand that it's a necessity," Howard Overman, Superintendent of St. Marys Schools, said.
And looking towards the future - the school knows that they have the support that they need.
"Hopefully, it never, ever occurs, but it does, we'll all work together, have familiar faces, and know how to respond together and make it go much smoother," said Dan Grothause, Transportation Supervisor for St. Marys Schools.
The school says that this was not only a good opportunity to prepare their students and staff for a tragedy like this, but also as a great way to improve their relationship with first responders.
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