Illinois Rescuers Prepare for the Worst with School Shooting Drill

Oct. 7--NORMAL -- The first screams echo through the school's halls just after 8 a.m. The announcement over the intercom says, "There's a code red situation in the building." An ambulance and a fire truck soon pull up at the front door. A man fires from behind a pillar.

The gunman, armed only with cap guns, and the "injured students" lying in hallways were actors and actresses. But emergency responders and school and hospital employees hoped the drill was real enough to help them improve their responses in a real emergency.

"The purpose of the drill here is to test the emergency response procedures -- how do you respond to a specific type of incident, whether you're police, fire, hazardous materials, EMT, whatever?" said Illinois State University Police Capt. Keith Gehrand.

The scenario for the yearly countywide disaster drill changes every year. This year, two actors portrayed students who entered the building, pulled the fire alarm and fired on fellow students as they exited classrooms.

One shooter gave up shortly after police arrived but the other fled and took hostages, said Normal Police Lt. Mark Kotte. The drill ended when the second shooter surrendered about 11:30 a.m.

The simulated injuries to 20 students ranged from sprained ankles to gunshot wounds to the head. The simulation continued at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center and BroMenn Regional Medical Center for those injured.

All of the high school students were portrayed by volunteers at least 18 years old, and the actual high school students were off for a teacher's institute day, Kotte said.

Katy Ringler and Dena Mitchell, both ISU students, were trapped in one of the school's rooms for almost two hours during the simulation, Ringler said.

Mitchell said the screaming was the worst part of the simulation, and one of the actors portraying the wounded was just outside the door to their room, yelling for help. The students were locked in the classrooms to keep them away from the shooters.

The drill has been planned over the last six months, but Kotte said recent school shootings elsewhere in the country made it more relevant.

"It tells us that we need to be prepared as best as we can if something unfortunate like this were to happen in our community," Kotte said.

Emergency Response Unit officers -- the local equivalent of SWAT members -- brought 10 actors portraying the wounded out the school's front doors while the second shooter was barricaded in a band room of the school.

One woman shook, holding what looked like an ice pack to her blood-covered head. Another shot in the stomach called out between whimpers for someone to call his mother and to save his brother still in the building.

Jason Linder, the ISU theater major who portrayed the student shot in the stomach, later said he felt like he wasn't getting enough attention as his character went into shock while laying on the concrete. But he said the responders mostly did a good job, and he had heard real emergency calls affected the simulation.

In addition to officers and medical personnel, a hazardous materials team was called in because the simulation involved one of the gunmen shooting a container of concentrated cleaning solvent, which would burn skin on contact.

McLean County Emergency Management Agency Director Curtis Hawk said individual units -- such as the hostage negotiators, the hazardous materials team and medical personnel -- performed their tasks well. But he said he would like to see better coordination among the units.

EMA members observed but did not directly participate in the drill, Hawk said.

Hospital representatives were not available Friday afternoon to comment on the drill.

Kotte said such drills always improve emergency responses, and Friday's simulation has made the community safer.

"Are we better prepared today because of this drill?" Kotte said. "Absolutely, there's no doubt about it."