Wednesday, December 9th is a scheduled half-day at Eagleridge Elementary and for the last half-hour, students, faculty and staff will go through a scripted lockdown drill that includes an actor playing an angry parent with a restraining order trying to locate their child and law enforcement units arriving with their lights (but no sirens) flashing.
According to Ferndale Police and School Resource Officer Steve Gamage, the drill has been scripted to fit being in an elementary school and around elementary students. So potentially intense scenario elements have been dialed back or eliminated entirely.
Gamage pointed out there have been real situations with parents acting out on Ferndale school grounds in the past year from which the exercise script is based.
A practice drill in preparation for the real exercise was conducted Monday, November 30th to work out any immediately identifiable kinks.
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During the exercise, representatives from law enforcement and the school district will be monitoring and evaluating how the lockdown protocol is carried out. Immediately after the exercise a debriefing session will take place with law enforcement and district officials where information will be shared and suggestions for improvements made.
Officer Gamage advised that the public should not be concerned about an increased law enforcement presence in the area before and during the exercise. As part of the script, law enforcement vehicles will be seen arriving after receiving the exercise dispatch via radio.
The following is the half-hour exercise schedule:
- 12:30pm – Exercise begins
- 12:35pm – Lockdown will begin (office alerts teachers to lock their doors, turn out lights and pull shades)
- 12:55pm – Students will be evacuated to Horizon Middle School
- 1:00pm – Students will be picked up at Horizon Middle School
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Click for more informationAgencies participating in the exercise include
- Ferndale Police
- Lummi Tribal Police
- Ferndale School District
- Trusys security consultants
In October of last year, a large-scale three-hour exercise was carried out at Ferndale High School simulating an armed intruder.