School drill for an active shooter situation

With lights flashing and sirens blaring, patrol cars head to a building under attack on the Merced College Campus.  Instead of officers, teachers respond to the chaos.  One student runs and a gunman fires shots.  The teachers must react.

“We want them to feel and taste the gritty aspect of knowing they are running to a shooting, not running away from it,” said Sheriff Mark Pazin of the Merced County Sheriff’s Department.

It's all pretend, but one administrator says the exercise shakes up the senses.

“The little demo, yeah, whooo!  Amazing,” said Stan Mollart, Superintendent of the McSwainSchool District.

After recent tragedies on school campuses, MercedCounty schools connected with the sheriff, asking how they can prepare for an emergency.  The sheriff coordinated a helicopter, simulator guns and different scenarios, including hostages in a classroom.  It's an eye-opening experience and the superintendent of MercedCounty schools says being prepared for the worst is vital.

“These are uncomfortable discussions.  School administrators and parents don't want to talk about children being shot on campus but it is a reality of the times.  It's something we need to address,” said Dr. Steven Gomes, Superintendent of 115 Merced County Schools.

The teachers and administrators participating in the exercise will take the experience back to their districts and talk about ways to apply what they learned.