Video: Drill Helps West Point Prepare for the Unthinkable

[syndicaster id=’5687246′]

WEST POINT, Miss. (WCBI) — It was so realistic it included screaming parents frantically trying to find their children, realistic wounds, a crazed gunman stalking a school hallway shooting students, and SWAT teams searching him out.

Clay County emergency responders, law enforcement and firefighters practiced their plan for a school shooting during a two-hour drill Saturday morning at West Point High. Students, parents and staff helped make it happen by playing everything from the dead and injured to frantic parents to staff having to lockdown classrooms.

Organizers say a school shooting unfortunately has become one of the most likely crisis communities will have to face.

“We’re trying to be proactive and get ahead of these and help schools and communities plan for an event we hope never happens,” explained Todd Demuth, the exercise director for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency who helped coordinate and oversee the drill.

He does dozens a year across the state.

“It’s better to realize that there are errors in our plan and to fix those before we actually have to utilize them in a real life event,” noted Sherrie Gentry-Blissard, the MCEM director for Clay County Emergency Management.

Local and state observers watched the drill to help improve responses. Organizers say one of the most common mistakes is getting rushed in the heat of the moment.