Active Shooter Training Conducted at West Delaware High School

If there was a shooting at one of our local schools, how would emergency personnel respond? That’s exactly what was put to the test on Wednesday afternoon at West Delaware High School in Manchester.

Delaware County Emergency Management organized an Active Shooter Training exercise – partnering with West Delaware staff, Manchester Police, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Manchester Fire, EMS, Iowa State Patrol and several other local agencies. Emergency Management Coordinator Mandy Bieber and Delaware County Sheriff Travis Hemesath say they practiced a scenario that involved two shooters intruding the high school, with staff playing victims.

To clarify that it was only a drill, a couple of large electronic signs reading “Training in Progress” were posted on the streets by the high school. The hour-long drill started around 3 pm after school had dismissed early for the day, so students were not on site. To make the drill as real as possible, a mock 911 call was made to dispatch, the exercise used simulated gunfire, the victims wore theatrical make-up to resemble real-life gunshot wounds, and emergency personnel vehicles responded to the scene. Bieber and Hemesath say overall, Wednesday’s Active Shooter Training exercise went well. 

Bieber says they are planning to continue these trainings on a rotational basis each year with other local schools as well.

You can find several photos from Wednesday’s Active Shooter Training at West Delaware High School below.

DISCLAIMER REQUESTED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM A TEST ACTIVE SHOOTER TRAINING EXERCISE – THESE PHOTOS DO NOT DEPICT A REAL SITUATION OR REAL INJURIES.

photos courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH