After eight months of planning, an active shooter drill was successfully implemented at Troy High School on Friday, March 16. The large scale training exercise included response from local, county and state emergency service agencies.
The realistic drill took place on a pre-scheduled staff professional development day where school was not in session. No students participated in the drill. Troy High School and District staff served as actors as both teachers and students.
This is the first active shooter drill of its kind for Troy City School District as well as for Rensselaer County.
“On behalf of the the entire Troy City School District and the Board of Education, I would like to thank the more than 300 individuals from various agencies, including our own staff, for their time and effort in this important exercise,” said John Carmello, superintendent for Troy City School District. “We certainly hope that we never have to implement our emergency protocols in this capacity, but this drill will help us to further fine tune our already well practiced plans. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority and we are thankful to be able to have this opportunity to help us further protect them.”
“There were a lot of agencies involved in this, headed up by the Troy City School District with assistance from Questar III BOCES who has been an integral part of this exercise,” said Daniel DeWolf, assistant chief for the Troy Police Department. “A lot of good is going to come from this. This whole thing is about being prepared so we can save lives. I’m glad we have such a great collaboration with Troy City School District so we can be ready.”
“We are happy to be of assistance for such an important exercise with Troy City Schools,” said Craig Hansen, health and safety director at Questar III BOCES. “I am encouraged by the number of schools and municipalities that are being proactive in their efforts to ensure student safety and I thank all the participants and the various agencies for their collaborative response.”
The drill was a collaborative exercise with Troy City School District, Questar III BOCES, Troy Police Department, Troy Fire Department, Rensselaer County Sheriff, New York State Police, Rensselaer County Bureau of Public Safety, New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Samaritan Hospital/St. Peter’s Health Partners, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as well as other local and out-of-county law enforcement agencies.