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On cue, 'gunman' hits school
By LORRI HELFAND
© St. Petersburg Times, LARGO -- Members of the city Police and Fire departments rushed to Largo High School on Wednesday morning in response to a 911 call: There was a gunman on campus. But the shooter was a Largo Police Explorer. His .38-caliber pistol was loaded with blanks, and his student victims were spattered with makeup and fake blood. The exercise scenario sounded sadly familiar: A student wreaks havoc on campus while police and rescue teams work together to deal with the crisis. The purpose of the drill was to evaluate that partnership and assess how well each group performed its duties. "We were testing the communication between the Fire and Police departments. We hope we learn a lot from doing this drill, if we have to face this problem. You know it's a problem throughout the U.S., and you never know if it's going to happen here," said fire Chief Caroll Williams. Police spokesman Mac McMullen hoped it never does. But if the unthinkable happens, he said, "Hopefully, we will be able to communicate and create the best possible scenario." The simulated crisis began at 9 a.m. Calls were dispatched to police and fire units informing them that shots had been fired at the school, where classes are out for the summer. Moments later units learned that the call was a drill, but only the planning team had been aware of the drill before Wednesday. Even school resource officers were caught off guard. Ten rescue units, two fire engines and a unit trained to handle hazardous materials raced to the scene. Thirty police officers followed suit, including a 10-member Emergency Response Team. In the middle of the campus, the shooter -- actually 20-year-old Largo Police Explorer commander Joe Nichols -- started his rampage. He terrorized 50 students who were teenagers in the Largo police and fire Explorer units and Largo recreation programs. Then, he worked his way to the campus science lab, where he pretended to hold 10 hostages at gunpoint. "It's good training for me. I want to be a law enforcement officer," said Nichols, who noted each phase of the plan for future reference. The rescue involved three phases. First, the police patrol units isolated the gunman and secured the area. Next, the fire team began treating and evacuating students. And finally the Police Department's Emergency Response Team, which is similar to a SWAT team, swooped in as the hostage negotiator coaxed the shooter out. During the drill, a triage medic tagged victims according to the severity of their injuries. Green tags indicated the least serious injuries, red tags indicated the most serious, and black tags indicated fatalities. The fictitious tally of casualties included two dead, three critically injured and six treated and released. Within 21/2 hours, the drill wrapped up as two police officers escorted Nichols from the lab. Although the drill involved 50 students rather than a thousand, Pat McGinley, district fire chief, said the practice run was valid preparation for a large-scale tragedy. "The span of control is the same," he said. "What we tested today is what the initial response would be, so the rest of the players could fill the roles efficiently." Some members of Police Explorer Post 970 who played victims in the drill said they have had their own fears about school violence since the tragedy at Columbine. "I wanted to stay home from school the Colorado shooting day," said 14-year-old Justin Deming of Indian Rocks Christian, who recalled a 1998 gun-possession incident at his school. After the drill, Barbara Thornton, Largo High principal, said the exercise made her feel more secure. "In reality, every principal has to be prepared for some kind of crisis. We'd have to have our heads in the sand if we didn't. We have to be prepared. In reality, I hope and pray we never have to have a real response."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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