Endicott College Completes Active Shooter Response Drill
August 10, 2016 – When select members of the Endicott faculty, staff, and student body gathered on Tuesday to take part in an active shooter drill in the Manninen Center for the Arts on Endicott’s Beverly campus, few were prepared for the unexpected emotional effects of watching a mock scenario in action. The simulated injuries, cries for help, and intensity displayed by the participating police officers all combined to ensure that all participants came away with a new understanding of the gravity and importance for such a drill.
“In an emergency scenario such as the one we simulated today, responding officers are under an intense pressure,” said Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Charles Femino. “It’s important that we take the training and preparation and apply that actively - it helps immensely to prepare responders so they can be more familiar with what to expect. While each real-life event is different, the ability of our campus police to respond with confidence is something that only comes from practice.”
Beverly Police members, including Chief John Lelacheur, and Massachusetts State Police Major Arthur Segrue participated as observers and evaluators.
Following two executions of the drill, the Endicott Emergency Response Team gathered to go over details of the scenario and walk through administrative actions and logistics.
“We are grateful to the Beverly emergency responders for their assistance in making our active-shooter training session a success,” said Dr. Richard Wylie, Endicott College President. “It is an unfortunate reality that the College needs to be ready to respond to unlikely events such as this, and we can now be confident that we’re doing all we can to prepare. Future trainings will help us further develop our speed and efficiency in all of our emergency response plans, and we will continue to do everything within our power to help keep our students, faculty, and staff as safe as possible.”
The Endicott Police department worked with consulting firm Advanced Data Risk Management to prepare and carry out the drill.
Endicott continues to plan additional trainings and information sessions to keep the College community informed and ready to address a variety of emergency incidents.