Several law enforcement agencies entered the Melbern G. Glasscock Building on the Texas A&M University campus, brought groaning victims to safety and moved them to a waiting ambulance as onlookers watched Thursday.

The trip to the ambulance was a walk rather than a rushed run, some of the onlookers had smiles on their faces, and one of the "victims" posed a couple of seconds too long for the cameras.

The university's first mock shooting exercise played out at the campus' History Building. The event was designed to test the readiness of emergency responders to a campus gunman.

The drill -- which involved about 200 emergency responders from various local agencies -- was in response to shootings on college campuses, such as Virginia Tech, university officials said.

"Law enforcement agencies have drastically changed their responses," said Chris Meyer, the campus' assistant vice president for safety and security. "No longer do they wait for the SWAT team to arrive to save the day. Officers are trained to go to the sound of the gunfire."

Safety was a priority during Thursday's exercise, Meyer said. Only authorized personnel were allowed inside the building. No real weapons were permitted, and because Meyer didn't want passers-by to think the test was real, all radio communications began and ended with "This is an exercise," he said.

Some students in the area weren't sure.

Luke Gunderson, a sophomore economics major, was on his way to the library when he happened upon the activity. He eventually figured out it was an exercise and ended up pushing back his plans to read about Chinese economic reform to carve out time to watch the faux emergency.

"Looking at the [campus shootings] that have happened, I just don't see how this could help anyone," he said, looking toward the building. "[Responders] would never get there in time. It's going to happen in like 10 minutes. ...It seems like there should be a focus on what the students should be doing."

Freshman Rose Pauler saw more value to the exercise.

"It's helpful to have real training than just sit in an office and watch a video," she said.

Authorities parked ambulances with flashing lights at the side of the building, and every few minutes police would bring out a "victim."

Inside, the scenario unfolded after a distraught student fired shots. He killed three and wounded 39. The high number of victims was partly to test local hospitals, which were a part of the exercise, Meyer said.

Bryan and College Station's police and fire departments joined several other local agencies, including university police and paramedics, and the sheriff's department.

The Texas Engineering Extension Service monitored the response. The agency will write a report that will focus on the emergency responders' strengths and weaknesses. That information wasn't available Thursday night, said Jerry Maxwell, training director of National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center, a division of TEEX.

"The key to today was to let everybody realize all the coordination that is involved and the support that is needed to respond to something like this," Maxwell said.

Texas A&M University, like many higher-education institutions nationwide, has made changes since the shooting at Virginia Tech in April 2007, when a gunman killed 32 students and then himself.

The changes have focused on improving communication among local law enforcement agencies, trying to identify students in need of help and providing them resources and implementing a text-message alert system, Meyer said.

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Posted by: On: 12/19/2008

Comment Title:
good job!! As a student, I appreicate the concern and I am glad that they are training. (God, forbids it NEVER happens here)

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