School evacuation drill considered a success
Community responds to simulated shooting at middle school
BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER staff Edison police officers block off Division Street in Edison during an "active shooter" drill at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Edison. At right, officers prepare themselves for the "shooter."

EDISON - There's a police car in the middle of Division Street in Edison, its lights flashing, with a nearby officer telling drivers that no one can come through. He waves them through a side street and continues to stand watch.

Farther down the road stands a pair of officers next to another cruiser, telling people that no one can approach Thomas Jefferson Middle School. It's currently under lockdown.

Outside the school, Lt. Mark Anderko, director of the township's Office of Emergency Management, says there is an "active shooter" inside the building, and that the students must be evacuated as soon as possible. Police have entered the building and are seeking to secure the structure.

The active shooter drill, undertaken in a joint effort by the police, Office of Emergency Management, township and school district, was going well so far. On Oct. 22, various township entities came together to test their procedures for what they would do if a school had to deal with a real shooter inside the building.

Outside the school, besides the crackling of police radio chatter giving occasional status updates on the drill's progress, everything is quiet. Edison Mayor Jun Choi, who was observing along with district Superintendent Carol Toth and Police Chief George Mieczkowski and others, said that in the event of a real shooting, this probably would not be the case.

"At this point, it would be pure pandemonium. Parents, media. I wouldn't be surprised if there were helicopters," said Choi.

The drill began at 9 a.m. when a call to police reported an "active shooter", with two "injured" parties near the front door. Officers were summoned and entered the building, eventually determining that the "shooter" was in room 119. Keeping that room isolated, authorities started evacuating the rest of the building, students exiting the school with their hands in the air. After this was completed, the only room left was where the "shooter" was holed up.

ANDREW MILLER staff An Edison police officer tends to a "wounded" victim during an "active shooter" drill at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Edison.

"The threat was rendered safe," said Anderko.

After this, the students in room 119 are evacuated and the school is given a complete sweep by police, who manage to find one straggler left behind. After this person is evacuated, they do one more sweep of the building and confirm that it is totally evacuated. The teachers who, along with their students, had gathered at the nearby Stelton Community Center, do a final head count and confirm that everyone is accounted for. All told, it took about 25 minutes to evacuated 735 students.

Anderko said that, in a real shooter situation, the crisis might not be over and noted that in the event of a hostage or barricade situation, the Emergency Response Team would come into play. It was also noted that, in all likelihood, staff from the county and other municipalities would also be showing up to assist.

"It could be a prolonged event," said Anderko.

According to Toth, the schools practice lockdown drills every month and have done so for the past two years, but running through an evacuation was something new.

The focus of the drill was to concentrate on communication and initial response. The drill was to supplement the district's crisis management plans already in place.

After the drill, Choi said that drills such as these are important as school shootings become more common. He said that they must be conducted regularly and to maintain a strong communication.

"The most important part is we are prepared as a community to deal with worstcase scenarios," said Choi. "I am very pleased with the results of [the drill]."

Toth said that the shooter response protocols could not happen without the cooperation of various township entities coordinating a response. She was saddened that such drills were even necessary, but acknowledged that it is the responsibility of the schools to provide a safe environment.

"Unfortunately, these are the times. We have to do these drills. … We are trying to do everything proactively we can to make a safe learning environment possible," said Toth.

Mieczkowski appreciated the level of preparation displayed during the drill and just hoped it would never have to be put into practice.

"We have been training in an active shooter scenario for about two years. … Hopefully, we'll never have to use this training," said Mieczkowski .