GLADSTONE, Mich. (WZMQ) – First responders in Delta County spent Tuesday morning making sure they are prepared to keep students safe in the event of an active threat.
“We decided that instead of just talking about what would happen in a mass casualty incident, we would put it into play,” said Gladstone Public Safety Director Ron Robinson.
Gladstone Public Safety led organizations through an active assailant exercise at Gladstone Area High School. The sound of gunshots—non-lethal and fired by Escanaba’s Public Safety captain, who acted as an assailant—signaled the start of the drill.
“We had one shooter come in through the front of the building and work his way to the student sections,” explained Robinson. “We also had another shooter come in through the mechanical room, through the cafeteria, and then into the gymnasium.”
First responders were dispatched from the John & Melissa Besse Sports Park. While they were all working toward a common goal, each department had a distinct and important job.
“We can’t just come in, take care of the threat, and then just stop,” Robinson said. “We need to start thinking about the injured people; we need to get them help. We need to start thinking about the uninjured people. We’ve got people in classrooms, and they’re going to be transported to a reunification center and then released from there.”
Robinson says it was the culmination of months of tabletop exercises, training, fundraising for Stop the Bleed kits, and the dedication of every agency involved.
“In the initial talk, I thought it would just be a small group of people,” he said. “For it to grow as big as it did—there’s got to be over 100 people—it’s awesome, and I appreciate everybody who came out here.”
On Thursday, Gladstone Public Safety will hold a debriefing for school staff and exercise participants to share feedback on what went well, what could be improved, and ideas for future exercises. Robinson’s hope is to conduct similar exercises at schools every year, ensuring the entire first responder community is prepared to protect the lives of Delta County students.
“These kids are our future,” said Robinson. “We need to make sure that they’re protected and make sure that they can come to school and they can feel relaxed and get the education that they need to.”
Agencies who partnered with Gladstone Public Safety for the active assailant exercise included the Michigan State Police, Escanaba Public Safety, OSF, Rampart EMS, and the Delta County Sheriff’s Office, Rescue Task Force, and Central Dispatch.
