BYU NewsNet - UVU preps for possible shooting

An active shooter drill was held at Utah Valley University on Sunday in order to train law enforcement officials to more effectively respond in the event of a school shooting.

The drill started at 10:30 a.m. when actors portraying shooters entered the school and began firing blanks, throwing flash bang grenades and taking students hostage.

More than 50 actors portraying students and victims were inside the school and were instructed to simulate the panic and chaos that would be expected during a real situation. However, with the sounds of gunfire, smoke machines and occasional explosions, simulating panic was easy for some students.

“Some people were really freaked out, you could tell,” said Dylan Fullmer, a participant in the drill. “You’d hear the gunshots and stuff, it was crazy.”

Law enforcement entered moments later to set up a perimeter and locate the suspects. Local police departments, SWAT and medical and police helicopters took part in the rescue.

Many rescue teams also had to deal with simulated traps, such as bombs on doors; all while taking cover from gunfire and tending to the wounded.

The drill ended when the shooters were taken into custody or “killed.”

The drill was praised by law enforcement as a valuable learning opportunity and involved multiple agencies from throughout the state.

“It was a great learning tool,” said Sgt. Justin Sprague, of the Utah Valley University Police. “Overall, the agencies that don’t normally work together meshed and responded very well.”