Deer Park School District took part in emergency drill held at Deer Park High School

Shown in the photo, S.W.A.T. teams were just one of the many emergency response groups that participated in a hostage simulation drill held at Deer Park High School.

While it's common for districtwide instructional staff to meet with the Superintendent and central office administration days before the beginning of a new school year to prepare for the return and subsequent instruction of students, in Deer Park, every school staff member took part in a very unique - and potentially lifesaving - safety exercise.

Approximately 450 Deer Park staff members from throughout the Deer Park School District took part in an emergency drill held at Deer Park High School. Suffolk County Police's First Precinct, in conjunction with Suffolk County Police Department (SCPD) headquarters spearheaded the drill that simulated an intruder/shooting/hostage situation in a public high school.

The Sept. 5 drill, held one day prior to the opening of school, educated staff members on how to react in a similar, but real, emergency situation. Staff members played the role of inhabitants and later hostages. They gained valuable insight into police tactics and learned how they should react in the best interests of the health and safety of students and themselves.

Shown in the photo, Deer Park Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth Marino, far left, shares her observations of the emergency drill with SCPD First Precinct Inspector Robert Cassagne, Deer Park High School Principal Nanine Cuttitta and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy.

The drill was staged in a two-story wing of the high school. Teachers from different school buildings in the District were assigned to classrooms, playing the role of students. Two hostile and distraught students (played by SCPD officers) pushed their way through front-door security, shouting and shooting through the hallways. Teachers in the classrooms made instantaneous decisions in reacting to the violence in the hallways and attempts to enter their rooms. At certain points, an administrative time-out was called in order to evacuate rooms to the auditorium where the proceedings could be viewed on a very large television screen. Police officers in the auditorium described what was happening on the screen. One of the "shooters" was subdued by the police and the second shooter entered a classroom and held the "students" and "teachers" as hostages. At this time, the first police responders were replaced by the hostage negotiators and SWAT team members stationed themselves at vantage points around the building. When appropriate, emergency response personnel entered the buildings to help evacuate the "wounded" or "killed." Teachers in the auditorium watched on closed-circuit TV as negotiations took place, the shooter was eventually subdued, and the student hostages were handled by the police. Sound effects, smoke, and injured dummies contributed to the authenticity of the situation. Following the nearly two-hour drill, there was a 90-minute debriefing to review what went right, and what could be improved for the future.

"The goal of this exercise was to have the largest group of people gain the most knowledge from this," said Inspector Robert Cassagne, commanding officer of the SCPD First Precinct, who led the staff debriefing/review.

"Superintendent of Schools Elizabeth Marino and her staff are on the cutting edge when it comes to the safety of their students," he later added.

"This real-life simulation helped us to identify potential gaps in our response procedures and make appropriate adjustments. More importantly, the exposure of teachers in reacting under pressure to a very authentic, violent situation has provided them with a boot-camp type of training and experience," said Superintendent Marino.

"I have no doubt that we are more confident, better prepared and uniquely equipped to deal with an emergency situation."

Police officials said there have been many changes to tactical practices since the Columbine school shootings of nearly eight years ago and its important that they have the opportunity to rehearse, just as it is important for school building staff to be prepared.

"As a parent, this is good reassurance," said Police Officer and father of three Robert Reuter, who trains recruits for SCPD and played the role of the intruder for the drill. "I hope this type of thing can be done in other schools in the future."

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy also commended Deer Park school officials for being proactive in reaching out to the SCPD to plan and coordinate the drill. Levy said an interactive drill such as this "provides external security and internal peace of mind."

Following the debriefing, staff members returned to their respective school buildings to further discuss procedures and assimilate what they had learned and practiced to conditions at their own building. This included reviewing medical kits, lists of students/foods concerned with allergies, evacuation/ lockdown and shelter plans, and the use of Automatic External Defibrillators.

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