On Friday, Local First Responders descended on Colleton Preparatory Academy for an active shooter drill. School was not in session Friday. Several walk throughs and practice sessions were conducted in the months prior to the actual drill. The school has some very robust plans in place to protect the facility, students and staff, all of which worked well during the scenario. As part of the drill, Colleton Medical Center conducted their annual disaster drill and received many patients from the active shooter drill. Local Law Enforcement Officers from the Sheriff's Office and Walterboro Police Departments responded to the school. The officers searched the buildings and apprehended the suspect. Firefighter-Paramedics then triaged the many patients and arranged for transport of the injured. Neighboring counties were contacted to see what resources they could provide and regional hospitals were contacted to verify how many injured each could take. The CARE Flight helicopter landed on the football field and transported one patient. Law Enforcement officers from both organizations worked seamlessly to search and secure the scene. The school staff and security was very helpful and well prepared. Some areas of improvement were identified which is the reason for conducting the drill. After last year's drill at the large high school, many response guidelines were adjusted and made this year's drill run much better.
