In partnership with Halton Regional Police Services, Sheridan College conducted an enhanced lockdown drill today. The event was a test for both Sheridan and Halton police, and was conducted to help ensure the continued safety of everyone on our campus.
At 9 a.m. this morning, a lockdown drill was initiated, forcing everyone in the SCAET building to take shelter and follow Sheridan’s emergency lockdown procedure. A life-like incident then unfolded, whereby two off-duty SWAT team officers who were playing the role of gunmen went into the hallways carrying replica hand guns. Four uniformed Halton Police officers were called to respond to the drill. Using replica hand guns that mimicked the sound of gunshots, the team walked through SCAET looking for the suspects. Along the way, they encountered approximately 25 students from Sheridan’s Music Theatre Performance program who acted as victims. These students were on scene at 7 a.m. this morning, to have fake gun wounds applied to them by a team of approximately 15 students in Sheridan’s Advanced Special Effects Makeup, Prosthetics and Props program. The incident ended with the uniformed police officers pretending to fatally shoot the assailants.
During the drill, approximately 30 Sheridan employees acted as observers in the classrooms that were under lockdown to measure how well the Sheridan community adhered to our lockdown procedures. Students from Sheridan’s police fundamentals and public safety programs were also actively involved earlier in the day to speak to people near the SCAET building to remind them of the events that were about to unfold. Following the drill, a mock press conference was held in SCAET for Sheridan’s journalism students who had the opportunity to pose questions to Sheridan staff, as if they were reporting on a real event.
Over the past several weeks, two postings about this drill have appeared in the Insider. An email was sent to all students and employees. Posters have been distributed around the Trafalgar Campus, and were also uploaded to the Sheridan indoor TV screens and to the login page on Access Sheridan. Neighbouring businesses, buildings and churches were informed of the drill, as was GO Transit and Oakville Transit.
Halton Police Sergeant Barry Hughes, who was responsible for coordinating the drill thanked everyone involved and indicated that it was a great learning opportunity for members of Halton Regional Police Services. Security staff at Sheridan echoed these sentiments and would like to extend their sincere thanks to everyone who participated today.