Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Emergency Management, in collaboration with Orange-Ulster BOCES Department of Health and Safety, the New York State Police and local law enforcement and first responders, will hold an active shooter drill at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8.
The drill, which will be staged on the Orange-Ulster BOCES campus in Goshen, is not open to the public.
“Keeping Orange County’s students and residents safe is of the highest priority and I think this training will help,” Neuhaus said. “Our hope is that our educators will never need to utilize what they learn. However, as County officials, we want to make sure they possess the knowledge and information that will enable them to survive in an active shooter situation.”
Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois added: “In law enforcement, we train for something we hope never happens. If this training can interrupt or terminate an active shooter situation and save lives, it is well worth the time and effort invested. The primary goal of this presentation is to stress the need for preparedness and through this training, the safety of our citizens, especially our students, will be enhanced.”
The training exercise will focus on emergency response to an active shooter incident on campus and will involve a simulation of law enforcement response to an active shooter. It will help assure a coordinated, timely, and effective response in the event of a major incident.
The exercise will also educate attendees as to how to recognize signs of potential violence at schools, how to respond to an active shooting or other violent situation, and how to create an emergency action plan. Residents should expect to see an influx of law enforcement and other first responders at Orange-Ulster BOCES starting at approximately 8 a.m. on that Tuesday.
“I want to thank County Executive Neuhaus, the agencies involved in this exercise, Orange-Ulster BOCES Director of Operations Mark Coleman, Assistant Director of Facilities Joseph Russo, Emergency Management Technician Duane Lopez and our hard-working staff for putting together this important drill,” said Orange-Ulster BOCES Chief Operating Officer William Hecht. “Now more than ever, we must be vigilant about public safety in our schools and protecting our students. I am proud that we are hosting this event, and I believe it will be a powerful learning experience for our school administrators and first responders.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office encourages county residents to take advantage of the Active Shooter/Hostile Event program they continue to offer to the public at no cost. For more information or to schedule a public education seminar, please contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at ocnysheriff@orangecountygov.com.