Emergency Services, University Hold Large Active Shooter Drill

About a dozen police officers and several dozen firefighters and medics descended upon the Mason Activity Center on the campus of Cairn University Thursday evening. The response was all part of a large active shooter drill.

In the drill, police from Langhorne Manor, Penndel and Middletown were dispatched to the college for reports of multiple shooters in the activity building. Over the crackle of police radios there were initial reports of death and crisis.

The first arriving officers gathered their side arms and semi-automatic rifles. From there, they formed entry teams and made their way into the large building that houses a gymnasium, locker rooms, classrooms and a dining hall.

Officers skillfully searched the building and confirmed those injured or trapped inside were unarmed. Other officers surrounded the structure and made sure those who ran out the exits were safe and unarmed.

Middletown Lt. Ken Mellus said the initial report of three gunmen was true. One was arrested and the two others were dead.

Once police initially cleared the building, medics and firefighters were called in to treat the roughly 30 volunteers, including college faculty, who were “injured.” Mellus said the severity of the injuries varied.

The intense drill involved smoke and a mock chemical spill in one of the university’s chemistry labs. Victims were decontaminated by firefighters before being transported to local hospitals for treatment.

In the parking lot staging area, medics worked to determine the extent of the injuries to which victim and also assigned them a hospital to go to.

Middletown Sgt. Pete Feeney said if there really was an active shooter, it would be a countywide assist. Within minutes, about 100 officers from all reaches of Bucks County would respond. The situation would be similar for ambulances. Local fire companies would also respond to deal with hazard and help medics.

Feeney explained how police would have done a primary and secondary search of the activity center to make sure the shooter(s) were either dead or in custody. A third search, which could be done by a SWAT team, would check every single nook and cranny in the building.

A fire official said the drill went according to plan.

Fire police blocked the roads near the university while the drill occurred between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Following the drill, police thanked the volunteers, many still with makeup depicting wounds, for their effort.

The Christian university sits on 120 acres split between Langhorne Manor and Middletown. The school has just under 1,000 students, with hundreds living on campus.