Verona active shooter drill prioritizes communication training

Eighty-five first responders from across Dane County used a Badger Ridge Middle School active shooting scenario to practice the importance of communication during emergencies.

“Maybe not to this magnitude,” Verona Superintendent Dean Gorrell said. “But they’ll go through some kind of catastrophe. And you hope and pray they have done some training.”

Last June, first responders say this type of training proved necessary when a tornado demolished Country View Elementary School.

“We’re talking about roles and responsibilities of rendering aid, setting up a safe area. We can get fire and EMS in there to help render aid to people who need it. So a lot of the same tactics are there,” Verona Police Sgt. Matthew Dart said.

During the Tuesday drill, the shooter was found and killed. While some did not survive, many were saved, showing first responders how life and death can truly depend on clear communication.

Participants will meet to talk about lessons learned Thursday. This is the second full-scale active shooter scenario the Verona School District has overseen since last year.