School Mass Casualty Exercise Set for 8 a.m. Friday near Downtown Anderson

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

If you hear the sirens and see the mass assembling of ambulances, law enforcement vehicles and other commotion at the C. F. Reames Education Center on South McDuffie Street Friday morning, it’s not a real emergency, only a simulation exercise.

Anderson County law enforcement, Anderson County Emergency Management, public schools, and first responders will play distinct but coordinated roles during a mass casualty training event at 8 a.m. Friday, as each group works to train to be more effective and prepared to respond under real-life conditions.

The City of Anderson Police Department, the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office, AnMed Health and all five school districts will participate in the event, which was scheduled on a day when students are out of school and staff and teachers marking in-service days. More than 100 volunteers from schools will take part as wounded and frightened students and the frightened parents.

Some will be rushed to the emergency room at AnMed, while others will be transported to an unidentified off-site location to be connected with parents. In the case of an actual emergency, a notice would be sent to all parents on the location to which students would be transported.

Law enforcement, which will not be given the details of the scenario in advance, will seek to provide security and to neutralize active threats, while helping coordinate the incident command structure. Officers may perform rapid triage, deliver life-saving tactical medical care, control access, and guide rescue efforts, especially during active shooter or terrorism scenarios. Their training increasingly includes medical and tactical skills like hemorrhage control, airway management, and casualty movement under pressure.

Schools serve as both training venues and active players, helping simulate realistic environments for the drill. School staff and students may participate by acting as role players, implementing lockdown procedures, and practicing communications with law enforcement and first responders. Schools use the event to refine their emergency operations plans, test classroom sheltering systems, and work collaboratively with local agencies to ensure rapid, organized responses and clear communication protocols.

The challenge will be for all groups to communicate seamlessly, follow the incident command system, and adapt to evolving scenarios. The goal is to learn from the exercise, identify gaps, improve protocols, and ensure community readiness for any mass casualty event.