This Ohio district recently conducted a full-scale emergency exercise involving the Columbus bomb squad responding to a possible improvised explosive device (IED) at Holt Crossing Intermediate School and on a school bus. The district tested its new emergency plans and interoperatble digital radios. (Photo gallery courtesy of Campus Safety magazine, which is also published by Bobit Business Media.)
South Western City Schools' Bomb Threat Exercise
Students are escorted through the exercise area by Gary L. Sigrist Jr. to watch part of the exercise.
Columbus Bomb Squad Tech examines an IED found on the school bus.
Left to right, Lt. Jeff Lawless, Grove City Police Department, and Gene Komondor, exercise director from All Hands Consulting, brief the high school students on their roles before the start of the exercise.
Officers from the Grove City Police Department prepare to escort students off the school bus and into a building for questioning.
One of the IEDs brought to school.
Robot and mobile command center for the Columbus Fire Department.
Heidi Stevenson, assistant principal, Pleasant View Middle School, and Matt Writsel, Grove City Police Department, examine the IED discovered by a custodian at Holt Crossing Intermediate School. Stevenson served as part of the administrative team for the exercise.
Robot from the Columbus Fire Department moves in on the IED located outside of Holt Crossing Intermediate School.
Krista Houk served as the representative from Franklin County EMA and Homeland Security.
From left: Thomas McCoy, Lee Fletcher, Michael Weaver, Cindy Ackison and Matt Writsel, members of the Grove City Police Department.
Left to right, Deputy Superintendent Phil Warner, Assistant Superintendent John Kellog and PIO Sandy Nekoloff during the morning briefing. The cameraman/reporter is from WCMH 4.
From left: Jackson Township Assistant Chief Rick Dawson, Chief Lloyd Sheets and Captain Merion Jacobs are discussing procedures after the briefing.
From left: Clint Rardon, principal of Park Street Intermediate, and Tim Cox, transportation supervisor. Rardon served as part of the administrative team responding to the IED, and transportation was involved because students were on buses for the exercise and an IED was on one of the buses.
Students had the opportunity to watch the dog, robot and bomb techs as they found the final IED in a car parked in the lot.