NORTH BERGEN–The North Bergen Police, in conjunction with the North Bergen Board of Education, planned to conduct an active shooter drill Friday. The drill was scheduled to take place at the Robert Fulton Elementary School at 11 a.m. June 23. Over 100 students and adult volunteers have signed up to play various roles in the drill. Teachers and administrators from the town’s Board of Education will also help out.
Per a press release, “The mock drill will assess the abilities of various agencies to respond to an emergency incident at school, similar to the recent events that have occurred nationwide. With school violence being a top concern for families across the nation, this drill will provide the opportunity for first responders, school administrators, and educators to actively participate in a realistic emergency response exercise.”
Active partners in the exercise will include the West Orange Police Department, North Bergen Emergency Medical Services, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense at Picatinny Arsenal, and U.S. Federal Air Marshals.
Agencies that will provide support include the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office, the North Bergen Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey State Police, University Hospital, and other nearby police departments.
The exercise comes as an FBI study recorded 160 active shooter incidents in the country between 2000 and 2013. Twenty-four percent of those shootings took place in educational environments, the study revealed.
Exercise locations will be only accessible to event participants during this time, due to safety concerns, the release added. Contact Juan P. Escobar at 201-864-0600 or jescobar@vmmi.net for more information.
