Ind. Hospital Hosts Active Shooter Drill

Nov. 18--The coordinated "attack" happened on two fronts -- the St. Mary's Medical Center administration and human resources offices.

Faux gunmen entered both areas Tuesday afternoon, located in separate buildings on the hospital campus, and were determined to do harm. Hospital security and Evansville Police Department officers were tasked with responding to both situations as quickly as possible, stopping the make-believe threat that was staged to prepare for the worst, should it ever occur during a time in which active-shooter disasters populate the news, said Michael Klueh, vice president and chief risk officer at St. Mary's.

According to the planned scenario, the attackers were disgruntled ex-St. Mary's employees.

"One was going to take his anger out on the president of the hospital," said Ted Karges, a hospital security officer for almost four years. "The other was going to take his frustration out on the director of human resources and take him as a hostage."

The disaster drill was planned for months, and as the clocked ticked toward 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, it was go-time.

In the administration office, an intruder fired a series of blanks. Officers in full gear responded, killing the intruder and tending to office employees pretending to be wounded. A debriefing followed in the office.

At the human resources area, a longer scenario played out. The hospital's HR director was taken from his first floor office to a second floor, and the police department's hostage negotiation and SWAT teams followed hospital security personnel to the scene.

"It went real well," Karges said. " I couldn't see too many things we need to work on. The response time was excellent for both scenarios ... both threats were eliminated rather quickly, with minimal casualties."

The drill was serious business, and hospital officials said the event and others like it are necessary so policies can be evaluated and adjusted when necessary. At least 200 St. Mary's employees participated.

"Part of our responsibly is to make sure that we, in our disaster planning, are well-prepared for any situation that may arise," added Klueh. "With the increase in institutional violence in hospitals and schools, especially involving active shooter scenarios, we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to work with not only our own security staff but with the Evansville Police Department."

The dummy ammunition is meant to simulate an active shooter situation as closely as possible, according to hospital staff.

Weapons are not allowed on the St. Mary's campus.

"You're never perfect, although we strive for perfection," Klueh said. "That's one reason we practice. The more you practice, the better you become at what you do. We did some things really well today, and some other things we've identified as opportunities for improvement. We'll embrace those, and make those changes to our process."

Copyright 2015 - Evansville Courier & Press, Ind.