Members of the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team [SRT] enter a dormitory on the campus of Tallulah Falls School during a recent training exercise. (PHOTO/courtesy Tallulah Falls School)
(Tallulah Falls) – Local and area law enforcement officers gathered on the campus of Tallulah Falls School July 21 to make the school a safer place. Personnel from the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team [SRT], Georgia Emergency Management Homeland Security Agency, Tallulah Falls Police Department and TFS campus security department coordinated a hostage simulation exercise using staff, student and community volunteers.
Upper School History Teacher Tom Tilley volunteered to role play as the suspect with Tallulah Falls Mayor Dan Hayes standing in as the hostage. The exercise was held in one of the school’s dormitories.
On scene as an observer, TFS President and Head of School Larry A. Peevy said he was pleased to have law enforcement return to campus for the coordinated training exercise. An active shooter exercise was staged earlier this year, Peevy said.
“It is important for law enforcement personnel to be familiar with our campus,” Peevy said. “Hosting training exercises is a key part of relationship building with local and area law enforcement. We want to take every step to ensure the safety of our school community.”
A comprehensive safety plan is in place, according to Director of Security Dustin Rogers, with updates ongoing. “Training with our law enforcement partners is one part of the overall plan,” Rogers said. “It helps us to maintain our vigilance.”
According to SRT Team Leader 1 Lt. Matt Wurtz, TFS security team members and the Tallulah Falls Police Department assisted in the training by gathering intelligence on the mock situation and providing building security while the team was clearing the building and looking for the suspect.
“This type of training helps everyone involved,” Wurtz said. “The Habersham County SRT would like to thank everyone involved for their participation and allowing us to use the Tallulah Falls School Campus. This is a valuable resource not only for the training of the team but the training of all departments involved. With good training we will all be better prepared if there was an incident at the school.”
