White County Public Safety partnered with the county board of education on Wednesday for a school safety training exercise. The morning event took place at Mount Yonah Elementary School. Local public safety agencies, educators, and state emergency responders participated in the training exercise.
While public safety has held these types of exercises before, the Jan. 3 event marked the first time they’ve trained using a unified command. Leaders from within law enforcement, fire and medical services, and the school system gathered at a centralized command post to direct training operations and coordinate their efforts.
The training was aimed at enhancing coordination and communication among agencies to better prepare them for a possible emergency. School administrators, members of the media, and others were allowed to observe the training from a viewing room at the school board office. They had the opportunity to observe live camera feeds from within the school, listen to first responders’ radio communications, and receive real-time narration from public safety officials.
The experience offered them a better understanding of what’s involved in dealing with crisis scenarios.
“This collaborative effort underscores the commitment of White County Public Safety agencies to continuously improve preparedness, ensuring the safety and well-being of the community in times of need,” said a release from the White County Sheriff’s Office.
Participating White County agencies included the Board of Education, Emergency Management, Fire Services, E911, the White County Sheriff’s Office, EMS, and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security.
