FBI To Conduct Active Shooter Drill at Brother Rice High School

CHICAGO, IL -- The FBI’s Chicago Division along with other area law enforcement agencies will be conducting a special in-service active shooter drill for faculty and staff this Friday, Nov. 4, at Brother Rice High School. The session is being held in conjunction with the Chicago, Oak Lawn and Evergreen Park police departments.

The drill will focus on emergency procedures for faculty and staff in the event of an intruder inside Brother Rice High School.. Residents can expect to see numerous police vehicles in the high school parking lot at 10001 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago.

Brian Barkowski, spokesman for Brother Rice High School, said the drill was spearheaded by the dean of students, principal and a school alumnus who is a member of the FBI.

“This is a big topic of conversation in our school,” Barkowski said. “We don’t want to ever have to implement this in any away, but we also want to be prepared.

FBI agents and police officers will be putting on SWAT gear outside Brother Rice around 8 a.m. The session will start at 9 a.m. and is expected to last about three hours. Signs will also be posted outside the high school letting neighbors and passing motorists know that a drill is taking place. Brother Rice students will have the day off on Friday.

Special Agent Garrett Croon, spokesman for FBI-Chicago, said the federal law enforcement agency advocates a “run, hide, fight” approach to surviving an active shooting event at workplaces, schools, places of worship, malls and other public venues. .

“We go over these procedures in our active shooter drills,” Croon said.

The FBI has a video -- Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving An Shooter Event -- produced by the City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security posted on the agency’s website.

If you are ever to find yourself in the middle of an active shooter event your survival may depend on whether you have a plan. The plan doesn’t have to be complicated, the FBI says.

First and foremost If you can get out -- do. Those who find themselves in an active shooter situation should always try to escape and evacuate even when others insist on saying. Getting yourself out of harm’s way needs to be your No. 1 priority. If possible, try to help others escape to safety.

If you can’t get out, the video advises those to hide and barricade doors with large objects, locking doors, turning off lights and silencing cell phones, while remaining very quiet. Hiding places should be out of the shooter’s view, provide protection if shots are fired in your direction, and not trap or restrict your movement.

As a last resort, fight. Whether alone or in a group, attempt to incapacitate the shooter, act with physical aggression, improvise weapons, and commit to your actions. The video also advises people to be aware of their environment and always have an exit plan.

Finally, first responders on the scene aren’t there to evacuate people or tend to the injured. First responders -- usually local police -- are there to take the shooter down. Know that help is on the way for victims.

A statement on Brother Rice’s website explains that Friday’s drill is to “strengthen us as a school community to keep your students and our staff safer.” Residents and passersby should not be alarmed if they see emergency vehicles and law enforcement attired in SWAT gear in front of Brother Rice High School on Friday.

“There are no threats to Brother Rice,” Barkowski said. “This is 100 percent pro-active on our par. Unfortunately, because of the times we live in, this is an issue in schools. We want to make sure we’re prepared as much as possible.”

Watch the video 'Run, Hide, Fight,' produced by the City of Houston, TX.

Photo: Screen shot from the video Run, Hide, Fight.