Marlborough Hospital To Hold Active Shooter Drill

MARLBOROUGH, MA- UMass Memorial - Marlborough Hospital will team up with the Marlborough Police Department to have an active shooter drill on Thursday.

One department in the hospital will be closed off for the drill and an announcement over the PA system will notify everyone in the hospital that they are experiencing an active shooter drill. No other areas of the hospital should be affected.

Ten police officers will be participating in the drill. Marlborough Sgt. Daniel Campbell said the objective is to reinforce training tactics on how to respond to an emergency. The drill won't encompass triage and medical attention but Sgt. Campbell hopes that future drills will be more in-depth.

Several fake gunshots will sound in the area and then 5-20 minutes of silence will offer police time to respond. Marlborough police were involved in the planning of the drill and are prepared with real weapons. They will be shooting blanks if they fire their weapons. The weapons police bring into the hospital will be checked prior to the start of the drill.

Hospital staff will be encouraged to make a decision based on the information they're given about the 'shooter' and use the 'run, hide, fight' method. "Obviously if they are able to exit safely than that should be their first move," Sgt. Campbell said. But if they find that isn't a safe possibility then they are encouraged to try one of the other methods.

Patients coming into the hospital will be told about the drill when they arrive, hospital staff have already been notified.

After the drill police and hospital employees will hold a debriefing to evaluate their preparedness.

Photo Credit: Renee Schiavone/Patch