August 15th Drill Features Santa Ana Police Department and Orange County Fire Authority

(Santa Ana, CA)—On Friday, August 15, Santa Ana College will host an emergency preparedness drill focusing on an “active shooter” scenario. The emergency training exercise is slated to get underway at 9:00 a.m. and run until 6:00 p.m. It will include first responders from the Santa Ana Police Department, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the Santa Ana College Safety and Security Department.

“The purpose of this drill is to bring the public safety agencies together that would respond if there ever were an emergency of this nature on the Santa Ana College campus,” said Erlinda J. Martinez, Ed.D., president of Santa Ana College. “The goal of the exercise is to familiarize and assess college personnel, police and fire rescue personnel with crisis management on the Santa Ana College campus. Training such as this better prepares all agencies involved.”

The drill will include four separate training exercises on the Santa Ana College campus, located at 1530 W. 17th St. in Santa Ana. The first exercise will involve the entire campus in an evacuation drill. The remaining three exercises will be confined to the “C” (Fine Arts/Art Gallery) Building and the east end of campus.

The drill will feature actors playing the role of victims, but no real firearms or live ammunition will be used. Since the drill is scheduled after summer semester has ended, but before fall semester begins, there will be no impact to classes. However, there will be an increase of law enforcement and fire personnel on campus from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and loud noises may be heard from the vicinity of the drill area. In addition, some of the campus walkways and paths of travel may be blocked off for safety purposes during the training. The public is asked to follow directions of public safety personnel and signage for the duration of the drill.

About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which will turn 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 10,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more.