BVSD took advantage of the planned demolition of the school to allow first responders to engage in a live-fire weapons exercise

Boulder County, Colo. - On June 15, through a partnership with Boulder
Valley School District (BVSD), Special Weapons and Tactics teams (SWAT) from
the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Police Department, as well as the
Boulder County Regional Bomb Squad, participated in a live-fire training
exercise at the decommissioned Douglass Elementary School in Boulder.

The first
responders breached the walls, doors and windows of the school, which is
scheduled to be demolished this month. One main objective of the exercise was
to see exactly how the building structure responded to the different tools and
techniques used.

The exercise was invaluable in providing SWAT teams and bomb
squad members the opportunity to train in an environment that was both
realistic and relevant as it pertains to the incidents they may be called upon
to assist with in the future.

“BVSD has strong relationships with local law enforcement
and we were pleased to provide this opportunity to build our preparedness
related to school security,” commented BVSD Director of Operations, Security
& Environmental Services, Chris Wilderman.

The school is being replaced with a new school constructed
on the same site through the District’s 2014 bond-funded Building for Student
Success program.

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