First responders draw praise, scrutiny
By Eric Valentine
On May 17, local law enforcement responded to a call at Wood River Middle School that was every parent’s worst nightmare. There were reports of popping sounds that many feared was gunfire. It was all-hands-on-deck as a fleet of first responders arrived at the Hailey school within five minutes of the intial 911 call and followed all their training for a possible active-shooter situation which included entering the school immediately. Within an hour, it was determined that the sound was innocuous; balloons had been popped in a student bathroom, but no one was taking any chances.
The incident didn’t just lock down the middle school; for a time, the entire district went into lockdown. Police and paramedics from every jurisdiction rushed through multiple Main streets to get to the scene. St. Luke’s had its Life Flight helicopters ready to transport any injured students or staff to Twin Falls or Boise, if need be. And parents swarmed the area to make sure their kids were safe.
While some, when it became clear that there was no real threat, felt the response had been overdone, in light of the tragedy last week in Uvalde, Texas, many are reconsidering and appreciating how seriously the situation was taken, as well as the lightning-quick response time. On May 24, at Robb Elementary School in Ulvalde, Texas, 19 young children and two dedicated teachers were murdered by an active shooter. Many questions and concerns have since arisen regarding the response time and actions taken by law enforcement, who did not go into the school for more than 45 minutes even as the 911 calls poured in and there was no question of a true life-threatening emergency. Certainly, what went wrong in Uvalde will be examined for years to come.
Here, the response to the May 17 call will also certainly be discussed and analyzed. “[Hailey Police] Chief England and I are very proud of the quick response by our agencies and local partners who responded to this event and are thankful this turned out to be a false alarm. We understand this was a traumatic event for teachers and students inside the building and for the parents of the students. A review of this event will occur with local agencies to evaluate our response and to see what improvements can be made. We also greatly appreciate all the support and response from the local fire departments,” Steve Harkins, Blaine County Sheriff, said.
To recap: It took local, armed law enforcement just six minutes to enter the building after receiving notification of a lockdown and to confirm students and staff were safe. It took just over an hour to determine the cause of the lockdown. And it took just an hour and 15 minutes to lift the lockdown.
What follows is the joint statement to the press by Hailey police and the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office detailing how quickly they got matters under control.
On May 17, at approximately 10:15 a.m., the Blaine County Emergency Communications Center received an electronic lockdown message from Wood River Middle School in Hailey.
At approximately 10:16 a.m., the Hailey Police Department, Hailey Fire Department and Wood River Fire and Rescue were dispatched to the school for the report of a lockdown.
At approximately 10:17 a.m., a Wood River Middle School staff member called 911 and relayed that several teachers had reported hearing a possible gunshot in the sixth-grade hallway.
At 10:21 a.m., officers from the Hailey Police Department and deputies from the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the school and entered the building. Officers and deputies quickly began a search of the school for an active shooter and ensured the students and faculty were secure in their classrooms.
At approximately 11:07 a.m., a student was questioned and admitted to popping a balloon in the sixth-grade hall restroom. At approximately 11:20 a.m., this information was confirmed and officers inside ensured that the students and faculty were safe by making contact with each classroom.
At approximately 11:33 a.m., the lockdown was lifted and emergency units began to clear the scene.
In the next issue of Wood River Weekly, we’ll talk with school district leadership about safety measures they plan to take before kids come back to school in the fall.