By KARI BLURTON
Hays

Campus police at Fort Hays State University are preparing for a worst-case scenario – a person with a gun on campus, shooting at students, faculty and staff.

According to FHSU Director of Police Ed Howell, his officers will participate in a training called Rapid Deployment to an Active Shooter Event on Wednesday night.

Howell said the training begins with an hour-long lecture at 7 p.m. Officers then will get the chance to practice simulations.

“We will actually be doing scenarios inside Rarick Hall that includes sweeping the building in terms of looking for a simulated active shooter, our formations and how are we going to respond to an active shooter event,” Howell said.

Howell said Wednesday’s training will last until 1 a.m. Thursday, and it is the first of three training sessions on how law enforcement will deal with a shooter on campus. The second training will include the Hays Police Department, Ellis County Sheriff’s Department and Kansas Highways Patrol, who would provide support in such a situation.

Howell said the third training will include “all the players together,” including the University Incident Response Team, Hays Fire Department and Emergency Management Services.

Howell also has advice for faculty, students and the general public caught in an active shooter situation. He recommends going to the university police section on FHSU’s website. The section has pages dedicated to safety tips, including a page dedicated to how to respond to an active shooter.