BUTLER TWP — When it comes to safety in schools, teachers are the first line of defense.

Butler School District faculty and law enforcement learned detailed aspects of school safety training and practiced Friday during an active shooter drill at the high school.

The afternoon training, which included the active shooter drill, was voluntary for faculty. Morning presentations were required.

As teachers in an emergency situation, “we’re the first responders,” said Eric Beveridge, a drafting teacher at the high school. “We’re responsible for their safety.”

He wore a blue shirt over his clothes, labeling him as a student in the active shooter drill.

Meanwhile, Adam Mercer, a reading specialist at Northwest Elementary, wore a yellow shirt. He was among those who represented teachers in the drill. Other teachers watched as observers.

“It’s nice that we’re getting a deeper understanding of what we’re supposed to do” in case of a critical situation, Mercer said.

Faculty were taught the ALICE method: Alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate.

“That’s a new evolving methodology for response,” said Conrad Pfeifer, a Middlesex Township police officer who helped coordinate the event.

He said emergencies are considered critical situations, since that covers the spectrum of dire events that could occur at schools.

“Sometimes there’s stabbings. Sometimes there’s shootings,” he said.

“It’s trying to simulate ... what it would look like, feel like, even smell like, from the gun powder,” he said about the drill.

Reporters were denied access in the building during the drill exercise, but from the outside, injured victims were assisted and carried to a triage area in the grass in front of the main entrance of the school.

“All of our teachers spoke very highly of the training,” said Brian Slamecka, assistant superintendent.

Slamecka and school police coordinator Paul Epps coordinated the day’s events.

Others involved with the drills were Butler City Police, Butler Township Police, the Butler County Sheriff’s Department, Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler County Emergency Management, Middlesex Township Police, Penn Township Police, and a group of Slippery Rock University students in an emergency medical response class.

Robert Ogoreuc, a SRU professor, said the exercise was a great opportunity for his 30 students.

“It was a perfect situation for them,” he said. “They got to see the inside workings of a training exercise, working with first responders. It was a great learning experience.”