Summit County agencies train for active shooter response at Trailside Elementary

A fake 911 call sent police, firefighters and medics rushing into Trailside Elementary on Tuesday, where Summit County agencies rehearsed how they would respond if an active shooter ever struck a Park City school.

The drill took place on April 14, 2026, during Park City School District spring break so students and staff were away while the building still offered a realistic school setting. About 30 volunteer actors played students, staff members and injured victims as the Park City Police Department, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Park City Fire District and Utah Highway Patrol worked through the response.

Park City Police Lt. Danielle Snelson said the exercise took months of planning and coordination. Officers used drones to assess the building, then moved toward the reported threat while fire crews waited to practice triage and treatment once the scene was secured. An AirMed helicopter from the University of Utah Hospital also took part, giving agencies a chance to practice moving seriously injured patients by air.

The drill reflected a broader shift in school security planning that has taken hold in Park City and across Utah since Columbine: patrol officers, not just SWAT teams, are trained to respond first to an active shooter threat. Local agencies have continued to run active-gunman training throughout the year, and state school-safety guidance calls for emergency preparedness drills and coordinated response planning for school occupants.

Utah education rules also require a school’s emergency plan to include standard response protocols and age-appropriate training for students and adults. Tuesday’s exercise showed how that framework works on the ground, with law enforcement, fire crews and air medical teams all working from the same simulated call for help inside a Summit County elementary school.

Community members were told ahead of time not to be alarmed by the presence of police and emergency vehicles around the school. By the end of the drill, the agencies had tested not only tactics, but the kind of coordination that would shape the first minutes of a real emergency in Park City.