To prepare for the possibility of an active shooter, the Ferndale School District teamed up with 34 other agencies for an emergency simulation called Operation Green Hornet. Operation Green Hornet is a drill created after six months of organization. Among those involved were Ferndale School District, city of Ferndale, Whatcom County Fire District Seven and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office. The drill lasted for four hours and took place at Horizon Middle School, Thursday, Oct. 13. With school shootings increasing over the past years, constructing a safe escape such as Operation Green Hornet are “the realities facing our school today,” explained Scott Brittain, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning at Ferndale School District. Ferndale School District initiated an Incident Command System, a standardized approach to control response during an emergency, during the drill. “You never want to have a dangerous person in a school with our children. But it is gratifying to know that in a crisis like this, we have such a well prepared and comprehensive team of responders,” Ferndale’s Assistant Superintendent Mark Deebach said.