Interview with Principal Tim Jaureguito

May 2007 - When the call went out that there was a hostage situation at Bishop Manogue Catholic High School, law enforcement officers first on the scene were from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, Reno, Nevada and Sparks Police Department’s S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons And Tactics) units.

This was a functional exercise, but everyone at the school was treating it as if it were an actual incident. The S.W.A.T officers established a command post and requested detailed information about the facility. Principal Tim Jaureguito quickly provided them access to the school's newly developed HTML preplan.

Deputy Rick Pillon stated that the overall communication between SWAT teams entering and moving throughout the Bishop Manogue facility was enhanced by the use of the HTML preplan which was utilized in the WCSO Command Center. The HTML preplan is a tool that each and every school should have at its disposal for use in a crisis situation.

Students, staff and administrators were ready and took the necessary actions for the exercise because they were prepared. This was not the first time the school hosted a functional emergency preparedness exercise. It took over a year to plan for the five hour event. The exercise planning team was co-coordinated by Principal Jaureguito and Deputies Rick Pillon and Larry Lodge, members of the SWAT team from the Washoe County Sheriff's Office.

"Our school has less violence than most within the Washoe County School District, but we understand that every school in America is susceptible to a school shooting or terrorist incident," said Principal Jaureguito. "For the past six years I have been leading our administration, teachers, staff and students into the arena of emergency preparedness."

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