Active-shooter drill at Temple following UCLA deadly shooting

NORTH PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police regularly prepare for any large-scale threats that could happen in Philadelphia.

It just so happened that Temple University had active-shooter training scheduled for Thursday.

The training comes the day after two people were killed in an apparent murder-suicide at UCLA, triggering a campus-wide lockdown as hundreds of officers scoured the campus for a possible shooter.

The copycat concerns were palpable, as Temple emergency teams trained this morning for a similar horrific event.

"It's a very sobering reminder for why we do these exercises," said Sarah Powell, Director of Emergency Management for Temple University.

This realistic simulation included two officers acting as the active shooters, while one police team stormed the dorm at 1300 Cecil B. Moore searching for the perpetrators. A second recovery team rescued the living.

"It's a low probability, but it is a very high-impact event. And it's very scary for everyone, so we're prepared as we can, for something we hope never happens," said Director of Public Safety Charles Leone.

Professional actors posed as the injured and deceased. The exercise tests the response of campus police, fire, EMS and even the 911 call system, and ability of the hospital to handle mass casualties.

"Within about 8-10 minutes after that, they had the two shooters in the basement, one shooter had killed himself, the second shooter engaged with police," said Leone.

Thirty actors, a dozen EMS workers and 15 officers were on the scene.

It took 15 minutes for officers to apprehended the shooters, and secure the building.

"Unfortunately one officer was struck in the face and was killed on the scene," said Leone. "However, the responding officers that were with him were able to kill the suspect."

And emergency managers hope the drill not only trains responders, but also educates the community how to react, too.

"Evacuate if possible if any an incident is happening where you're located, to hide and barricade yourself if you can't evacuate and, as a last resort, to be prepared to fight for your life if you need to," said Powell.