Local emergency agencies to stage active-shooter drill at Jackson High School on May 27

Brent Lowe, host of the Lowdown, announced that local emergency agencies will stage an active-shooter drill on May 27 at Jackson High School to test response protocols and public communications. "This is a drill," Lowe said, and he urged residents not to be alarmed by an increased law enforcement presence.

The exercise will involve coordination among the county and city emergency management agencies, the sheriff's office, police, both city and county fire departments, Wellstar and several local agencies, Lowe said. He told listeners that only students who volunteer will take part and that the drill will not occur while students are in the building.

Lowe framed the exercise as a preparedness measure: "We wanna make sure that we're doing everything in our power... so if an event like this happens, we've at least got some basic knowledge of what we wanna do and how we want to react to it," he said. He said the drill will take place in the morning and that residents should expect visible emergency activity, including ambulances and "we may even have some helicopters coming in."

Lowe said listeners "will hear reports coming from the county to let you know more detail." He closed by reiterating the safety purpose of the drill and asking the community to stay tuned for further updates from county officials.

The Lowdown announcement did not include a specific start time beyond "in the morning," a full list of participating unit names, or operational instructions for residents; Lowe said the county will provide more detailed information before the exercise.