“This is an intrusion – attack alert”: all schools in the Lot barricaded themselves this Tuesday for an unprecedented departmental exercise

It was precisely 10:30 a.m. this Tuesday, November 12, when the intrusion alert signal sounded in all schools in the Lot. Immediately, the students and the entire educational team retreated inside the classrooms and followed the instructions given in such circumstances of silent safety. The shutters are lowered, the curtains are drawn, the doors must be locked and the tables placed facing the openings without forgetting the cell phone ringtones to be turned off. All in the greatest discretion to avoid attracting attention. In just a few minutes, a deafening silence falls over the buildings and playgrounds.

At the Champollion high school in Figeac, the tension is palpable within the crisis unit installed in the office of the principal Stéphanie Bronquart. And even if fortunately this disaster scenario is only a PPMS (Special Safety Plan) exercise, the greatest seriousness is required. The Figeacois high school is in fact one of the few establishments in the department, chosen by the prefecture in agreement with the Dasen du Lot, to experiment in real conditions with this unprecedented exercise launched on the same day at the same time in all schools, colleges and Lotois high schools. With her eyes fixed on the completely deserted courtyard, the prefect of Lot, Claire Raulin, underlines the importance of such an exercise. “The threat of intrusion or attack exists everywhere in France. We must verify that establishments have the right reflex, that students and staff in the educational community keep themselves safe and contribute to the safety of others. The objective is “also to test the alert chain, which is why we took an ambitious scenario where we follow several intrusions, people in civilian clothes who are simply trying to enter the establishment.”

Gendarmes, in plain clothes and unarmed, tried to open the doors

In Champollion, under the leadership of squadron leader Cubel, two gendarmes from the Figeac brigade, in civilian clothes and unarmed, toured the rooms and workshops, trying to open the doors. Staff equipped with yellow vests accompanied by a volunteer Secondary student Mathieu Gaillardin observe whether everyone – students, teachers and agents – has managed to take shelter. Finally coming specially from Toulouse, Franck Pena, member of the rectorate's mobile security team, scrupulously notes every detail of the operation which ends shortly before 11 a.m.

“For an establishment of nearly 900 students, with more than 80 rooms and an area of ​​2 hectares, everything went rather well.” The principal salutes the responsiveness and commitment of the students and her teams. The instructions were well respected but some flaws nevertheless appeared. Two students, apparently unaware of the exercise, found themselves “stuck” in the courtyard; agents did not lock the entrance to their retreat room.

A few minutes after the end of the exercise, a large “hot” debriefing is led by the head of the establishment who will provide an initial assessment at the end of the day. “All students, the educational community, including parents, have been informed. The idea with this essential exercise is to work on the culture of risk and to see the improvements to be made to secure the school” explains Stéphanie Bronquart. In the courtyard and the corridors, the noise returned, life resumed its course.

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