KENNEBUNK — When the sound of gunshots pierced through the smoke-filled gymnasium at the Middle School of the Kennebunks on Wednesday, Sharon Sirois hardly blinked. Her captor, clad in black and decked out in a helmet that brought to mind images of a futuristic space opera, hoisted his firearm at the sound of incoming gunfire; when members of the Kennebunk Police Department took him down ”“ “eliminated the threat,” as they say ”“ Sirois shrugged her shoulders. She’d been watching the same scenario unfold, again and again, all morning.

In the background, a recording of screaming hostages was playing on a loop. Sirois chuckled.

“I’ve been listening to it for four hours,” she said. “I don’t even hear it anymore.”

A first-grade teacher at Kennebunk Elementary School, Sirois was one of three volunteers from the school system who played the part of captives during the KPD’s “Active Shooter” training. Held at the middle school to lend authenticity to the drills, the goal was to train officers on how to breach a building, navigate smoky rooms and rescue potential victims from the violent whims of an armed shooter.

“You see the news reports from the past several years,” said Kennebunk Police Chief Robert MacKenzie. “Not a week goes by when you don’t hear about a shooting. We need to be as prepared as we can be.”

In 2012, six officers from the Portland Police Department participated in a “train the trainer” program facilitated by a Port Security Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As a result of that experience ”“ during which they were able to engage in simulated active shooter scenarios ”“ several Portland officers conducted the training this week for their Kennebunk counterparts, first in the classroom and then in the field.

Portland Police Lt. Cliff Strout said the volunteer “hostages” provide a helpful distraction for the training officers, as they learn to address the gunmen before rushing to the aid of innocents.

“You want to save them, but you can’t do that until you eliminate the threat,” said Strout.

The KPD worked closely with Regional School Unit 21 to secure use of the middle school as an authentic training ground, utilizing the February break to make sure no students were present.

MacKenzie said it was eerie to hold training of this kind while surrounded by artwork, murals and artifacts left behind by the very children the department hopes to protect.

“Most of us have kids who have gone through the school system, so it is chilling,” he said. “It affects you.

“We hope we never have to use this training. (But) this training is certainly something we need, and to train annually as well, which we’re planning to do.”

Officers used blanks as they repeatedly drilled on scenarios throughout the day; the path that personnel took through the building could be traced back by the sight of spent shells littering the hallway floors. Stage smoke and loud sounds, including the hostage recording, helped trainees practice the important task of blocking out distractions and focusing on the culprit.

Sirois, who has been teaching for 29 years, said that despite being desensitized by hours of repetition, the venue and theatrics lent a real sense of credibility to the proceedings.

“Even though you know you’re acting, there’s still an element of it feeling real,” she said.

The potential of just such a scenario happening for real, she said, is an unfortunate part of teaching school in the 21st century. At KES, a command team helps faculty and students through a distress protocol about six or seven times a year; so students, and now police officers, know that there may someday be a threat, and that preparation is key.

“There has been quite a change over the years,” she said. “It’s sad that this is a part of teaching now.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.