If you see a significant amount of emergency responders around Calhoun Community College’s Decatur campus Thursday, don’t worry — it’s only a drill.

The college’s Allied Health and public safety departments will again host its annual mass casualty incident drill from 8 a.m. to noon near the Wallace building. Campus visitors, faculty and students should expect to see a high volume of emergency responders on campus.

Yellow “Active Simulation in Progress” signs will be posted across campus to alert the public.

“The (drill) is the capstone simulation event for our graduating health sciences students,” said Bret McGill, dean of the college’s Health Sciences division. “The intent of the simulation is to provide as realistic a training opportunity as possible in a coordinated and safe environment to better prepare our students for the potential emergencies they will see as health care practitioners.”

The mock disaster will simulate a scenario involving a threat to persons or property, which has just occurred on campus. The specific circumstances of the mock disaster have not been announced in order to preserve the “realness” of the event. Over the past seven years, mock drill scenarios have included a bus crash, bomb threat and an active shooter incident.

“Past drills have included man-made disasters to natural disasters and always have some element of teachable moments the faculty can later go back to their classrooms with to further enhance the learning opportunities,” McGill said.

The annual simulation involves coordination between the college and multiple external public safety and health agencies within Calhoun’s service area, including Decatur Fire & Rescue, emergency air transport providers and multiple ambulance services like HEMSI, Athens EMS and Cullman EMS.

“During the drill, these agencies have the opportunity to be on campus and participate with Calhoun health students, which helps in turn better their preparation,” said a press release about the event. “Additionally, many hospitals and academic accreditations now desire this type of training to document the level of training employees and students receive while employed/enrolled.”