What kind of person thinks disrupting a school day, sending panic throughout a community and tying up essential life-saving resources is funny?

I don’t. It’s safe to assume there are a few thousand parents, students, school staff, neighbors and first responders who aren’t laughing either.

Last Thursday, I had a front-row seat to the real-life application of the emergency management and incident command structures I’ve studied, but had never seen in action.

The collaborative response between the school district and emergency response agencies was thorough, efficient, professional and, above all else, executed with the safety of our children in mind.

This is what they train for — and they’re very good at what they do.

Thursday was every parent’s worst nightmare. Having no option but to simply wait for information took unimaginable patience. If I can say anything to our community, it is this: You can trust our emergency response plan. Protocols are in place for a reason. They work.

I wish you all could have witnessed the competency of Thursday’s response. While nothing can erase the fear we felt, we can rest assured knowing our children are in very capable hands.

Please know our youth are capable as well. They supported each other, remained calm, were cooperative and followed instructions. They deserve a credit for the efficacy of Oak Harbor High School’s evacuation.

There’s a silver lining to this situation. Having now executed the emergency response procedures in a real-life scenario, agencies and individuals involved gained a valuable opportunity to evaluate and fine-tune the system if, God forbid, we need to activate that system in the future.

I can’t begin to estimate what the response of no less than 14 local, state and federal agencies cost taxpayers, but I’m betting this amateur comedian won’t find it hilarious when that amount is factored into their criminal charges and prosecution.

Some immature, malicious prankster thought they were bringing our community to its knees … but the joke is on them. Because all they did was bring us together and help forge partnerships that make us stronger and better prepared than ever.

n Tara Hizon serves as a member of the Oak Harbor City Council.