It only took about three and a half minutes for 600 students plus faculty and staff at Toliver Intermediate School to get into their sheltering positions during Wednesday’s statewide tornado drill.

At 10:07 a.m. yesterday, the statewide drill began with tornado sirens blasting throughout the county, warning businesses, schools and individuals of a hypothetical tornado in the area. Boyle County Emergency Management Director Mike Wilder also issued a Code Red alert from The National Weather Service to those who have signed up for the severe weather emergency warning system.

Toliver Principal Robin Kelly said this was the third drill the school has practiced since renovations and expansion of the building was completed last year. She said the drills have allowed them to make appropriate adjustments to their plan for sheltering the large number of students during severe weather warnings.

When you have plans “in your head and put them on paper,” they don’t always work like you think they will, Kelly said. That’s why practicing is so important for their safety, she added. Plus, they have two plans.

in Plan A, involving a tornado watch or warning, students line the hallways away from windows and crouch down and cover their heads with their hands. If there’s an imminent danger, Plan B has teachers quickly usher students into the basement under the oldest part of the building, Kelly said.

To sign up for Code Red alerts, go to www.boyleky.com and click on the Code Red button at the bottom of the page, or call Mike Wilder at (859) 238-1109.