TCU is participating in a full-scale disaster emergency exercise titled Metro X to imitate a Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack and test out regional coordination within Dallas-Fort Worth. 

The North Central Texas Council of Governments coordinates this large-scale regional exercise every four years. It takes place at multiple locations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area and this year, they chose TCU as one of those host sites.

TCU Director of Emergency Management, Sean Taylor, said the exercise is in response to a large-scale international sporting event that will happen nearby during the summer of 2026, when teams will be practicing on campus.

Departments will practice emergency preparedness, strategies, communication and crowd control to simulate a possible emergency lockdown procedure.

SWAT teams, Fort Worth Fire, EMS and TCU faculty will practice handling this simulation at different hours of the day in Amon G. Carter Stadium on Monday, Oct. 27, and Tuesday, Oct. 28.

“We don’t want students to think that there is an actual emergency going on in the stadium,” Taylor said. “We will send out an alert the day of the exercise, and have signage surrounding the stadium.”

People may see a variety of emergency vehicles surrounding the campus; however, school hours and extracurricular activities will continue as normal.

Mary Grace McAninch, a junior marketing major, said she views this drill as mostly positive. She appreciates the preparedness, but it is also causing some fear for her.

“I think it is a good thing this drill is being practiced and emergency response teams are being trained,” McAninch said. “However, it also scares me that this has to be practiced because of the increasing possibility of this happening.”

While drawing attention to the stadium will cause some concern, university officials want to emphasize the importance of simulating this carefully planned safety drill. It should act as a reminder that safety is a priority at TCU.