Although school crisis drills are considered an important part of emergency preparedness, several concerns have been raised about the costs versus benefits of students' participation in drills. For example, it has been argued that drills can increase children's levels of anxiety, decrease perceptions of safety, and create a sense of threat. Despite these claims, empirical research investigating crisis drills is barren. The purpose of this study was to address this disparity, through assessing the extent to which an intruder drill, as compared to a placebo control condition, affected children's knowledge, behavioral skills, anxiety, and perceptions of school safety. Using a between subjects post-test only control group design, 80 students in grades 4, 5, and 6 were randomly assigned to an intervention group consisting of a training session and intruder drill or a placebo control group. Analysis of Variance revealed that children in the intervention group attained higher post-test scores of knowledge acquisition specific to the intruder drill procedures than children in the control group. Group differences were not apparent within children's ratings on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC; Spielberger, 1973) or a perceptions of school safety scale. Quantitative observations indicated children in the intervention group successfully acquired the skill of relocating themselves to a safe location during the drill. Qualitative observations indicated that children acquired additional skills related to the steps of the drill and that children did not experience emotional upset as a result of their participation. Results suggest children are capable of short-term knowledge and skill acquisition of drill procedures through participation in a training session involving verbal, cognitive, and behavioral instruction, followed by their enactment of the actual drill; without leading to subsequent alterations in their anxiety or perceived safety. Findings provide preliminary evidence that drills implemented with attention to best practice recommendations have the potential to increase children's knowledge of safety-skills. Findings provide many practical implications and future research directions for schools and the field of school crisis prevention and intervention, as well as calls for school psychologists to be key players in initiating the future practice and evaluation of drills.