Schools

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Nothing pulls on the heartstrings more than when we see yet another attack on our nation's youth by an Active Shooter in their school.  Active Shooter Events can occur at any school across the county from a large high school in  Littleton CO, to a single  room school in Nickel Mines PA,  to a major university in Blacksburg VA.  Thankfully,  Active Shooter Events in schools has continued to decrease in recent years.  This is solely due to schools becoming prepared and educated on Active Shooters and how to prevent attacks and what to do during an event.   However, schools remain the second highest location for an  Active Shooter.  We must continue to train and prepare in order to prevent future attacks.   Historically schools have focused exclusively on "lock down" as the only option, while there is certainly a time and a place for a lock down, we have learned we must empower our educators with additional options.    The vast majority of School Active shooters will be current or former students, meaning its imperative that staff and students are trained on the current warning signs.  

An educated faculty is the back bone of any Active Shooter plan in a school.  Since most Active Shooters that take place in a school are perpetrated by a student, teachers and staff have the opportunity to observe warning signs and prevent the attack.  This is only possible if teachers have been trained in Active Shooter warning signs and how to tell the difference between normal adolescence behaviors and those that signal an Active Shooter event.   Additionally, students will always look to the teacher in a crisis for guidance and emulate their demeanor and behaviors.   Thus we must educate school staff on exactly what course of actions to take during an Active Shooter Event and through that training instill the confidence to remain calm.  

Whether it's at your next teacher in-service or faculty meeting  let us come work with you to cover the Dynamics of Active Shooters in schools .  Using our model of PREPARE/PREVENT, ESCAPE, RESTRICT, PROTECT, we can show you what behaviors to be looking for, what to do if you have a concern and if there is an Active Shooter, the effective strategies to protect yourself and those in your charge.  We recognize that schools are filled with a unique population and so the strategies taught must also be unique to that environment.  We don't use a "cookie cutter" approach with our training and will ensure each training session is tailored based upon the age and abilities of the school's population.  

The Federal Commission on School Safety recommends age appropriate education for students.   We offer a "safety" lesson designed to improve the well being of our youth by teaching them how to lookout for their peers, when to ask for help, the dangerous effect bullying can have, ad how to keep themselves safe.   These presentations are tailored to be age appropriate for each audience, with our  goal of never scaring a child being absolute foremost in our minds.   Please contact us for more information about this service.  

 A comprehensive Emergency Action Plan is critical for any school.  Active Shooter Response is one of the areas that many Emergency Action Plans overlook, yet it is vital.  Even if it is addressed in your existing plans, the threat and climate are constantly changing.  The Plan must also be continually reevaluated and changed.   Let us help you keep your Emergency Action Plan relevant by providing the absolute latest in threats, prevention measures, survival strategies and recovery measures.   

Following an Active Shooter event, obtaining accountability for students and safe reunification with parents or guardians, while still maintaining accountability, is paramount.   A pre-planned reunification model will not add more complexity to an already chaotic event.  Unfortunately, this is an area most, including Law Enforcement, have not thought about or trained in .   Our instructors are trained  in proven methods for planning, practicing and achieving a successful reunification 

 Once your faculty is trained and your plans are in place, it's time to measure those plans and reinforce that training.  Drills or exercises are one of the most crucial aspects of any preparation program, yet they are the most overlooked and misunderstood.   Done improperly, drills can defeat all of our training efforts, cause injury, and create liability.   Our instructors are highly trained in exercise and scenario development.  Having conducted Active Shooter drills and exercises for every level of government and countless organizations, we excel in tailoring an exercise developed to meet the goals of everyone involved.   

An often overlooked area when it comes to Active Shooter training and planning, the school bus is an extension of the school environment.  Bus drivers may many times observe behavior that is critical to a threat assessment and may potentially be placed in a position to have to react during an Active Shooter event.   We provide training to bus drivers on Active Shooters and involving them in your threat assessment procedures.