Training For Schools
School teachers and administrators have a responsibility to protect their students from dangerous situations by providing an action plan and educating the students on school safety policies. Unfortunately, the conversation needs to include how to survive one of these dangerous situations. There has been an incredible amount of coverage on TV involving school shootings in the last 15 years, and the number of incidents seems to be rising.
When you mention the term “school shooting”, many people remember the awful tragedies at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook. Unfortunately, there are also many school tragedies that involve less publicized gun violence, knife attacks, and other weapons used to put students in harm’s way.
FBI Active Shooter Study
According to the FBI, from 2000 to 2013, there has been an alarming increase in active shooter events in this country:
- A total of 1,043 casualties occurred during the incidents included in this study (486 killed, 557 wounded)
- An average of 11.4 incidents occurred annually
- An average of 6.4 incidents occurred in the first 7 years studied, and an average of 16.4 occurred in the last 7 years
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70.0% of the incidents occurred in either a commerce/business or educational environment
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Shootings occurred in 40 of 50 states and the District of Columbia
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60.0% of the incidents ended before police arrived
Source: FBI – “A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States between 2000 and 2013”
Our Silverback training programs can help educate school teachers and administrators on many of the critical aspects needed to deal with an active attacker scenario. We provide hands-on training with both the Enhanced Lock-down Tactics and BITT Training (Basic Improvised Trauma Treatment), which work together to allow the participants to understand all of the moving parts in an active attack. You will see how truly useful these skills can be in limiting the damages caused by a violent attack.
It is important to have an effective Emergency Response Policy and communicate that policy to the school and the surrounding community. Working together, the school and the surrounding community can build a strong plan of action with local Law Enforcement professionals to provide a safe environment for the students and staff.
If an active attacker event does occur, the emotional level and stress level rise immediately. You can effectively deal with this stressful situation by practicing your Emergency Operations Plan. This practice will instill confidence in knowing the necessary steps to secure yourself and help the people around you.