Newswise — The best weapon against an active shooter in a school setting is training, according to Jason Winkle, assistant professor of physical education at Indiana State University, and president of the International Tactical Officers Training Association.
"First responders to active shooter situations, such as what occurred at Virginia Tech, are typically outgunned and not sufficiently trained, but that is something we have control over," said Winkle, former director of combatives for the United States Military Academy at West Point, and an international presenter in the areas of SWAT and leadership in high-stress/high-fear environments.
Winkle recommends the following training for school security and law enforcement to be successful in active shooter situations: - Develop physical fitness and toughness through challenging, contact-driven training. - Become familiar (and comfortable) with the physiological changes that accompany high-stress and high-fear situations.- Become familiar with the nature of violence and be willing to use it when appropriate.- Engage in training that is as close as possible to the actual situation, involving fear and stress.- Internalize a code of conduct.- Know the nature of the enemy and active shooter doctrine.
It is the patrol officers, security guards and campus police who are going to be the first ones on the scene, and they have to know what to do when every minute wasted is more lives lost, Winkle said.
"Most victims of active shooters are shot within the first three minutes. The longer we take the more people die," he said. "It takes a SWAT team 45 minutes to assemble and get to the site. That is too long for these situations. Action has to come from the inside."
THE ROLE OF ADMINISTRATORS
One of the most important things administrators can do to help is provide the internal support and funding to properly equip their security personnel so they are trained and protected, Winkle said.
Winkle recommends all safety personnel have the following equipment in their vehicles: patrol rifle (more accurate, defeats body armor); ballistic vest (always wear when you are on patrol); tactical vest with extra ammo (keep in your trunk); Kevlar helmet with face shield (for eye protection); and breach equipment such as bolt cutters, a Halligan tool, and ram.
Winkle urges schools to develop a partnership with local law enforcement.
"Work together to develop realistic school safety plans in response to various threats," he said. "Conduct joint training sessions and field training exercises that are realistic."
Schools also need to have a crisis management team, he said.
"The crisis management team is going to know the layout of the school, what walls are made of, where people can hide, what doors are and aren't locked. They are going to know the emergency management plan," Winkle said. "When bad things happen, they are grabbing their gear bag and meeting the first responders and telling them, 'Here's where we think the shooter is, here's what you need to know about the building.'"
PREVENTION/REACTION
The following guidelines can help schools be successful in preventing and acting quickly in active shooter situations:
- Emergency notifications systems: build on redundancy.- Blast text e-mails to computers or cell phones.- Siren warning system.- Inter-operability: have radios so buildings can communicate if the phone system is disabled.- Anonymous reporting hotline.- Practice campus/school lockdowns: if there are glass windows, obstruct them with paper; barricade doors with furniture.- Multi-agency drills: plans are only good if they are taken off the shelf and used. Pre-plan for all scenarios, such as mass-hostage seizures. There are grants available for this training.- Patrol vehicles should have generic floor plans of each building and a photo catalog of the school.
FURTHER RESOURCES
To find out more about how to keep schools safe and what grants are available for training and equipment, go to:
"¢ Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative (http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov)The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative is a unique federal grant-making program designed to prevent violence and substance abuse among our nation's youth, schools and communities."¢ Secret Service Safe School Initiative (http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac_ssi.shtml)The Secret Service and Department of Education published two reports that detail the Safe School Initiative study findings and lay out a process for threat assessment in schools.
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