We cover the topic of Active Shooter Awareness a lot. The majority of our training is very factual, tactical and geared to preparing our trainees as best as possible. The “unpredictable” is scary and unnerving even for the most trained professionals. However, the key to optimal success and safety in these situations to be aware and to be as prepared as you can be. That’s why our B.E.C.O.N. Active Shooter training is perfect for any person or group. That being said, it can be a completely different scenario when considering others involved, especially children. Naturally, as adults, our defense and protection mode kicks in when a child is present in a dangerous situation. As helpful as we try to be in those times, we aren’t doing a child any justice if we are “protecting” them from the unknowns to begin with. While we never want to instill a constant sense of fear in our youth by making them aware of the constant dangers and possibilities surrounding them, we do need to give them the respect of explaining what to do in a scary situation.
Just as much as elementary schools practice weather drills or teach stranger danger and right and wrongs with their personal being and others; active shooter awareness needs to be a part of that. It’s an unfortunate reality that we deal with and the more everyone is prepared, the more we can try to prevent, stop or flee the situation at hand. More and more schools are taking the matter very seriously and programs like ours will help teach our schools to be prepared and take action. Our hope is that some of this awareness is passed down to the students so everyone is “in the know”.
An article written from a teacher and mother perspective could help simplify how to talk to your kids about being in an active shooter situation.
“Here are a couple things you can review with your children in the event they are ever in an active shooter situation:
Tell them if they can escape and evacuate the building/area GO! Get the hell out and as far away as possible. There are a couple of businesses near my kids’ school and I tell them to keep running until they get there around other adults.
If running and the shooter is close they should run in a zig zag to make them a harder target to hit.”