Active Shooter Training - Educator Style

On November 10th, the Indiana School Safety Specialist Academy conducted a regional training at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.  Mike Horton of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy put some educators through basic active shooter training.  Day One consisted of classroom training, which I didn't attend. 

I was intrigued enough by the concept of educators going through this training that I asked Dave Woodward, the Program Director of the ISSSA, if I could observe Day Two, the scenario part of the training.  He agreed so there I was, wearing an orange vest and watching fellow educators demonstrate their skills in traveling in a team, and in room entry.

From a military or law enforcement perspective, there were times I cringed.  I watched a shooter stick a gun into a doorway and turn their head as they fired into the room.  I watched a person come out of a room with their hands up, was directed to the rear of the formation, and pulled a gun out of a pocket to shoot the team from the rear.

They were using sim rounds, capsules filled with soap that mark where it hits.  They sting, so the adrenaline was kicked up a notch every time they ran a scenario.  This is stress inoculation, as Dave Grossman explained it in his book On Combat.  When they face a real situation in their schools, these educators will remember this training, and it will help them make proper decisions.

What was important was not the mistakes being made, but the discussions that went on immediately after each scenario.  The LEOs involved shared their experiences and knowledge with the educators, and the educators shared their insights and knowledge with the LEOs.

This is an excellent concept for the ISSSA.  Educators need stress inoculation and a wide variety of experiences to be able to effectively respond to whatever comes their school's way.  Educators should not concentrate solely on active shooter training, but the lessons learned from this traiing will go far beyond what they went through.

Volunteering to go through this training shows Sheepdog traits.  My colleagues are to be commended, as is Dave and Ryan from the ISSSA.  You guys make e proud to be an educator AND a School Safety Officer!