The goal of the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events training is to better prepare people to deal with critical incidents, whatever the emergency may be. Instructor Deputy Omar Dieppa says people used to “hide, hope, and pray,” but the new training is to “avoid, deny and defend.” The first step is being situationally aware and hopefully avoid becoming involved at all, and then:
”God forbid you are involved in a critical incident we teach to instead of hiding under a desk and hoping you’re not located to act, get out”
Usually such trainings are done through schools, churches or businesses but Dieppa says more individuals are requesting it, and he’s eager to get information to anyone who wants it.
“We as humans we follow others and if have one person who has the knowledge, the skills and the preexisting plan to do something, others will tend to follow that individual so passing the knowledge on to one individual could potentially same hundreds of lives.”
You can find sessions running this week and next, on the Kent County Sheriff’s Facebook page.
