POLICE,
OTHER RESPONDERS
NEED EMERGENCY TRAINING
by: Linn Armstrong & Ari Armstrong
In 1998, a student hero stopped a young killer at an Oregon
high school. Jacob Ryker, who was familiar with firearms, knew
when the killer was out of ammunition. Even though Ryker had
been shot, he charged the killer, “tackled him, and disarmed
him,” noted an article titled “Loaded Coverage”
in Reason magazine.
An April 17 story
from The New York Times described the scene during the Virginia
Tech murders: “Every so often, the shots paused for a
minute or so. That was the gunman… stopping to reload.”
Law enforcement officers
called to the scene of a mass murder typically arrive too late
or react too slowly. This points to the need for better training
not only for law enforcement but for on-location responders.
Virginia Tech could have used somebody like Ryker
Learning the basics
of self-defense is prudent. At the same time, we should also
keep a sense of perspective. According to National Vital Statistics
Reports, murder didn’t make the top 15 causes of death
for 2004. Unintentional injuries come in at number 5, suicide
at number 11. The rest are health-related.
The FBI listed the
number of murders for 2004 as 16, 137, or .67 percent of the
total 2,398,365 deaths. Still, as you watch your health, drive
safely, and avoid needless risks, you should also learn how
to handle yourself in a crisis.
Alon Stivi knows
something about crisis management. He’s a former member
of the Israeli Special Forces. An advisory board member for
the University of California at Irvine’s Center for Unconventional
Security Affairs. And advisor and trainer for federal, state,
and local government agencies, including he Navy SEALS and various
Western Slope departments. A training advisor for the International
Association of Counter Terrorism and Security Professionals.
And a reserve deputy with the Los Angeles Sheriff Department.
Your elder author has learned from him and assisted with his
local efforts.
As president of Direct
Measures International, Inc., Stivi developed a training program
for on-location responders that he hopes is adopted by schools.
Recently he wrote more about that for the Independence Institute
(i2i.org)
He writes for the
Journal of Counter Terrorism and Homeland Security International.:
“First Responders need to intervene and engage the threats
without delay. The inside of a crowded school is one of the
most challenging environments in which officers can be called
upon to operate. Unknown structures, multiple doors, extremely
crowded lines of fire, panic-stricken bystanders, ad the possibility
of suspects hiding within, makes intervention and rescue a complex
tasks.”
One week after 9/11,
seven law enforcement agencies from the Grand Valley sent representatives
to a First Responders Training Course taught by Stivi. This
course consists of classroom instruction and active exercises
in the old Palisade High School.
While your junior
author once learned math and English in the building, now the
facility is used to rain officers to confront an active shooter.
These are high-stress but effective exercises.
This training was
hosted by Palisade Police Chief Carroll Quarles. The chief’s
own training and police background is what makes Palisade one
of the safer communities to live in. By sponsoring a first responders
course, Quarles benefited not only Palisade but the entire valley.
In March of this
year, the Mesa County Sheriffs Department held another first
responder course. More than 70 officers completed the course.
Lieutenant Galvan, the Professional Standards and Training Officer
for the department, helped to coordinate the event.
However, Stivi pointed
out that training can’t stop with the police. He noted
that, statistically, by the time the first responder arrives,
most of the destruction has already occurred.
Stivi said, “Terror
attacks of Sept. 11 have taught us that inaction, when faced
with perpetrators bent on self-destruction, will lead to disaster.
There are simple and proven last-resort survival measures that
a determined group of people can use to collectively resist
and stop an armed aggressor in a confined space. School staff
as well as students must be trained in these measures and learn
how to work together with law enforcement.”
He said his program
“offers clear, step-by-step measures that can be taught
as part of every school curriculum it will greatly improve school
crisis response capabilities and reduce future casualties if
it is adopted as a national school safety standard.”
Even if such a program
involved only some staff members and students, it would make
a big difference in deterring criminals, stopping potential
acts of violence in progress, giving students useful life-long
skills, and fostering a greater sense of security and confidence
among faculty members and students.
Students used to
pour out of the old Palisade High School for fire drills. We
hope local schools will consider adding crisis drills, too.
Linn Armstrong is
a local political activist and firearms instructor with the
Grand Valley Training Club. His son, Ari, edits FreeColorado.com
from the Denver area.
