Active Shooter Preparedness Training Held in Wayne

The city of Wayne held an Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness Training for Seniors event on Friday, June 7 at the HYPE Athletics Center. The training event was presented as a cooperative effort by the Wayne Police Department, the Wayne Commission on Aging, and HYPE Athletics. The presentation gave seniors vital information on how to be prepared and prevent harm in the event of an active shooter incident. Acting Lieutenant Stephan Perez of the Wayne Police Department, who led the preparedness training, underwent specialized training provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for law enforcement officers facing an active shooter incident. "Unfortunately in general, FBI statistics have shown an increase in active shooter incidents over the past several years, they could happen anywhere, anytime," he says. "I saw a gap in the training offered in this area for the public. We get this training as officers but there was really nothing in this area for civilians. When I saw this training offered by the FBI, I took the initiative and attended the Train the Trainer session and became certified myself."

Registration for the training session filled up very quickly and a waiting list of more than 20 names suggests a second session may be held in the future, said Wayne Community Development Executive Assistant Cathy Broge. Perez adds, "I think that our population here in the city of Wayne, they simply see that this is a recurring thing that unfortunately seems to be happening more often and they want to be part of a solution. It makes sense to me that they would gravitate towards this topic when it was offered."

The training session lasted two hours and included information on the "Run, Hide, Fight" protocol which is the national standard for civilian response to an active shooter incident and included tips for barricading a door. Volunteers participated in a mock scenario in which they were instructed how to fight an armed aggressor as a last, necessary resort. In addition, Perez covered basic first aid to ensure participants understood the proper steps to stop bleeding in a gunshot wound victim and gave instruction is applying a tourniquet.

"This is a class that we feel needs to go around to different organizations and spread the word about what to do in an active shooter situation," said Wayne resident Dave Feltner, who attended the training with his wife. Bobbi Feltner said the first aid instruction was the most enlightening for her. "I think I like the part about how to take care of injured people. I went through active shooter training when I worked at U of M but it didn't go into how to take care of injured people so I think that was great that they have that included."

Perez says this knowledge can be a very valuable resource to have and he applauds Wayne's Director of Community Development Lori Gouin for organizing the training session. "These incidents are unpredictable and can evolve quickly. Statistics show that anyone can play a role in reducing the impact of that active shooter incident. It's no different than a fire drill like we had in school. For the community as a whole, this training can ensure that these people who attend may have a more successful outcome under such an extreme, stressful situation," he says.