Our Blog: Equipping & Empowering

Rarely is there just one right way to respond in an emergency. Everyone reacts a little differently during a crisis, but through our years of experience in law enforcement and EMS, we've seen some of the same poor reactions repeated in various traumatic events.

It's amazing the things our brains will tell us (or fail to tell us) to do when we're under stress. It's no wonder that people freeze up when they should fight, or that they run away when they're the only ones who can provide lifesaving medical care.

You can never truly be prepared for an active shooter event, but you can increase your likelihood of having an empowered response. Start by being aware of 5 of the most common mistakes people make under stress.

A place of worship is meant to be a peaceful place where people can walk through the door feeling welcome, safe, and secure. However, events like the Charleston, SC church shooting in 2015 have shaken church goers and ministry leaders, challenging them to evaluate their level of security at their places of worship. 

Countless active shooter incidents since then have reminded us that acts of violence are neither predictable nor rare, and no place — not even religious establishments — are immune to tragedy.

This is why safety planning is vital. With effective safety planning, your place of worship can proactively address safety concerns and be prepared to effectively act in a crisis. Here's how to get started with your church's safety plan:

With every school shooting we hear or read about in the news, we find ourselves asking the same questions: Why does this keep happening? And how can we stop it?

While there’s no good answer to either of those concerns, there are steps your school can take to identify safety concerns and limit risk. Here are 6 questions to consider as you assess how safe your school would be if an active shooter emergency were to occur.