School shootings have never stopped being an issue.
Concordia College offers informative sessions to ask questions about the case of an active shooter scenario. This training addresses questions and concerns about the response to an active shooter incident. All students are asked to attend one of the four sessions being offered. Sessions were held on a Friday: Sept. 3, Sept.10, Sept.17; with the final session to be held Sept. 24 in the Knutson Campus Center’s Jones A/B from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The college’s active shooter training sessions cover the “run, hide, fight” protocol when facing an active shooter. Along with the previously mentioned training, the sessions also look at what to watch out for.
After the prepared training, those in attendance have the opportunity to ask for more specific details and additional concerns that were not covered in the program. All faculty, staff and students are welcomed to attend these sessions.
Bill MacDonald, director of security and public safety, shares the history of these sessions: “The college has been doing them for quite a few years more and the police used to come and teach ‘run, hide, fight.’ Then about six years ago, their instructor retired from Moorhead PD and he became a faculty member down at MSUM to teach criminal justice classes,” he said.
“They really didn’t have anybody to run, hide, fight anymore, but I had been to enough of their sessions and I have a previous law enforcement history. So I just started doing them for college about six years ago. The college has been offering this training for probably the better part of eight years.”
At the first of these sessions, 35 people from across campus were in attendance.
Sophomore Tierney Stewart remarked about the sessions, “I think that they are important. It is unfortunate that they are important.”
Every couple of years, Concordia’s security team goes around campus and specifically looks for potential inhibitors of active shootings in the different buildings. “Concordia has no plans on practicing active shooter drills,” said MacDonald. Most of the student population has already undergone excessive active shooter training so there is no need for the students to go through it again. Simply, these sessions act as a review for students and faculty on how to react in this particular emergency situation.”
Everyone is highly recommended to attend these active shooter sessions. These sessions are available to educate the Concordia community against potential shooter situations. Nationwide, colleges and universities use a program called ALICE. This program is to ensure the education of active shooter possibilities among the young generations. It is labeled as the number one program in the country to host the training sessions.
The premise of the training sessions is “run, hide, fight.” In the best case scenario, running away from the shooter and out of the current area is the safest option. If you are unable to run, it is best to find a hiding spot. The worst case would be needing to fight your way out.
Lockdown situations can happen at any time. The average active shooting takes place in less than 10 minutes. To go into a full lockdown, it takes time, but there are safety measures in place if an active shooting takes place on campus. In case of an emergency, you will receive a text message or email. If you would like to report an active shooter, go to the website concordiaemergency.com.
