CMA Conducts CRASE Active Aggressor Training
On Wednesday, April 3, the Columbus Medical Association and Affiliates participated in Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) training with Catherine Kirk, a Columbus Police Department Training Officer. The goal of this specialized training is to prepare people for effective responses during an active aggressor situation.
The course focuses on training citizens to respond effectively to threats in their workplaces. It addresses a variety of locations, including small offices, large rooms, and open retail store environments. However, the training could be applied to other public spaces such as movie theaters, places of worship or outdoor events.
“No longer can we say, ‘It won’t happen here.’ Soft targets such as schools, churches, hospitals, and businesses locations are experiencing aggressor situations every day,” Jodi Keller, Associate Director of Healthcare Emergency Preparedness for CMA affiliate COTS said. Keller continued, saying “By providing this training to our employees, we are preparing them to respond should they encounter an active aggressor in public places.”
The CRASE training centers on a method developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program at Texas State University known as Avoid | Deny | Defend™. Officer Kirk delved deep into each of those recommended responses explaining avoid as situational awareness, deny as creating a physical barrier between you and the threat, and defend as, well, defending yourself by any means. The training also explained human responses to disaster and how to combat the ones that put us in harms way as well as background as to why people become attackers.
CRASE recommends that everyone should:
· Take steps to make sure you are prepared
· Be an advocate for active treat training and planning at your work, school, etc.
· Educate yourself further on the topic
Following this training and creating a plan will help minimize harm in an active aggressor situation. “If you practice something, you tend to do it. And if you practice it with some realism, then perhaps it’s not as much of a shock when something happens,” Dr. Robert Falcone, CEO of the CMA said.
To learn more about CREASE and the Avoid | Deny | Defend training programs visit: http://www.avoiddenydefend.org/add.html