Since 2013, there have been more than 170 school shootings in the United States. At least three of those have been in Kentucky.
In an effort to bring high-quality school safety training to the region, The Center for Rural Development is hosting a free crisis management course on May 3, 2016 for Kentucky school districts and rural first responders.
The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC) is providing the training, AWR 148 Crisis Management for School-Based incidents, which allows for an open line of communication between local school districts, subject matter experts and first responders. The course will educate rural law enforcement personnel as well as school administrators and staff to effectively respond to an emergency involving a school building or entire school system.
The RDPC has delivered the AWR 148 training to at least 36 states since 2013 at no cost to rural first responders or school personnel.
Recently, the training was delivered in Union Parish, Louisiana. According to Danny Smith, Director of the Union Parish Homeland Security office and 911 Dispatch, it was successful because they had a cross section of emergency responders and school personnel.
“One of the most important things about the training is that it allows participants to get some new fresh ideas,” Smith said. “It helps you think outside of the box and gives tips on safety procedures. It’s everyday practical information that you wouldn’t think of.”
The training provides representatives of rural law enforcement departments with a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enable them to progressively establish a school-based emergency response plan and crisis management team through information sharing.
RDPC partners with the University of Findlay-Ohio to deliver the crisis management training. The instructor, Scott Lowry, is a 21-year veteran of the Findlay, Ohio police department. Lt. Lowry has worked closely with the All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay for over five years, conducting school safety and security training, vulnerability assessments as well as assisting in the implementation of the threat assessment management process for schools.
All RDPC courses are certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and participants will receive 8 contact hours for completing the training. Kentucky educators will also receive 8 hours of EILA credit.
The AWR 148 training is on Tuesday, May 3 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at The Center for Rural Development in Somerset, KY. Registration is limited and will end April 19, 2016 at 5 p.m. To register, visit https://www.ruraltraining.org/training/schedule/2016-05-03-awr148-somerset-ky-001/.
The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium is led by The Center for Rural Development. The consortium offers tuition-free training to rural first responders in all 50 states and 6 U.S. territories. All training is certified by the Department of Homeland Security.
