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Dozens of Mid-Southerners Prepare Themselves for An Active Shooter Situation

Saturday, dozens of Mid-Southerners are better prepared after taking an active shooter awareness training class.
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You never know when you will find yourself in an active shooter situation. 

Saturday, dozens of Mid-Southerners are better prepared after taking an active shooter awareness training class. 

The Shelby County Office of preparedness has trained roughly 10,000 in Shelby County with this curriculum so far.  It’s free and everyone I spoke to today say they learned techniques they’ll use for the rest of their lives. 

A video created by the City of Houston is being played across the nation.  It includes the groundwork of what to do to survive an active shooter and it was played Saturday during training at the Office of Shelby County preparedness. 

“If someone say active shooter, what? Run, Hide Fight,” said the course instructor, Terry Donald. 

Donald has more than 20 years in this line of work, which includes teaching people how to protect themselves in danger.  He says it’s important to look for the signs. 

“Is there anything strange that is going on from this person that is totally different from their normal pattern. You’ll want to pay attention to that,” Donald explained.

Don Maxey says he attended Saturday’s course because of the recent mass shooting in Parkland, Florida and the series of recent school threats. 

“The words for today are run, hide and fight. Run away as fast as you can get away from the threat.  If you can’t get away from it.  Hide. Lock yourself in a room.  Turn the lights out, turn your phone off, be quiet as possible,” Maxey explained. 

And for others the training was an opportunity to brush up on things they already knew. 

“Some of it, I would say was a bit of a refresher to me. A lot is learned, people need to come to this if you haven’t been to these types of things,” said Jan Hilts, retired flight attendant for American Airlines.  

Donald says the knowledge from this training is imperative and timely. 

“When you have knowledge. Knowledge reduces that type of panic and fear,” Donald explained. 

The training comes just a day after there was another school shooting threat at Holy Rosary Catholic School in East Memphis.  That threat, thankfully was not credible.  To learn more about the training call 901-222-6700 or click here

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