Op-Ed: Kent school board made foolish decision not to learn about violence

Editor's Note: The Following op-ed was published in the New Haven Register (New Haven, CT) in response to an editorial praising a Connecticut Board of Education's rejection of a proposal to consider implementing Buckeye Firearms Foundation's FASTER Saves Lives program.

A recent editorial declared that “Kent school board made the smart decision not to arm teachers.” (02/13/2016) The school and editorial boards both missed the point. The decision was not about arming teachers, but rather learning about school violence. It’s shameful that school officials expect children to take learning seriously, while they seem proud of the fact that they don’t.

Whether dealing with fires, heart attacks or anaphylactic shock, a faster response saves lives. We dial 911 because we need assistance, but if we do nothing else people will needlessly die before that help arrives. Violence is no different.

In active killer events, from the University of Texas tower to San Ysidro McDonald’s, and from Columbine High School to Virginia Tech, we wish law enforcement would have done a better job. Law enforcement hates failure. Each of these events resulted in changes to their response. Our entire society is safer because law enforcement learns from their failures.

In education, we have stuck to the same failed idea for decades which has allowed violence to become the number one killer of our kids in schools. Thinking lock-down keeps you safe from violence is as out of date as hiding under your desk for protection from nuclear bombs. Many schools have finally implemented ALICE training, which is a great first step, but it is only a first step.

The single most critical factor in limiting death or injury is time. The longer a killer has to roam a school, church, or other building while murdering innocent victims, the more casualties we will have. It’s not rocket science. FASTER Saves Lives.

The two keys to making this work are selecting the right people and getting the best training. The school picks the candidates they feel are best suited for this roll. They must have prior firearms training and a state pistol permit (or equivalent) to be accepted. In addition to the medical portion, our training includes mindset, shooting, weapon retention and force on force training. Participants must pass the law enforcement firearm qualification test, with an added stage but fewer permitted misses.

We also offer a level 2 class which builds on the above and a level 3 where instructors travel to the district to train law enforcement, medical responders and other school staff. This integrated approach is the future for our schools because it is the most effective way known to stop active killers.

The concept is a compliment, not a replacement for School Resource Officers who should train with school staff.

Our program is designed by and endorsed by experts in the field of violence and active killings. Sadly, we have enough events to study and understand. Tragically many schools plan to repeat failed practices rather than learning from them.

Active killers are a foreseeable risk and failure to prepare for such events is unacceptable. Police will come, and they desperately want to help, but if they are not inside the building before the killing starts, their response won’t be in time. It is the school, not police who have the legal and moral duty to protect the children in their care.

While others are focused on “the gun” we are focused on “safety.” We gave away over $10,000 of trauma equipment last year and will do so again this year. It is common sense to stop a child from bleeding to death, but that job can’t start until the killer is stopped.

Most school staff want nothing to do with carrying guns. There is nothing wrong with them, and they will still be a critical part of a school emergency response plan with proper training. Every school has a few people who are going to the scene on event day, just like in Sandy Hook and other events. If we want to end the violence, we must give them the tools and skills to win the fight when they get there.

Then they can treat the injured, hug and comfort our children and send them home safely just like every other school day.

Children are our most precious resource. It’s time we do a better job protecting them.

Armed Teachers Now Trained in 63 Ohio Counties

COLUMBUS, OH – In response to the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, which claimed the lives of 20 children and 6 adult staff members, Buckeye Firearms Foundation launched an emergency response training program here in Ohio for teachers, administrators, and other school staff.

Called FASTER ( Faculty / Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response), the nonprofit program has to date provide high-level training to more than 400 teachers and administrators from 152 school districts in 63 of Ohio's 88 counties over the last three years.

“The response from Ohio educators has been more enthusiastic than we could have ever imagined,” said Joe Eaton, FASTER Program Director.

“When we first announced that we planned to train teachers in armed response and emergency medical aid,” Eaton continued, “some people said teachers would never sign up. But within days of announcing the program, we had 600 apply for training. In weeks, it soared to over 1,000. Today we have nearly 2,000 faculty members from all over Ohio waiting in line for a chance to get this training. And more are contacting us every day.”

The enthusiasm for this program has gone far beyond Ohio. School staff from 6 other states have attended FASTER training. In addition, instructors from as far away as Colorado have traveled to Ohio to see how the program works and take the idea back to their home state.

Created by concerned parents, law enforcement, and nationally-recognized safety and medical experts, FASTER is a groundbreaking, nonprofit program that gives educators practical violence response training.
The program is funded by thousands of small, individual donations to Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable educational organization based in Ohio and the sister organization to Buckeye Firearms Association. Classes are provided at NO COST to school personnel or school districts. To date, no tax dollars have been spent on this training.

The program presents a carefully-structured curriculum with over 26 hours of hands-on training over a 3-day class that exceeds the requirements of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.

The purpose is not to replace police and EMT, but to allow teachers, administrators, and other personnel on-site to stop school violence rapidly and render medical aid immediately. It is a well-established fact that faster response to school shootings and other violence results in fewer lives lost.

2016 begins the fourth year of the FASTER program with $150,000 budgeted for multiple classes, which now includes a Level 2 class for advanced training in armed response, trauma medical aid, and crisis and emergency management skills.

In addition, there is a new Level 3 class that takes place in the actual school district and includes not only armed school staff, but also local and county law enforcement officers, local emergency medical personnel, and other school staff who will be at the school when an active killer event occurs.

“It is truly an awesome experience to witness an entire state coming together with the one shared goal of protecting the lives of students,” said Eaton. “And many of the same school board members who at first chose to continue the same failed practices now are coming to us knowing they have to do something proactive about protecting their students from extreme violence.”

Schools interested in more information about the FASTER program should contact Joe Eaton at Joe@FASTERSavesLives.org or visit www.FASTERSavesLive.org.

FASTER Saves Lives program recommended to be adopted at first Connecticut school

Just over three years after a deadly attack on an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut inspired Buckeye Firearms Foundation to begin a program to arm school faculty, news media in the Constitution State are reporting that the Foundation’s FASTER Saves Lives program is being considered for adoption in a Kent, CT school just 40 miles from Sandy Hook Elementary.

Created by concerned parents, law enforcement, and nationally-recognized safety and medical experts, FASTER, which stands for Faculty / Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response, is a groundbreaking, nonprofit program that gives educators practical violence response training. Classes are provided at NO COST to school districts.

From Danbury, CT’s News-Times:

Town selectmen have asked the Board of Education to consider adopting a school safety program that includes arming teachers and other school staffers with guns.

By a 2-1 vote earlier this week, the Board of Selectmen agreed to recommend the “FASTER Saves Lives” program, which was developed by Ohio’s Buckeye Firearms Association in the aftermath of Sandy Hook and other school shootings.

The program pays tuition, and room and board for teachers and other school personnel while they are being trained to carry firearms in schools, and offers help to school districts with legal and other issues involved in implimenting the program.

The article provides testimonials from Ohio school officials on the success of the program:

The FASTER Saves Lives program — FASTER stands for Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response — has been active in Ohio since 2013. The sponsoring Buckeye firearms group is an affiliate of the National Rifle Association.

According to the program website, training includes use of firearms, crisis management and emergency medical response.

Several Ohio school districts, many of them in rural areas, have adopted the FASTER program.

Jeff Staggs, superintendent of schools in Newcomerstown, about 100 miles south of Cleveland, said his staff was trained in the program three years ago.

“After the Sandy Hook tragedy, parents came to me asking to form a safety committee,” Staggs said. “They knew the Ohio Legislature allows teachers to carry firearms with a permit. We have had armed staff for three years now. It has worked outstandingly for our district.”

Another Ohio superintendent, who asked his district not be identified, said two staff members have been trained through FASTER Saves Lives to protect the community’s one school.

He said the gun is kept in a biometric safe in a secure area that is quickly accessible to two staffers. If there is reason to believe the school is at high risk, the staff members carry the guns.

The district hopes to have more staff trained soon, the superintendent said, and regular follow-up training is done with the local sheriff’s office.

“The FASTER Saves Lives organization has been a great resource to schools across Ohio in providing the highest level of training and resources needed to implement a program,” he said.

The Kent selectmen’s idea is not without its detractors. Again, from the article:

“The selectmen are making a suggestion,” [School Board Chairman Paul] Cortese said. “That doesn’t mean the board will take it up or vote on it. If it does go on the agenda, there will be a presentation. But because someone asks for something to go on the agenda does not guarantee it will or when it will.”

Cortese assured parents, “The children are safe in this school.”

“We have a superintendent and administration that we pay a lot of money to decide on the training of our staff,” Cortese said.

Parent Susan Schullery told the school board Thursday night she opposed the idea of teachers carrying guns.

“These are my neighbors,” Schullery said. “I don’t have guns in the house. I am careful about whose home my children go to regarding guns. I can’t imagine being a teacher and not a trained police officer and carrying a gun.”

Cortese and other board members declined to discuss the merits of the proposal. But Gov. Dannel P. Malloy left no doubt he considers the idea a bad one.

“If any board of education would approve this, I’d be shocked, frightened and disappointed,” the governor said. “It makes no sense. And no school system in the state of Connecticut should be allowed to do this.”

Malloy said if school districts want properly trained security, such as former police officers, it’s their decision.

“The idea that we’re going to have a volunteer receive 26 hours of training or teachers and principals receive 26 hours of training, that’s just unacceptable,” Malloy said. “It puts children in more danger, not less.”

Kent Selectman Jeffrey Parkin, who brought up the matter, seems to understand the issue much more cleearly than Gov. Malloy.

According to the article, the small town of Kent lacks a police force of its own and relies for its safety on a resident state trooper and state police.

“It can take (state) police 25 to 30 minutes or so to arrive, given their proximity to Kent Center School,” Parkin is quoted as saying. “We have a resident trooper, but he can’t be everyplace all the time.

“If an active shooter shows up at a school, the way they are stopped is with a firearm,” Parkin told The News-Times. “If someone on staff is properly trained, they have the ability to stop and neutralize the attack until police can arrive on scene.”

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.

Additional Media Coverage:

EducationWorld.com – Connecticut School Considers Proposal to Arm Teachers, Volunteers

“The nonprofit Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response program would provide trauma kits and firearms training to school personnel in the event of a hostile act or intrusion,” said WTNH. “The program would also allow anonymous volunteers to carry weapons at school. It offers 26 hours of training during a three-day class in Ohio.”

Hartford Courant – Kent Considering Plan to Arm Teachers

Community leaders are considering a program that could lead to arming teachers and staff at the Kent Center School — an idea that Gov. Dannel P. Malloysaid is “outrageous and would put people at risk.”

The board of selectmen voted 2-1 this week to bring “FASTER Saves Lives” — a free gun-training program offered by an Ohio-based nonprofit — to the local board of education, which has authority over whether to implement the program at this rural town’s only school. The school board is expected to review the idea at its March meeting.

According to FASTER, which stands for “Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response,” the program is designed to train school staff in the event of an active shooter.

“The purpose is not to replace police and EMTs, but to allow teachers, administrators and other personnel on site to stop school violence rapidly and render medical aid immediately,” the organization states. “Each school selects staff members who are willing, competent and capable. Experts on school violence provide training in armed response, crisis management and emergency medical aid.”

The program would also allow volunteers to carry weapons at school. It offers 26 hours of training during a three-day class in Ohio.

The FASTER program, founded four years ago by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, provides resources to school districts, including a sample school board resolution to authorize staff to be armed on school property as well as how to create an “armed staff checklist.”

“What began simply as a pilot class of 24 teachers and administrators shortly after the horrific murders at Sandy Hook elementary school has grown and expanded into a multi-year safety program which is reaching schools across the country,” FASTER says on its website.

“Nationwide, schools and parents are demanding a truly effective way to handle the threat of extreme violence in their schools and our FASTER program provides just that at no cost to the district. The days of a ‘it won’t happen here’ violence prevention plan are long gone, schools that are not using every tool available to them are now being held liable by their communities.”

The Foundation drew national attention in 2013 when it donated $12,000 to George Zimmerman, the Florida man found not guilty in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin.

WTNH (ABC New Haven, CT) – Kent town officials considering program to arm teachers

Town selectman Jeffrey Parkin is suggesting a program that would allow teachers to carry firearms in the classroom at Kent Center School. Its the towns only pre-K through eighth grade school.

Kent selectman voted two to one on presenting the Board of Education to look into the program “Faster Saves Lives.” It’s a non-profit program that gives educators 26 hours of violence response training.

NOTE: An online poll is being conducted by WTNH, with votes going heavily in favor of arming teachers.

Shop at Kroger, Support Buckeye Firearms Foundation

Buckeye Firearms Foundation Inc. (501c3) is now a participating member of Kroger’s Community Rewards program. If your family shops at Kroger, our foundation will benefit. All you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Plus Card which you are probably already doing!

Here is how to specify that a portion of your grocery budget stays right here in Ohio and benefits all the good work Buckeye Firearms Foundation is doing. (Full details here)

1) Visit https://www.Kroger.com/account/enrollCommunityRewardsNow to create or access your Kroger ‘Digital Account’

2) Add your ‘Kroger Plus Card’ (or Alt-Id-Number) to your digital account

3) Enroll in ‘Community Rewards’

4) Select Buckeye Firearms Foundation as your Organization (Org #85117)

5) Make sure to use your Kroger Plus Card (or Alt-ID-Number) each time you shop at Kroger

Lots of exciting news for FASTER 2016

The start of 2016 also marks the start of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation (501c3) Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response (FASTER) program’s fourth year. What began simply as a pilot class of 24 teachers and administrators shortly after the horrific murders at Sandy Hook elementary school has grown and expanded into a multi year safety program which is reaching schools across the country. Nationwide, schools and parents are demanding a truly effective way to handle the threat of extreme violence in their schools and our FASTER program provides just that at no cost to the district. The days of a “it won’t happen here” violence prevention plan are long gone, schools that are not using every tool available to them are now being held liable by their communities.

The initial three day FASTER training class is now just a small part of the entire safety program offered at no cost to any school which chooses to have armed staff as part of their school safety plan. The program now includes a Level 2 class for school staff to further develop their firearm, trauma medical, crisis and emergency management skills. 2015 saw the addition of an additional Level 3 class for districts who want to involve their entire community in the protection of their students. The Level 3 class takes place in the actual school district and includes not only armed school staff, but also local and county law enforcement officers, local emergency medical personnel and other school staff who will be at the school should an event occur. It is truly an awesome experience to witness an entire community coming together with the one shared goal of protecting the lives of students.Ohio_Counties

All of this has allowed us to reach over 400 teachers and administrators from 152 school districts in 63 of Ohio’s 88 counties in just the first three years. Beyond Ohio, we have had school staff from 6 states attend this free training. Also we have brought in instructors from as far away as Colorado to the see FASTER and take the program back to their home. With a budget for 2016 of another $150,000 we will see our Foundation’s total commitment to safe schools reach well over half a million dollars since we started in 2013.

But we are not done here, schools are demanding more and we are doing everything we can to help them along. For 2016 we have added more resources like our ‘Armed Staff Checklist’ which lays out in a simple format how a district can progress from the initial discussion of arming staff through the entire FASTER program and beyond. In 2016 we will also offer the trauma medical training separately so schools can involve additional staff who want to make a difference, but who are not part of the armed staff. The Eddie Eagle(r) gun safety program will be made available so the school district’s children can be safer from firearm accidents at home and in the community. Now in addition to the http://www.FASTERSavesLives.org website, we have both a Twitter ( @FASTERSaves ) and Facebook pages with daily updates on the program. Again in 2016 we will also bring you more informational seminars from subject matter experts such as Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, John Giduck, Massad Ayood, Phil Chalmers etc. Finally, starting in February, we will be offering interactive webinars to reach more people, provide more information and answer more questions about FASTER in an exciting interactive format.

What do you need to do to see FASTER in your school district?

1) Sign up for our FREE Newsletter

2) Follow us on Social Media Twitter @FASTERSaves and Facebook

3) Donate Here” (we are a 501c3 do donation may be tax deductible) we also need corporate sponsors to help us keep up with the program growth.

4) Get started with our Authorization-Checklist and FASTER-White-Paper

5) APPLY FOR TRAINING for your school staff

6) Share our videos and news stories with others to help us let people know what we are doing here in Ohio.
Introduction Video
Level 1 at TDI 
Level 1 at Cerino
Level 3 (pt1)
Level 3 (pt2)

7) Contact us directly to have us meet with your school board, to get trauma medical or Eddie Eagle(r) training in your school or with any other questions you may have Contact Us

Joe Eaton
Program Director – FASTERSavesLives.org

Sandy Hook: In memory of those who were murdered three years ago today

It has been three years since a coward killed his mother, stole her guns, and went to the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. The school was locked for the beginning of the school day. The coward shot out the windows and entered through the administration area, killing several there. He proceeded down the hallway, murdered 27 year-old Victoria Soto, who had hidden her children, saving their lives. He entered another room, killing all 20 students. Teacher Anne Marie Murphy’s body was found over children she was apparently trying to shield.

This mass killing was just one of hundreds we know about. The killing itself was fairly typical; a school or other location believed to be “safe” and “gun free” is selected for the location of a brutal mass killing. The locked doors, lock downs, and all other preventive actions failed to stop the killer. Four to five people died per minute, and police arrive too late to save anyone, or fail to take appropriate action once on scene. 26 people died at Sandy Hook, 20 of them young children. The killer’s mother, made the total death count 27. The coward committed suicide.

The killer fell far short of his goal of setting a new world record of mass shootings (77 in Norway) and didn’t even set a U.S. record. Still, this event was shocking to us. What was striking to our nation was the age of the victims. First grade students, the picture of innocence, slaughtered in their classroom or hunted down in the bathroom while school officials hopelessly tried to implement a “lockdown.” The adults legally and morally responsible for the children’s safety were totally unprepared to stop the killing.

The lack of preparation was not because they didn’t care. They had invested good time and money. They just didn’t learn from people who actually understand active killer events. Though their plan was impossible for staff to execute under stress, there was no lack of bravery. Much has been made of the heroes who gave their lives doing everything in their power to protect and comfort the children in their care.

In our three years working with schools, we have seen that the above is common. Schools are advised by so-called experts, who often don’t know anything about active killer events. Teachers love our kids enough to die for them.

Policies adopted on emotion or feelings will leave you empty on event day. Most school staff do not want anything to do with carrying a gun, or the responsibility of shooting down a killer. There is nothing wrong with them. But every school has people who will step up on event day. They are going to the scene before the police even know there is a situation. They should have the tools and skills to win the fight, to stop the violence and end the killing when they get there. Then immediately start treating the injured, hug our kids, and send them home like they do every other school day.

FASTER Saves Lives is a program designed by experts. It has evolved over three years with the help of educators who are pioneering a better way to keep our schools and our kids safe. Many schools and police officers who once opposed this concept now advocate for it because they took the time to learn how and why it works. Still improving, it is the best solution proposed to date.

As you run around stressing over finding the right gifts for your kids, and getting everything ready for Christmas day, remember those who would love to have those pressures, but instead only have the void left by their child’s early death. Be thankful for what you have, and learn from the mistakes of others.

Take nothing for granted in your school’s safety. Get involved, and make sure your school is making the grade on safety.

Learn more about the FASTER Saves Lives program or apply for training at FasterSavesLives.org.

Donate to Buckeye Firearms Foundation, which sponsors FASTER Saves Lives.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Foundation President, BFA PAC Chairman and recipient of the NRA-ILA’s 2011 “Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award,” the CCRKBA’s 2012 “Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award,” and the SAF’s 2015 “Defender of Freedom Award.

FoxNews.com & UK’s Daily Mail documents success of Buckeye Firearms Foundation’s FASTER Saves Lives program

FoxNews.com and British newspaper The Daily Mail is informing its international audience of the success of Buckeye Firearms Foundation’s FASTER Saves Lives program.

From FoxNews.com:

Dozens of school districts in Ohio now allow teachers who have conceal-carry permits to pack heat on the job.

In several cases, boards of education have been pressed into adopting the policy by parents concerned about school shootings in the wake of the 2012 shooting at a school in Newtown, Conn. While an exact number of Buckeye State districts now allowing teachers to have guns in the classroom is not known, there are at least 40, according to Joe Eaton, director of FASTERsaveslives.org, a program affiliated with the Buckeye Firearms Foundation which sponsors training for teachers from the school districts,,

“The sad thing is that time is these situations in the most important factor,” Eaton said, “and waiting for outside help is just not a viable solution anymore.”

Fox News cites recent coverage from Cincinnati’s CBS affiliate, WKRC, noting that teachers who recently took part in the program are taught not only about gun safety and use, but were taught paramedic skills and how to react to active killer situations.

“Safety of our kids should not be a controversial issue. This is not about guns,” Jim Irvine, also with FASTERsaveslives.org and the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, said. “For nearly 60 years, not one student has died from a fire. That is due to a redundant, overlapping approach to safety.

“We should be copying that same method for incidents of violence in our schools,” Irvine added. “You need something that is effective. Show us another method and we would invest in it.”

Chad Baus, of the Buckeye Firearms [Association], also stressed the importance of training educators in these skills.

“The single most important factor in active killer death toll is time,” he said in a statement to Foxnews.com. “The longer killers have their way in so-called ‘no-guns’ zones, the more people die. The sooner they are stopped, the fewer people die. It is really that simple.

“The importance of the decisions being made by these school districts to make sure that willing teachers and administrators have the proper tools to protect the children in their care cannot be overstated. Teachers will do anything for ‘their kids,’ including dying.”

The Fox News article goes on to document the safety plan that has been adopted by the 3,500-student Sidney, Ohio school district. In that district, Fox news reports nearly 40 teachers volunteered to be part of a first-response team, in which they were trained and provided with bulletproof vests as well as handguns.

“We learned that we may not stop a shooter from getting into the building. If they want to, they will find a way, but if they enter, we can stop them in seconds,” [Superintendent John] Scheu added.

Officials from FASTER say that school districts from at least five other states have reached out and expressed interest in the program.

For his part, Ladd Everitt, spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, told Fox News he finds efforts to protect our children from a mass slaughter like the one perpetrated in Paris last week “profoundly sad.”

The UK Daily Mail is also covering the news being made here in Ohio, noting that thousands of faculty who have concealed handgun licenses have also applied for the FASTER training, which teaches them how to stop a violent attack, as well as giving students first aid.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.

Hamilton Co. sheriff: FASTER Saves Lives training “long overdue”

One day after Cincinnati’s CBS affiliate, WKRC, aired a report noting that more than 40 Ohio schools now authorize and train teachers to carry guns to protect students in class, the news station sat down with Hamilton County sheriff Jim Neil to gauge his reaction after the viewed the video.

The reaction was as positive as it is for many others who are first exposed to the Buckeye Firearms Fundation-sponsored FASTER Saves Lives program, even ones who are skeptical going in.

From the follow-up report:

The sheriff’s reaction to the idea of teachers and school administrators being trained to meet force with force in their own schools was clear and immediate.

Sheriff Neil said, “I’m in support of this training. I’m in support of this program.”

Briefly retired from law enforcement, before becoming sheriff, Neil actually worked as a part-time teacher. While he didn’t carry his duty weapon with him in the school, it was always close.

“Your first line of defense folks is you. This is a fine example of teachers and school administrators that want to take a stand against violence and be prepared to protect themselves and people under their care. It’s long overdue.”

Local 12’s story focused on teachers and administrators going through active shooter training in their own school. They are trained by instructors from the Tactical Defense Institute and it’s paid for by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation. Everyone has a concealed carry license and has been through an intensive program.

Meanwhile, within the confines of the Cincinnati public school system, comments from the safety program coordinator for Cincinnati Public Schools show there is still work to be done:

Daniel Daum, CPS safety coordinator, said, “We don’t advocate right now teachers being armed in our buildings. We leave that to the experts. We train our staff how to respond and safeguard these kids.

There is one armed Cincinnati police resource officer in uniform in each high school. There are no SRO’s in the middle or elementary schools, but they do have unarmed security teams. CPS officials also periodically use metal detectors on students. Classrooms have phones and offices have lockdown and emergency 911 buttons.

Daum believes that thanks to location, in an emergency law enforcement could quickly saturate a scene with officers, “Yes, I understand time is critical but we feel we have the best system right now, if such a horrific event happens in one of our buildings.”

As the report continues, one is left to wonder why Daum isn’t listening to the highest law enforcement office in the county where his schools are located.

Sheriff Neil said, “The likelihood of something happening is gonna be when we’re not there. So they have a line of defense until we can get there to support them. The troops are coming folks but we might not be there when the conflict starts.”

It’s important to point out here that virtually all the school shootings have involved suburban schools not city schools like Cincinnati Public. Most of the people Local 12 News talked with agreed that response time, which is critical, in rural or suburban school systems would be much longer than what you could expect in a city school. Eight or nine minutes has become standard, Daum said he thought Cincinnati police would be on the scene in 3 or 4.

Statistics prove that, on average, five people will die per minute, or about one every 12 seconds, in an active killer event. Many more will be injured – often severe injuries from which they never recover from. The logical conclusion from Daniel Daum’s comments is that Cincinnati Public Schools views 15 – 20 deaths and dozens more injuries as acceptable losses while waiting for police to arrive in “3 or 4” minutes.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.

More than 40 Ohio schools authorize and train teachers to carry guns to protect students in class

WKRC (CBS Cincinnati) is reporting that, in Ohio, around 40 school districts now allow teachers with concealed handgun licenses to carry their firearms in class. The news station was invited to document a recent FASTERSavesLives.org Level 3 training program in upstate Ohio.

From the report:

Parents in a district asked that their staff be armed. The board OK’d the training and the carrying of weapons on campus by trained staff. Recent school shootings prompted them to ask not to identify the school district.

The superintendent acts as the shooter, he explained his reasoning on the controversial issue, “When does help come? Every 30 seconds 2 people die. That’s not acceptable. I don’t know when the 911 call gets made. I don’t know when law enforcement arrives. It’s not that they don’t want to help but when do they help and I want to keep my kids safe.”

Practicing on their home turf is the third and most sophisticated level of the training. Everyone already has a concealed carry permit and has passed the previous classes.

WKRC reports the instructors are from John Benner’s Tactical Defense Institute in Adams County, Ohio; one of the foremost training facilities in the country, and that Benner himself is a former SWAT commander. He is quoted as saying, “We’ve believed in this for a long time, but never thought we’d be able to pull it off until Sandy Hook. And then everything changed. Now people realize if you don’t have somebody in the school that’s armed willing and capable you’re gonna lose a lot of people.”

The cost of training is entirely covered by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a pro-gun organization.

Joe Eaton of Buckeye [Firearms Foundation] said, “There are teachers who are willing to die for the children we leave with them every day. When they come to us and say we need a solution, we need something that will happen. When we have experts that can provide the training to provide these solutions our foundation is obligated to make this happen for the schools.”

There’s a lot more on the lesson plan than just firearms. Staff is also given combat casualty training which can be used in the event of any catastrophic event. They’re encouraged to have at least a tourniquet and bandages with them at all times. Each of the students who completes the training at TDI gets a classroom trauma kit and then at the end of the much bigger, much more involved level three training the school system will be presented with a facilities trauma kit which is much more sophisticated. It’s all provided by Buckeye Firearms [Foundation].

WKRC also reports that at least one previously skeptical visitor to the training came away a believer:

Jeff Corder is a veteran deputy and firefighter. Now a school resource officer in a different county, Corder came into the training adamantly opposed to teachers carrying guns in his school.

He said, “I knew I had a gun in the building and I’m a uniformed officer in the building and I didn’t want to worry about who else had them. I’m leaving here today to talk with the superintendent and say we need to look at this.”

Corder says the intensive training changed his mind, “If they get through a program like this it’s a total win win.”

The report ends with a quote from John Benner saying, “This is not a job that law enforcement can successfully do. Doesn’t have anything to do with their training, their desire or anything else; they’d love to do a good job on this stuff, time is the critical factor.”

The training is called “FASTER.” It stands for Faculty/ Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.