Faster Saves Lives – Web site debuts

FASTER Saves Lives has grown so much it has become the main project of Buckeye Firearms Foundation. Measured by dollars spent, hours volunteered, impact, or passion, it is now the dominant factor for the Foundation.

Recognizing that the need and demand only continue to grow, and looking for better ways to serve schools, we have launched a new web site dedicated to school safety.

The site is intended to be a resource for schools that are serious about school security and child safety. From mindset, to legality of armed staff, to signing up for training, to purchase of medical kits to deal with trauma injuries, it is a one stop shop for school districts.

There was a time I was actually concerned that interest in the program might be diminishing and we had trained the majority of people who were serious about attaining the skills to needed to reliably stop an active killer. It seemed for a while that districts had either moved forward with authorizing staff to carry firearms, or had decided against it. I was grossly mistaken.

Interest in the program continues to be steady. The concerns associated with school violence and search for viable solutions has continued to smolder in the years since the Sandy Hook massacre. New districts continue to reach out to us, and new staff members are signing up for training. Those who decided against armed staff two years ago are reconsidering that stance. Schools who authorized staff to carry years ago have continued to improve their safety policies and procedures.

Going forward, we will be in need of corporate sponsors or grants to meet the demand for training and knowledge. Our schools and teachers cannot afford the world-class training FASTER Saves Lives provides. Our society cannot afford to let our children remain unprotected. There simply is no other alternative.

We will continue to update and grow the FASTERSavesLives web site to meet the needs and requests from schools who are serious about doing everything they can to ensure your children return home safely at the end of every school day.

Jim Irvine

President Buckeye Firearms Foundation

On the weekend of March 2 and 3, 2013, both Buckeye Firearms Foundation President Jim Irvine and I were privileged to attend an Active Killer in Schools training course in the Williams Co., OH community of Edgerton.

The training was conducted by the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI), a world-renowned training facility based in Adams Co., OH that is owned and operated by former SWAT Team commander John Benner.

There were more than 70 people in the 16 hour class. I didn’t take an official count, but I would estimate that somewhere north of half were school employees.

While TDI has been conducting active killer classes for quite some time, the focus has primarily been on the instruction of law enforcement. Benner said this class was the first which combined a large number of school employees/ educators along with area law enforcement officers.

According to Dr. Jamison Grime, superintendent of the Montpelier, OH school district that made international news when they became the first Ohio school to publicly announce plans to arm some employees, every district in Williams County received an invitation to attend the training.

While I don’t have the entire roster, I can report that at least six school districts had representatives who took the training. At least two Williams Co. law enforcement agencies, Edgerton and Edon, sent officers to take the training. Montpelier’s former police chief, who very recently retired, was also in attendance.

Four of the six schools who had employees in the training are fortunate to have Boards of Education which have, according to published reports, already authorized, or announced intent to authorize, some level of armed response inside the school – Edgerton, Hilltop, Montpelier and Stryker.

Classroom instruction

History and Statistical Analysis

Benner began the training early Saturday morning with a three hour seminar. After introducing his team of highly qualified instructors, students were given information on the history of mass murders in American schools. Benner also gave a brief history of the changes over the years in law enforcement response to these events.

Students were told about the three levels of active killers:

1. Single persons or multiple persons with very little planning (Sandy Hook)
2. One or two people with prior training who have conducted advanced planning, created obstacles and possibly also implemented the use of IEDs (Columbine)
3. Single terrorist on a personal jihad (Ft. Hood) or multiple terrorists (Beslan, Russia)

As he walked students through some of the mass killing events that have occurred, and throughout the rest of the training, Benner never named the killers by name, but instead referred to them “the little cowards.” He noted that the media have played a part in escalating the frequency and severity of these attacks by giving the little cowards what they want – notoriety.

Benner noted the unfortunate reality that there have been enough of these attacks that we can build a statistical picture that can help us in training. He pointed out that 98% of the little cowards have acted alone, that 80% will use a long-gun, and that 75% will have multiple firearms. He stressed that most continue the attack until someone either stops or confronts them, and provided research from Ohio’s Ron Borsch which shows that about 70% of the time these killers have been stopped by a person at the scene, while only roughly 30% are stopped by law enforcement. Students were told that Borsch’s research also shows that if the killers are stopped at the scene, we lose 2 – 3 people, whereas if we wait for law enforcement, the victim county jumps to 14 – 16 people on average.

Continuing with the statistical research, Benner noted that the little cowards rarely take hostages, they do not negotiate, and they try to avoid contact with police. He noted that their hit ratio is 50% or less. While noting that the law enforcement hit ratio is much, much lower (somewhere between 10 and 15%), the fact that active killers have a higher hit ratio doesn’t prove they are good shots. In fact, Benner said it proves how poor they are, since in many cases their victims are sitting still (or hiding or cowering), at very close range, waiting to be shot, and they offer no threat to the killer. Benner stressed that because we know the little cowards only hit 50% of their shots, we can be confident that “they will be no contest for a competent armed civilian or law enforcement officer.”

Working together and Fighting to win

Several times throughout the training, Benner stressed the importance of law enforcement training and working with armed citizens. He pointed out that they’re interested, they spend their own money to receive training, and “they’re as good or better with a gun that law enforcement.” He also mentioned that in all of his years of training he has only had one former student be arrested for anything serious, but that he’s had more former students who were law enforcement officers arrested! The point he kept stressing to the departments in attendance – “Train with them.”

Benner also addressed the type of mental preparation that is necessary to be ready to provide an armed response to an active killer. He told attendees that “this is a shoot situation – there are no half-measures.”

“Others are depending on you,” he continued. “In that moment, you’re the single most important person in the world to everyone under the gun. Don’t give them a chance to win.”

Benner then conducted an action/ reaction drill to reinforce his point, showing that a person could raise his hand from waist level and “aim” it at an opponent in the time it took for the opponent to drop his thumb to simulate the firing of a finger gun already aimed. This lesson was reinforced even more the following day, when I watched as a law enforcement officer running a force-on-force scenario was “shot” when he reverted to his previous training and gave an order to the “active killer” to drop his gun.

Benner also sought to anticipate and address fears that some armed responders may have.

• “How many are there? 98% of the time, it’s just one.”
• “Am I going to be ambushed? It hasn’t ever happened.”
• “Am I outgunned? If you’re competent with your handgun, it’s all you need. Don’t waste time to run for a rifle.”

When Seconds Count…

Perhaps the single most eye-opening part of his presentation, and a lesson that was also born out time and again in the force-on-force training that was conducted the following day, was the fact that “time is the single most-important factor.” Quoting from Ron Borch’s “Stop Watch of Death” research,” Benner informed the 70+ attendees the average mass murderer kills about five victims every minute, with the current record being eight (Virginia Tech). He said that the average time for the first call to go to 911 in a spree killing event is two minutes. He said the time for the 911 center to dispatch law enforcement can be anywhere from 45 seconds to three minutes, and the time for law enforcement to arrive can depend on location (rural/ urban) and traffic, but that it is typically at least three minutes, and often as many as eight, 10 or even more. Finally, he said that the time it can take for law enforcement to enter the building and locate and engage the target can easily be another one to three minutes.

As he was going through the time line, and using the minimum times and a conservative rate of four killed per minute, Benner informed tables full of people that they were now “dead.” By the end of the lesson, almost 30 people had been “killed” in Benner’s demonstration.

The point, Benner said, is that by reducing the time before the killer is confronted, we can reduce the body count. And the way to reduce the time is to have the first responder on site when the killer begins this attack.

Unarmed and Armed Response

The seminar also addressed several options for response for people who are unarmed, and indeed, there were at approximately 10 people who, at the start of the class, identified themselves as people who were solely seeking unarmed response training (it is worth noting that several of those decided to come back and participate in the armed response training on the second day).

Along with many other steps that he advises armed responders should follow, Benner advised on some of the physiological effects that one can expect in a violent encounter, and taught the technique of tactical breathing, which can reduce the effects and allow the responder the ability to continue the fight.

Tactics

After lunch, attendees were broken into three groups, each of which contained both school employees and law enforcement, and dispersed to different areas of the school building.

TDI instructors began teaching tactics of moving about the school building to engage an active killer.

Throughout the afternoon, students were taught corner rounding, how to navigate hallways filled with panicked students and/or victims, how to navigate stairwells, and how to perform room entry / clearance. They were also taught how to work in these environments with or without a partner.

During this portion of the class, the unarmed staff were given instruction on critical thinking skills, escape & evasion tactics, how to barricade a room, how to ambush, fighting skills using environmental assistance, and how to handle found weapons.

Force-on-Force

When the class resumed early Sunday morning, the three groups were again dispersed into different areas of the building. For the entire day, students participated in scenario-based force-on-force training using airsoft pistols.

Benner ensured attendees that every scenario was designed to be “winnable” – not that everyone would always win, but rather that that there would never be a “no-win” scenario presented in the training.

The scenarios were changed frequently, and were designed and based off of events that have actually happened.

When they weren’t shooting, everyone participated as “students” in the classroom, and were asked to make yell, scream, cry for help, or in certain cases run down the hallways, getting in the way of or clinging to the responder, to add to the sense of realism. Some also were allowed to volunteer to act as the active killer. A great deal could be learned from observing (while playing the roll of victim or killer).

When it was their turn, the responders were moved to a different location so that the scenario could be set up in such a way that they would not know what to expect. When given the information they needed to know, the scenario commenced, and the responder had to use the skills they had learned to find their way as quickly as possible to the area where the active killer was attacking and attempt to stop the threat.

The last exercise of the day was held in an atrium or cafeteria setting. Everyone was gathered under the premise that the training was essentially over. Suddenly, one individual stood, yelled that he planned to kill everyone, and began firing his airsoft pistol. Instructors had also taken one student down the hall and told them to respond when they heard the attack begin. The intent of the drill was to see how hard it would be for a responder to locate the killer in the mayhem. Things never got to that point, however, because several people still had their personal airsoft pistols with them, and once simply stood seconds after the attack began and shot the “active killer.”

The scenario was set up again, this time with instruction that no one except the killer and responder were armed. Everyone was told that they were playing the roll of students and that they should “do what you would do.” When the attack began, some ran, but some promptly jumped the “killer,” forced him to the ground and piled on top of him.
While this once again didn’t help instructors learn what they were trying to learn, the accidental lesson was crystal clear – having armed persons, or persons who are willing to fight back, can stop an attack and limit the damage.

On the third attempt and with more instruction for the “victims” to simply jump, run or hide, the “responder” was able to quickly locate the “killer” and stop the threat, even in the chaos.

Take Away

Since this was Benner’s first Active Killer class comprised of so many school employees, in many instances it was clear that the instructors were learning as much as the students. Many ideas were discussed, including strategically positioning teachers’ desks, what an armed teacher should do if s/he is in the classroom with students but hears shooting down the hall, etc. etc.

Seeing how seamlessly armed school employees and law enforcement could work together was also very instructive. If your local law enforcement agencies are not working with your local school districts on this type of training, ask them why.

In a follow-up email to me, Edgerton Chief of Police Jeremy Jones observed that he believes the training was a “huge success.”

“I have heard nothing but praises for the training and the TDI staff instructing,” wrote Jones. “One very important point that was made this weekend and truly opened many eyes of the students was how important it is to have an armed response already in place within the school. During the scenario-based training, it became very obvious to all students how a killer can inflict death or serious injury to an entire classroom in a very short period of time. Waiting for law enforcement to respond to the scene and neutralize the threat IS NOT a viable option.”

To say that Jim Irvine and I were impressed with the mindset and preparedness demonstrated in the Edgerton school building and by the Williams Co. school employees and law enforcement in attendance would be a gross understatement. It is deeply encouraging to see these people volunteer to take on the roll of first responder inside the school building, and to give up their weekend to learn these life-saving skills.

I am certain that the lessons learned from this weekend’s training will be put to good use as the expert instructors at TDI work to prepare for Buckeye Firearms Foundation’s Armed Teacher Training Program (ATTP) course that will be held over three days later this spring.

The training class that Buckeye Firearms Foundation proposed at a town hall meeting following the mass murder of teachers and school children in Newtown, Connecticut, has been completed. The class of 24 teachers, administrators, and school employees attended a three day class at Tactical Defense Institute (TDI) in Adams County, Ohio on March 25-27. The weather was cold and at times difficult, but the teachers-turned-students all showed up ready and eager to learn.

The class started with a lecture from John Benner. He explained what we have learned from studying past events, complete with statistics, and addressed the mental preparation needed to end an event. Then students were instructed in proper stance, grip, and trigger management and practiced dry firing with roped guns. The class moved to a range where they continued to work on shooting fundamentals as they practiced live fire drills.

Afternoon training consisted of more work on the fundamentals and added drawing from a holster and from concealment. By the end of the day the newer shooters were all shooting well, and the long-time shooters had shrunk their groupings or increased the speed at which they could reliably make follow-up shots. Several experienced shooters commented that they had learned more about shooting on that first day than the rest of their life combined. Knowing TDI’s instructors, that is likely an accurate assessment.

Day Two started with more shooting. Students worked on reloading magazines and refinement of the skills they learned on Day One. They were introduced to shooting while moving and moving past and around people while keeping their gun pointed in a safe direction.

After lunch they were introduced to room-clearing skills and considerations of when it was better to lie in wait versus seeking out the killer(s) to engage them. One size does not fit all, and the participants were instructed that they would need to be able to make decisions about their particular school, job, and the actual incident unfolding to act appropriately. The day concluded with discussion on people handling and weapon retention drills.

Students came back after dinner to listen to Dr. Brian Springer discusses Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC). It is likely that the killer will fire at least one shot before anyone can stop him. In most cases, medical personnel must wait while law enforcement clears and makes the building safe. It is critical that teachers have the skills and tools to treat victims and stop any bleeding to enable those injured to live long enough to be transferred to higher medical care.

Day Three was not sunny, but at least it had stopped snowing. Media were on hand and students had the pressure of knowing they had to shoot a qualification course that afternoon. Students were required to “time in” or shoot a steel plate while being timed as others watched. Even though they were clearly under stress, their performance was impressive. Then they moved back and practiced shooting at greater distances.

Most of Day Three was spent participating in “force on force” (FOF) training. This describes training where the bad guy(s) shoots back. Airsoft pistols which shoot plastic bb’s were used. With proper protection, this training is completely safe, but can hurt and allows accurate simulation of high-stress events, such as a school shooting. This was done at TDI’s force on force house and on a range where a mock up of a hallway with multiple classrooms was constructed. This training tests, under a high stress environment, all the skills that had been taught previously. Students needed to access a chaotic scene, find the threat and end the killing. If they made a mistake, the person playing the killer could shoot back. The threat of pain adds increased stress, and helps commit lessons to long-term memory.

Many of the scenarios required the teacher to shoot a killer to stop the threat, but several others required that they assess the situation and not shoot the person holding a gun. Shooting is secondary to thinking, both in real life and in realistic training.

After extensive force on force training, students were brought back to the range to shoot a law enforcement qualification course. All teachers passed and were appropriately certified. The day ended with certificates, handshakes, high fives and hugs. The teachers were rightfully proud of what they had accomplished. The instructors were delighted with the hard work and dedication of the class. Teachers made great students.

All 24 teachers have returned to their districts. Most have permission to carry a firearm in school for the protection of their children, but a few do not. I pray that their school board recognizes the asset and layer of protection these trained individuals offer their school before it’s too late.

In the future, we know there will be a terrible fire somewhere and we know there will be tragic school violence. We don’t know when, or where, but we know it will happen. Proper preparation reduces the death toll, but many schools do not yet understand why authorizing persons to carry firearms acts as a critical layer of safety against violence just as fire detectors, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire drills work to protect people from the dangers of fire. The deterrence effect alone of armed staffers may prevent a mass killing from happening at a school. The greatest success we can have is the attack that never begins.

When we announced the first class, we did not imagine the demand from teachers and other school employees. We did not expect to become involved in working with many school boards to help them understand active killer events, how they unfold and how they are stopped, or how to limit loss of life before, during and after the event. But it’s now very clear that it is our duty, and that of everyone who cares about children, to step up and be part of the solution.

The first class is complete, but that is only the beginning. There will be more classes at TDI, and, hopefully, other locations around Ohio and across America. Our children depend on us to keep them safe from all dangers, and unfortunately school violence is a large and growing danger. The 9/11 terrorist attacks changed aviation security, and pilots now carry firearms to protect passengers and country. Our teachers are just as dedicated and eager to protect your kids and schools. We owe them whatever support it takes to overcome their obstacles to defending innocent life in their schools.

On Saturday, March 16th, 2013, a group of 400 teachers, administrators and school board members gathered at Villa Milano in Columbus, Ohio to listen to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman talk to them about violence. It was the most powerful event I have ever witnessed and a day which will remain in my mind for as long as I walk this earth.

These were not “gun nuts,” as the media likes to call those who devote time to improving the life saving skill of marksmanship, but rather teachers, coaches, and principals who work with our kids every day, and love our kids and will sacrifice everything for them, just as those in Newtown, Connecticut did for their students.

As I greeted people, I found they were excited to learn something new, but a little guarded about what we would present to them. Some were nervous about being seen at a gun group function or concerned if they could handle the gruesome details of something as horrible as the mass murder of children.

In my opening remarks, I said that they were a special audience and they shared a sacred mission. I knew this as I read through over 1,400 applications they submitted to our Armed Teacher Training Program. But in talking with them throughout the day, I began to understand the depth of how special they are, and just how deeply they love our kids.

Col. Grossman started with a basic talk about safety. He compared how we prepare for fire in our schools to how we prepare for violence, and then asked attendees to look at the results.

The clear lesson is that we have worked hard to address the real issues of fire and have done a great job reducing risk. But our society has clung to failed ideas on violence, and introduced new ideas that have proven to fail our kids in their time of need, and thus we have not done a good job of protecting them from violence. We must change.

Grossman talked about school killers like those in Columbine and Newtown, but he also talked about terrorism like Beslan, Russia. He explained why it is likely that we will see such horrific events here, especially if we don’t change how we protect our kids. Some seemed shocked at just how much worse than Newtown it can be. One person walked out of the room crying, took a deep breath, composed themselves, and returned to continue learning. Our teachers are bravely confronting the reality of our situation. We are lucky to have such people caring for our children all day.

These educators went home better informed about the true dangers we face. They understand the issues, the problems and the solutions. They are determined to make changes in their schools, not just for their own lives, but for society’s kids. Many districts are supporting real change, but many others are not. Teachers are asking for your support to convince your school district to have people inside every building who can stop an active killer quickly.

The program was sponsored by Buckeye Firearms Foundation, but this was not free to the teachers. Many mocked us that teachers would not be interested in real training, or that they would sign up online, but not pay money or spend their free time. They were wrong. Our teachers love our kids more than we give them credit for. They will die for our kids. All they are asking is that school boards take the same time to learn as they did, and authorize them to use the mindset, skills, and tools they possess to stop an active killer and protect our kids from harm.

Has your school board taken these steps? If not, do you really want to place your kids in their schools?