Preschool Preparedness for an Active Shooter looks
like a helpful book for educators. What will readers get out of your
book?
Preschool Preparedness for an Active Shooter was
written specifically for those who care for children. The book provides early
childhood professionals with evidence-based, actionable tools, tips, and
resources that can be implemented quickly and affordably. Readers will learn
proven techniques to help aid their preparedness efforts. This includes ways to
increase security, conduct training and drills, implement effective policies,
and develop action plans for threats both inside and around their program.
Ultimately, I hope readers will take away a sense of empowerment - there are
easy to implement, affordable, steps we can take today to make us better
prepared for the threats we may face tomorrow.
What motivated you to write Preschool Preparedness for an
Active Shooter?
The
Institute for Childhood Preparedness was established to help early childhood
professionals prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies and
disasters. Our driving force is to ensure early childhood professionals have
the tools, training, and resources needed to help keep children safe. Our team
has the honor of working on-site at early childhood programs throughout the
United States each week. From our first-hand experiences, we have seen the need
for this information. In recent years, significant resources have been spent preparing
public schools, universities, and other entities for active shooter scenarios.
However, the early childhood community has largely been excluded from these
planning efforts. We originally developed our active shooter training program
to address these concerns. Our on-site training program has been delivered to
thousands of early childhood professionals across the country. This book was
developed to help capture the knowledge we have gained through all of these
interactions, discussions, and training sessions.
Can you tell us a little about the rings of security you mention
in the book?
In
2008, I moved from Illinois to Washington, DC. I have had the privilege of
working throughout the government, in the US Senate, and many White House
meetings. Even when going about your daily life, you can’t help but notice the
large security presence that protects these important American institutions. As
I was coming out of a meeting at the White House one afternoon, I stopped to
reflect on all of the mechanisms, systems, and personnel that were in place to
ensure the building was secure and protected.
As
one of the most secure buildings in the world, these systems are impressive
without a doubt. I then began thinking about how we could apply similar
concepts to child care programs, Head Start centers, the homes of family child
care providers, schools, and other places where young children spend the bulk
of their time. This is where the rings of security concepts come in.
Essentially, the rings of security are a way to think about your security
strategies and opportunities.
Start
to think about how a threat could impact your program. The threat would have a
starting point - likely in your parking lot. For many, the parking lot
represents our biggest ring. It is our first opportunity to recognize there is
something out of the ordinary happening. Despite the availability and low cost
of high definition cameras - we see many businesses (early childhood programs,
religious organizations, etc.) lack the ability to monitor their parking
environments. This is an opportunity missed - as the quicker we can identify an
issue, the better - as we will have more time to take action.
Thinking
through the rings of security allows us to identify potential opportunities to
make things safer. From cameras in the parking lot, to the type of doors/locks
used, to internal policies and procedures - each ring has the opportunity to
prevent or slow potential threats.
How did you come up with the ideas in the book?
Many,
many hours of research went into developing our in-person training and our
online courses. The book was no different. Our goal is to have evidence-based
strategies and techniques that can be implemented in an emergency or disaster.
Our team studies each active shooter incident to learn what worked well and
where improvement could be made. However, that is not simply enough. We must
then take these valuable insights and translate them so that they are relevant
to the early childhood community. Our audience is much different than a
traditional business. Where options for run, hide, fight may work well in a
traditional office setting - they do not easily translate into a classroom full
of infants and toddlers.
The
methods and ideas in the book have been developed, tested, and vetted by early
childhood experts. We want to ensure they meet the needs of the field and take
into account the various nuances that come with working with young
children.
Did anything stick out as particularly challenging when writing Preschool
Preparedness for an Active Shooter?
A
couple of things for certain! This topic is so dynamic, so ever-changing that
it took a while to know when to call the book ‘finished’. Sadly, we keep seeing
new incidents happen - and I wanted to ensure we provided the most up to date
information as possible.
As
we have seen over and over again, not only are we attempting to learn all we
can so we can be as safe as possible - but the bad guys are doing the same. So
our challenge is ensuring we are aware of the latest tactics and strategies -
to stay one step ahead of the next bad guy. This was difficult, as the book
represents a snapshot in time. However, thanks to our online courses and
in-person training - we can provide the most up to date information.
Also,
I am a visual learner and enjoy interactive environments. I believe the
information contained in this book will be a very useful tool for many, but at
the end of the day, we need to practice and exercise to prepare for
emergencies. Fortunately, we have that capability through our on-site training,
and I’d love to show all our readers how to put these concepts and theories
into practice - that is where the rubber meets the road.
What do you like to do when not writing?
I
spend much of my time relentlessly working to ensure early childcare
professionals are prepared to respond to and recover from disasters. Part of
this mission includes disaster relief and recovery. Since the devastating
hurricanes, I have been working in the Caribbean, assisting the US Virgin
Islands Department of Health and the Puerto Rico Department of Health to help
bolster preparedness, response and recovery efforts for early childhood
programs. Through our wonderful partnerships with the Region II Head Start
Association and the National Environmental Health Association, we have been
able to make significant impacts, and most importantly raise the awareness on
issues impacting children. When I’m not traveling and working, I love
playing/watching hockey and spending time with my loving wife and our nearly 17-year-old
Yorkshire terrier at home in Washington, DC.
Where can readers find out more about your work?
We would be delighted if folks
would visit us on our website or any of our social media channels. Our Facebook
page is very active - and we are constantly posting new stories, videos and
tips to help keep children safe. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. More
information about how to sign up for preparedness training, and to learn more
tips through our timely blog posts are available at The Institute for Childhood
Preparedness website.
