RICHMOND, Va. -- A mass shooting is a situation most never expect themselves to be in.
However, as the nation mourns its 213th mass shooting of the year, experts are encouraging everyone to have an idea of how to respond in these critical situations.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services offers training programs for both civilians and law enforcement on what to do in the event of a dangerous situation and specifically a mass shooting.
”We hope that we never have to practice what we preach. But we encourage you to do what you can where you are with what you have to work with," said Adam Keene with VADCJS.
Keene said it's important to be prepared no matter where you live.
“These active attacks don't geographically discriminate, and we've had a lot of them in our state, unfortunately,” he explained.
He said though he hopes to never have to respond to situations like this, it's crucial people have an idea of what steps can be taken to save as many lives as possible.
"We call the race to save lives or the race to survive the five.. R.A.C.E" Keene explained.
"React, avoid, denied, define, we want you to activate. And who we are activating is our first responders by dialing 911. Then we want you to see, care for the injured that starts with you, and then those around you and then E, evacuate to safety."
Part of the program includes responding to injuries you or those around you may have.
"From that training, what you're going to be able to have the benefit of walking away with is the confidence to know that if you find yourself in a crisis, you truly can survive," said Keene.
The program is used as the basis for several local law enforcement trainings.
"We're in the process of renewing our curriculum to make K-12 specific because how we talk to maybe kindergartners through second grade is a lot different than how we would talk to high school or higher ed," said Keene. "And we don't forget that there are disabilities within our systems, making sure that people with disabilities also receive training that's specific to them"
He said there has also been legislation passed in the last year dedicated specifically to school safety.
"Some of those things include school safety audits and threat assessment teams," said Keene.
He emphasized that though is something no one wants to happen, knowing ways to protect and aid yourself and others can make a huge difference in such a critical situation
"Our training gives you that opportunity to take a snapshot of to say, if this happens, then I would do this. And if that happens, then I will do this instead. And it puts it in that filing cabinet of your mind with the hope that if you ever find yourself in these situations that at least you have a point of reference on how to survive"
Training classes are offered weekly to Virginia residents for free.
- In person- CRCC In-person [dcjs.virginia.gov]
- Virtual- CRCC Virtual [dcjs.virginia.gov]
Keene also mentioned that as of April, there is a grant available to VA schools to have their paper floor plans made digital so that in the event of a tragedy, first responders can quickly access school layouts.
