Ridge VFD members gathered last evening for our September training drill; A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training. Josh Sullivan, Managing Partner at Discreet Security Services and Investigations, came to the firehouse to present on the topic.

When a known or random gunman opens fire, on average, nearly a dozen injuries and at least three deaths occur. Being prepared is the best tool for survival! Considering the recent school, government facility, and social event shootings, Mr. Sullivan taught important life lessons on how to respond effectively for the safety of self and/or co-workers during an active-shooter situation. For First Responders, this training helps improve situational awareness and also goes over training to handle unsafe situations. A.L.I.V.E. stands for Assess, Leave, Impede, Violence, and Expose. These are the steps that anyone can take to more effectively respond should you ever be confronted with an active shooter situation, terrorist attack, violent attacker in the workplace, and other potentially deadly events. The ALIVE process can be used both on calls and when off duty.

We learned to:
• Identify behaviors and red flags typically associated with workplace violence and active shooter incidents,
• Become more aware of our surroundings,
• Prepare for such an event by being “proactively reactionary”,
• Evaluate an active shooter situation more quickly and efficiently,
• Decide and take the best action necessary for our survival,
• Dominate the attacker, if necessary, using a kill or be killed mentality,
• Navigate the chaos that comes after the event, and
• Train family, friends, and co-workers how to do the same.

The ALIVE Active Shooter Survival course teaches a “security mindset” to aid in recognizing possible signs of a pending attack, and reaction techniques that take the fundamental “Run, Hide, Fight” response to the next level.

The training was detailed and very well received. If you or your business could benefit from ALIVE Active Shooter Survival training, please reach out to Discreet Security Services and Investigations [https://dssimd.com/].

We’d like to thank Mr. Sullivan for donating his time to educate our members. Safety is our #1 priority!