Ed Davis: Preparing for active shooter situation can save lives
BOSTON - There were tense moments as police responded to reports of an active shooter at several Massachusetts schools last month. The calls were later determined to be a hoax. Still, the incidents were frightening for parents, students, and teachers.
Police do prepare for the worst, conducting active shooter training routinely. The I-Team followed Milford Police when their special ops team conducted an exercise at the high school. But, as the I-Team reported last summer, active shooter training is not required for Massachusetts schools, and the training that does take place does not involve or include students.
WBZ-TV Security Analyst Ed Davis says being prepared for any type of active shooter situation, like what happened in Nashville, can save lives. "I would rather have my children exposed to a plan," Davis said. "In Nashville, some of these kids, probably directed by a teacher because they were so young, but they broke, and they ran for the woodline and protected themselves in that way."
Davis says shootings can happen anywhere: a school, a mall, a workplace, and having a plan is your best protection.
"The worst thing you can have is undirected panic," Davis said. "These things are chaotic, and if someone hasn't thought through what they would do in a situation like that to get them to safety, they're more likely to become victims."
As for teaching children what to do, Davis says there is no downside, kids are already aware of what is going on and anyone who doesn't believe that is naïve.
"So, I think you can have a debate about whether it's good or bad, but if you want your loved ones to survive, preparing them is better than not preparing them," Davis said.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education does require that school districts have an emergency plan, but that plan does not need to be filed with the state.