TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — History shows us mass shootings can happen anywhere but schools are often the sensitive spots in a murderer’s crosshairs.
9 On Your Side watched educators train for survival today and talked with Pima County's Sheriff about how our area can avoid the mistakes of the Uvalde school shooting.
There are hard lessons from any school shooting. At the Northwest Campus of Pima Community College the Pima Sheriff's Department organized lessons to learn before an emergency.
Tough scenarios help educators prepare for the tough decisions they could have to make in moments if a calm classroom erupts into chaos.
It’s a situation no educator can safely say will never happen to them.
Kathleen Kent says the training makes her feel more prepared and less scared.
Reporter Craig Smith asked: “Nobody knows what they'll do until something really happens. What do you think you’d do?"
Kathleen: “I hope this training will kick in first, but I know that it could come to being shot and then then the training will kick in.”
Craig: "There's a real ‘What's the world coming to element all this isn't there?"
Kathleen: “Absolutely, unfortunately.”
The Uvalde, Texas shooting raised questions about law enforcement preparedness there. Early investigations show officers waited more than an hour to enter the classroom and confront the shooter—-and there was confusion over who should give the order to go in.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos says long before Uvalde he was organizing a regional response to emergencies —and it’s a response that leaves no doubt who should act and when.
“But it really is a way to respond to these incidents where you're in. everybody's on the same page. They know what is expected of them, that we don't wait for backup, that you go in and you confront the target.”
Volunteer first responders from an organization called ICSave taught the educators the sort of battlefield first aid required to keep shooting victims alive until they can reach a hospital with the idea that since shootings can happen anywhere, people trained to save lives should be everywhere.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
