Hey gents, we are running our second Citizen Response to an Active Shooter course coming up April 26/27 in Atlanta. This is a Simunitions based class, two days in length. Ive included the course description including content cost, location and basic outline below. For more information, questions or to register email me at sage@sagedynamics.org. There is a discount available to GPO members.
Before the April 20th, 1999 Shooting at Columbine High school in Littleton, Colorado, the standard law enforcement response to an active shooter was to establish a perimeter and await a specialized response. The average SWAT time varies by region and source of information, though a time of 30-45 minutes is an often quoted time. Among other mistakes and lessons learned from Columbine, law enforcement identified the need for patrol officers to receive more specialized training for the response to an active shooter.
This training developed independently from multiple sources but it all focuses around patrol officers working in small teams to move to and confront an active shooter as quickly as possible. This training is priceless for the line officer, though it is not without serious reality issues. The average police response time varies just as much as the average SWAT response time, Cities such as Denver, Co and Atlanta, Ga state a response time of 10 to 11 minutes for a high priority 911 call, which supposes that the 911 call is recognized as a high priority call and not a call asking officers to investigate a possible disturbance. In contrast, the average active shooter event lasts 12 minutes, with just under half of those being over in less than 5 minutes.
In every active shooter situation, there is one common denominator; innocent civilians. More than half of the Active Shooter events in the United States going back to 1966 have been stopped by civilians. Active shooters may differ in motivation or reasoning, but they predominantly choose targets based on the number of innocent civilians present and a lack of organized law enforcement. While schools and universities may seem to be the preferred target of an active shooter, it is just as common for a shooting to occur in a more public access area such as a mall, movie theater, workplace or public event.
Because active shooters are rarely driven by criminal profit and instead are only interested in murder, predicting their activities is difficult, making a fast law enforcement response impractical in most situations. For the armed citizen, relying on the immediate response of law enforcement has never been a consideration for protection from the criminal element, nor should it be for protection from an active shooter.
In our Citizen Response to an Active Shooter course, students will be introduced to and instructed in tactics based on those taught to law enforcement, that have been adapted to fit the CCW citizen’s role as a responsible individual intervening to save lives. This course focuses heavily on the mentality needed to confront an active shooter, as well as the techniques to do so.
Using the Simunitions FX training system, we are able to place students in scenario-based situations where they will experience an as-close-to-reality-as-possible use of force situation against an armed threat and be required to make critical decisions under high stress. Over the two day course, students can expect instruction and participation in the following topics;
Day One
Day one will primarily be classroom based, though students can expect it to be somewhat mentally and physically demanding.
Sage Dynamics Course Introduction:
· Meet your instructor(s)
· Our expectations of students
· Students expectations of us
· Legal and safety brief
History of the Active Shooter in America:
· Defining an “active shooterâ€
· An active shooter examined
· Case studies in active shooter response
· Lessons learned from past events
Being Prepared for Violence:
· The warrior mindset
· Fighting the “false sense of securityâ€
· Successful daily habits of the prepared wolf hunter
· Situational awareness
· Pre-attack indicators
The Sympathetic Nervous System:
· Stress effects on the body
· Combat effectiveness under stress
· Fighting under SNS activation
· Recovering from an SNS activation
· Legal concerns for SNS induced Critical Incident Amnesia
Introduction to Threat Anatomy:
· Threat physiology /anatomy
· Shot placement and the reality of “stopping powerâ€
· Thinking in Three Dimensions
· Critical and practical accuracy
Personal Preparation:
· Weapon carry and safety
· Every Day Carry equipment
· Pre-force planning
· Family planning
· Practice planning
Dynamics of an Active Shooter Event:
· High risk areas
· Crowd behavior
· Deny, Contain and Incapacitate the threat
· Shelter in place vs defend in place
· Crime for profit vs active shooter characteristics
· Active shooter to barricaded threat concerns
· Contact with Law Enforcement/complying with an LE response
· 911 essentials
· Directing work immediately after an event
· Preparation for wounded evacuation during/after an event
Tactics and Techniques for Confronting the Threat:
· Close quarters shooting
· Clearing an area (basic techniques)
· Choke point navigation (“slicing the pieâ€)
· Fire Discipline (crowded areas)
· On cover/off cover shooting
· Movement techniques (direct-to-threat and search speed)
· Identification to Law Enforcement
· Crowd navigation/bypassing wounded
Day Two
Day two will be almost exclusively spent on force-on-force scenarios. Each student should expect to go through a minimum of three scenarios and will be afforded the opportunity to go through more, time permitting. Students should also expect to act as role players, and occasionally as the threat for other students progressing through their training scenarios. Day two will be physically demanding, all students should take special care to remain hydrated.
Introduction to the Simunitions FX System:
· Safety and safety equipment
· Training advantages to the SFX equipment
· Scenario commands
· Expectations of role players
· Live weapon conversion safety
Active Shooter Scenario Training:
· Scenario based confrontations with actual and possible active shooter events
· Shoot/don’t shoot judgment situations
· Course techniques and principles in action
Upon Successful completion of this course, students will receive a course certificate. Student demonstrating excellent understanding and execution of course skills can be awarded Superior Graduate.
Course Cost: $400.00 ($275.00 refresher for previous students space permitting)
Range Fee: $30.00
Mandatory Equipment: (if you do not have items on this list, you cannot train. Simunitions weapons, ammunition, helmet and throat protector will be provided.)
· Long sleeve shirt and pants
· Cover garment (button up shirt or jacket, only worn for scenario training).
· Hydration.
· Groin protection.
· Personal handgun No Ammunition, with holster, magazine pouch and three magazines.
· Gloves
Optional (recommended) gear:
· High protein snacks
· Pen and paper for notes
· Sunblock
· Hydration
· Change of clothes
Class size: 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Location: 4215 Thurman Road, Conley, GA 30288
Before the April 20th, 1999 Shooting at Columbine High school in Littleton, Colorado, the standard law enforcement response to an active shooter was to establish a perimeter and await a specialized response. The average SWAT time varies by region and source of information, though a time of 30-45 minutes is an often quoted time. Among other mistakes and lessons learned from Columbine, law enforcement identified the need for patrol officers to receive more specialized training for the response to an active shooter.
This training developed independently from multiple sources but it all focuses around patrol officers working in small teams to move to and confront an active shooter as quickly as possible. This training is priceless for the line officer, though it is not without serious reality issues. The average police response time varies just as much as the average SWAT response time, Cities such as Denver, Co and Atlanta, Ga state a response time of 10 to 11 minutes for a high priority 911 call, which supposes that the 911 call is recognized as a high priority call and not a call asking officers to investigate a possible disturbance. In contrast, the average active shooter event lasts 12 minutes, with just under half of those being over in less than 5 minutes.
In every active shooter situation, there is one common denominator; innocent civilians. More than half of the Active Shooter events in the United States going back to 1966 have been stopped by civilians. Active shooters may differ in motivation or reasoning, but they predominantly choose targets based on the number of innocent civilians present and a lack of organized law enforcement. While schools and universities may seem to be the preferred target of an active shooter, it is just as common for a shooting to occur in a more public access area such as a mall, movie theater, workplace or public event.
Because active shooters are rarely driven by criminal profit and instead are only interested in murder, predicting their activities is difficult, making a fast law enforcement response impractical in most situations. For the armed citizen, relying on the immediate response of law enforcement has never been a consideration for protection from the criminal element, nor should it be for protection from an active shooter.
In our Citizen Response to an Active Shooter course, students will be introduced to and instructed in tactics based on those taught to law enforcement, that have been adapted to fit the CCW citizen’s role as a responsible individual intervening to save lives. This course focuses heavily on the mentality needed to confront an active shooter, as well as the techniques to do so.
Using the Simunitions FX training system, we are able to place students in scenario-based situations where they will experience an as-close-to-reality-as-possible use of force situation against an armed threat and be required to make critical decisions under high stress. Over the two day course, students can expect instruction and participation in the following topics;
Day One
Day one will primarily be classroom based, though students can expect it to be somewhat mentally and physically demanding.
Sage Dynamics Course Introduction:
· Meet your instructor(s)
· Our expectations of students
· Students expectations of us
· Legal and safety brief
History of the Active Shooter in America:
· Defining an “active shooterâ€
· An active shooter examined
· Case studies in active shooter response
· Lessons learned from past events
Being Prepared for Violence:
· The warrior mindset
· Fighting the “false sense of securityâ€
· Successful daily habits of the prepared wolf hunter
· Situational awareness
· Pre-attack indicators
The Sympathetic Nervous System:
· Stress effects on the body
· Combat effectiveness under stress
· Fighting under SNS activation
· Recovering from an SNS activation
· Legal concerns for SNS induced Critical Incident Amnesia
Introduction to Threat Anatomy:
· Threat physiology /anatomy
· Shot placement and the reality of “stopping powerâ€
· Thinking in Three Dimensions
· Critical and practical accuracy
Personal Preparation:
· Weapon carry and safety
· Every Day Carry equipment
· Pre-force planning
· Family planning
· Practice planning
Dynamics of an Active Shooter Event:
· High risk areas
· Crowd behavior
· Deny, Contain and Incapacitate the threat
· Shelter in place vs defend in place
· Crime for profit vs active shooter characteristics
· Active shooter to barricaded threat concerns
· Contact with Law Enforcement/complying with an LE response
· 911 essentials
· Directing work immediately after an event
· Preparation for wounded evacuation during/after an event
Tactics and Techniques for Confronting the Threat:
· Close quarters shooting
· Clearing an area (basic techniques)
· Choke point navigation (“slicing the pieâ€)
· Fire Discipline (crowded areas)
· On cover/off cover shooting
· Movement techniques (direct-to-threat and search speed)
· Identification to Law Enforcement
· Crowd navigation/bypassing wounded
Day Two
Day two will be almost exclusively spent on force-on-force scenarios. Each student should expect to go through a minimum of three scenarios and will be afforded the opportunity to go through more, time permitting. Students should also expect to act as role players, and occasionally as the threat for other students progressing through their training scenarios. Day two will be physically demanding, all students should take special care to remain hydrated.
Introduction to the Simunitions FX System:
· Safety and safety equipment
· Training advantages to the SFX equipment
· Scenario commands
· Expectations of role players
· Live weapon conversion safety
Active Shooter Scenario Training:
· Scenario based confrontations with actual and possible active shooter events
· Shoot/don’t shoot judgment situations
· Course techniques and principles in action
Upon Successful completion of this course, students will receive a course certificate. Student demonstrating excellent understanding and execution of course skills can be awarded Superior Graduate.
Course Cost: $400.00 ($275.00 refresher for previous students space permitting)
Range Fee: $30.00
Mandatory Equipment: (if you do not have items on this list, you cannot train. Simunitions weapons, ammunition, helmet and throat protector will be provided.)
· Long sleeve shirt and pants
· Cover garment (button up shirt or jacket, only worn for scenario training).
· Hydration.
· Groin protection.
· Personal handgun No Ammunition, with holster, magazine pouch and three magazines.
· Gloves
Optional (recommended) gear:
· High protein snacks
· Pen and paper for notes
· Sunblock
· Hydration
· Change of clothes
Class size: 12
Prerequisites: None
Course Location: 4215 Thurman Road, Conley, GA 30288