On Sept. 4, 2024, there was a school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, where four people were killed, leading to more fear and worry for students, parents, faculty and staff at schools across the United States.
Two students, 14 years of age, and two teachers were killed. Eight more students and one teacher were injured during this event.
Colt Grey, the 14-year-old identified shooter, has been taken into custody and tried as an adult. Before this shooting, there had been anonymous tips to multiple schools in the area that morning. Grey’s mother had also called the school, telling them to try to find her son because she thought he was unstable.
More than half of teens in the United States are afraid of a possible school shooting happening at their own schools. It is imperative that students, faculty and staff are aware of what to do in these situations.
Over the summer, the campus police at Utah Tech University did a training on what to do in scenarios where there is a campus shooting. Officers from Utah Tech University, Southern Utah University and Hurricane High School attended this training.
Juan Fulgencio-Milan, a campus police sergeant, said the training was made up of lectures where they talked through scenarios that could happen and officers’ mentality was examined. There was also a realistic training scenario where officers practiced protocol if there were to ever be a shooting on campus.
For the officers to be able to keep calm, assess the situation and act accordingly, they attend these trainings with the goal of being in the right mindset to be able to handle high-stress situations like a shooting.
Wes LiCalzi, chief of university police, said: “During high-stress situations, our bodies enter a fight-or-flight response, triggering a survival mode that can lead to tunnel vision and other physiological changes. As with any craft or discipline, the more we train, the better prepared we become. While we hope never to use this training, the objective is to train as if an incident could happen today and to be ready for it.”
With the knowledge that a shooting or an emergency like this could potentially happen, officers want students to know the best ways to handle these situations.
Brent Stanworth, a fire and life safety officer, said, “[Shootings] can happen anywhere so it’s important to be prepared.”
There is a training called “Run. Hide. Fight.” that is a case by case scenario where a person would assess the situation they are in and act accordingly.
The steps consist of:
- If able, leave the situation safely.
- Contact the police as soon as possible and give as much detailed information that is known.
- If the situation does not allow an escape, hide. Turn any phones on silent and build a barricade around the area.
- Call the police again and give information on the secure location and anymore needed information.
- If the situation does not allow for the first few steps, devising a plan to fight back to protect yourself and others may be key.
Fulgencio-Milan said: “As absurd as it may sound, I think one of the most important things that students should remember is to stay calm. Remember the phrase run, hide, fight.”
As serious and scary as shootings are, they have the chance of happening anywhere and anytime, just like the shooting in Georgia.
“I would like to assure our community that we have a great group of officers who take these situations and the associated training seriously,” LiCalzi said. “We have a great atmosphere of policing in our county, and it gives me peace of mind knowing that if an event were to happen anywhere in this county, officers from all over would travel to assist.”
