So, now that the unthinkable has happened again, what lessons can we take from it? Another tragic mass shooting event in our country has shaken our consciousness once again. Sadly, more innocent lives have been taken in what should be one of the safest and sacred places we know. On December 29, 2019, a man entered a church in Texas and began shooting innocent parishioners. But this time something different happened.  The church was prepared. Lessons from a previous Church mass shooting in which 26 worshipers were killed, and 20 more were wounded had caused them to react. They had a plan.  They had a security team in place. They were prepared.

Tragically, even though they were quite well prepared, two innocent people were killed by the shooter. The church had prepared an Emergency plan that included a trained security team attending all services. The killer was immediately noticed by security team members as he walked into the church wearing a long overcoat, an obviously fake beard, and wig. The killer took a seat in the back row of the church.

A member of the security team decided to sit near the killer to keep an eye on him. Another security team member also sat in the back row, just a few seats away. The church's A/V team even trained a camera on him to keep a closer eye on him. The level of situational awareness practiced by the security team was beyond excellent.

The shooter arose and pulled out a long gun and quickly shot two parishioners, including one of the security team members, both were killed. Immediately, the second security team member shot and killed the shooter with one shot. The entire event lasted only six seconds. In spite of the incredibly fast response to this event, two innocent lives were taken. Consider what the result could have been had this church not taken emergency preparedness seriously. No doubt lives were saved because they did exercise their emergency plan.

As we are forced to continually digest a steady diet of senseless violent attacks upon every aspect of our society, why would any organization or institution not choose to follow the fine example that this one small church so bravely has demonstrated for us all?  Here is a very simple formula for us all to learn, adopt and practice.

1. Take Emergency Preparedness seriously. Be willing to invest the time and resources that are required

2. Develop an Emergency Plan for all possible situations.  Write it down.  Learn it.  Practice It.

3. Learn how to use Situational Awareness techniques to help to prevent and mitigate any threat.

4. Seek assistance from experts in Emergency Preparedness to lead you through the process and train your  

Command Solutions is a St. Louis based emergency preparedness training and consulting company providing businesses, organizations and institutions with the guidance and training to enhance the safety and security of our community. Our consultants have a combined level of experience in emergency planning, response, and command of more than 90 years. Our experience also includes serving as training officers for a variety of professional emergency response agencies throughout the St. Louis metro area. We can assist in hazard and threat analysis, emergency incident response planning, mitigating known threats, training for Emergency and Crisis Management Teams, and designing and facilitating Emergency Drills and Exercises. Command Solutions can be reached at 314-803-7418, or kjspurlock@command-solutions.com.   Senior Command Solutions Instructor KJ Spurlock is seen working with child care providers from multiple area Child Care Facilities in a recent Emergency Preparedness Training Program.  Training topics included facility safety and security, situational awareness techniques, and incident response plans.  These ladies should be commended for their ongoing commitment to the safety and security of the children they care for on a daily basis.