Preparing faculty and staff to think in a survival mindset, the MSU police presented a pilot training program for active shooter and hostage situations Wednesday in the Main Library.
The two-hour training session was meant to educate the student body to think and not panic in emergency encounters, such as hearing gunshots in an academic building or residence hall, MSU police Officer and training coordinator Jerry Roudebush said.
“I think in light of Columbine and Virginia Tech and some of the other workplace and school violence situations, it’s important to give faculty and students the tools to protect themselves if it ever does happen (at MSU),” he said.
The training program has undergone changes in the past three years and the MSU police plans to begin training the student body as early as the upcoming fall semester after gathering feedback from Residence Life, the Office of Academic and Cultural Transitions and Night Receptionist staff.
Faculty and staff members, such as Tom Volkening, a librarian in the Engineering Library, learned simple survival tactics such as gender and size do not matter as much as strength in numbers when protecting oneself from an active shooter.
“It sounded like something I should know,” he said. “I (now) know how to react — I will have thought about what I might do.”
Although the training program is not yet ready to be taught to the entire student body, some students, such as Lisa Thompson, a communication senior, plan to take part in it.
“I have no idea what I would do in that situation unless someone was to let me know about it,” she said. “I think it’s just good to get people aware of what could happen so that if it does happen, you know what to do.”
With systems such as the emergency green light phones, reverse 911 texts and emergency police assistance already in place, students still can protect themselves by paying attention to their instincts, Roudebush said.
“Always trust your gut, you’re bound to be safer than sorry,” he said. “If something is out of place, call the police and let us swing by and help in any way we can.”
The training program also sets forth realistic responsibilities in a situation, such as building up courage if an emergency situation arises, Roudebush said.
“You have to take care of yourself,” he said. “Hopefully, if everyone thinks about themselves and moves out of the building, helping others as they go, more people will survive.”
_To learn what to do in an active shooter situation, visit police.msu.edu and click on the “Man-made Hazards” link. _
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