Littleton shooting highlights need for pre-trauma training for first responders
Description
School shootings like the one in Littleton happen so often in Colorado that kids are now well-trained about how to respond. They know not only how to barricade a room and self-evacuate, but also that someone needs to take the shooter down.
Our brave kids are taking such action themselves, risking their own lives to save their fellow students. I’ve heard from several kids that such training has desensitized them to the idea of being in a shooting and many even expect that at some point they’ll experience such a situation. While it’s good to be ready to face such a scenario, as a trained psychotherapist who treats first responders suffering from trauma, I know that no one can be totally ready for the reality of a shooting. Even first responders with extensive active shooter training are often not adequately prepared emotionally to respond to such horrific scenes. [Excerpt]
Our brave kids are taking such action themselves, risking their own lives to save their fellow students. I’ve heard from several kids that such training has desensitized them to the idea of being in a shooting and many even expect that at some point they’ll experience such a situation. While it’s good to be ready to face such a scenario, as a trained psychotherapist who treats first responders suffering from trauma, I know that no one can be totally ready for the reality of a shooting. Even first responders with extensive active shooter training are often not adequately prepared emotionally to respond to such horrific scenes. [Excerpt]
Format
Other
Language
English
Original Work Citation
Shuman, Y. (2019, May 10). Littleton shooting highlights need for pre-trauma training for first responders. In Public Safety, Retrieved from https://inpublicsafety.com/2019/05/littleton-shooting-highlights-need-for-pre-trauma-training-for-first-responders/ on 5/11/2019
Citation
“Littleton shooting highlights need for pre-trauma training for first responders,” Francine Shapiro Library, accessed May 7, 2024, https://francineshapirolibrary.omeka.net/items/show/25945.