Bay Pines VA police conduct active threat training

To strengthen our readiness, Bay Pines VA’s Police Service is hosting virtual active threat training sessions for all employees. The hour-long sessions provide staff with the tools they need to appropriately respond to an active threat.

“Most people immediately associate an active threat with a gun, but that’s not always the case,” said Bay Pines VA’s police service training coordinator Lt. Dennis Shelters (pictured above). “VA expands on that definition to ensure staff are aware that an active threat can also involve a knife, an improvised explosive device or any other weapon that’s used for the purpose of causing harm on a wide scale.”

Staff who attend the training session are educated about the processes they should follow when faced with an active threat.

Shelters continued, “There are three things that a staff member can do in the event of an active threat emergency: Evacuate, evade or engage. Regardless of which tactic they choose, it’s imperative for the person to fully commit to that route.”

According to Shelters, the evacuate, evade or engage module should be adhered to in that order, whenever possible.

“We have one mission. Eliminate the threat.”

“During training, staff are told that if they have a secure, clear path to safety, then they should evacuate. If they’re not sure, then the best option may be to evade, otherwise known as sheltering in place. Engaging should always be considered a last resort. If someone chooses to engage, it should only be if their life is in immediate danger,” Shelters said.

Because the circumstances surrounding an active threat will vary each time, Bay Pines VA police service provides detailed guidelines to staff that will help them assess the circumstances of their incident and determine the ideal recourse. Staff are provided with guidance for how they should interact with law enforcement once they arrive on scene.

“When Police Service responds to the incident, we have one mission, and that is to eliminate the threat. It’s difficult to communicate to people that when we’re running toward the crisis we’re not able to render aid to the injured in that moment,” Shelters continued.

Instead of attempting to stop police, Shelters recommends that staff share knowledge about the threat with first responders as they pass by.

“What really helps is if people tell us information about appearance, gender, number of assailants… really any details that can help us locate and neutralize the threat.”

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