In response to the recent tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, the UConn Health Center Police Department has been holding active threat training sessions in Keller Auditorium.

Facilitated by Lt. Chris Casa and Officer Tom Ryba of the UConn Police Department, the sessions aim to help employees recognize the potential for violence and teach them realistic strategies to survive an active shooter incident.

The program, developed by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, includes a 20 minute instructional video designed to empower potential victims in a university or workplace environment.

“You need to have a survival mindset – be mindful, not fearful,” says Casa. “Workplace shootings are over in a matter of minutes, usually before police arrive on the scene.”

The training focuses on three main areas – how to get out, hide out, and take out.

“A trained person experiences less stress in these situations,” says Ryba. “They can focus on strategies of escape and survival while others will panic and fall into surreal disbelief.”

The final session will be offered on:

When: Thursday, January 31, noon to 2 p.m.

Where: Keller Auditorium, UConn Health Center, Farmington

If you can’t attend, you can view a video of one of the sessions:

http://mediasite.uchc.edu/mediasite41/Play/06756b5a748d456b8c96fdda717675681d

For more information on staying safe in the workplace and resolving conflict, visit Know Better Place.

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