SOUTH DEERFIELD — In the first of a planned series of community preparedness conversations, residents joined local police officers to talk about safety options for an active shooter situation.
Deerfield Police Sgt. Brian Ravish, a school resource officer, and Sunderland Police Chief Erik Demetropoulos emphasized the importance of awareness when out in public and what people should do if they are ever caught in a tragic situation.
“I’m not saying be scared of large groups; be cognizant of where you are,” Ravish told those gathered at the South County Senior Center on Wednesday. “Keep your eyes open, keep your ears open. … If you see something, say something.”
With shootings and gun violence continuing to rise across the country since the pandemic began in 2020, Ravish said “unfortunately, we live in a world now” where these events happen often. According to the New York Times, the U.S. has had at least 531 mass shootings (considered to be cases in which four or more people are killed or injured) in 2022, including the two worst shootings of the year at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, New York that occurred within 10 days of each other.
Demetropoulos said there are “many different options” to take in a dangerous situation, and that it all comes down to awareness.
“We want you to know there are different options,” Demetropoulos said. “Ninety percent of self-defense is awareness.”
Awareness is also why South County Senior Center Director Jennifer Remillard, who had active shooter training in her previous career with the National Guard, organized these series of community preparedness conversations.
“With the increase in mass shootings, it’s important to prepare our seniors because this training can hopefully be utilized regardless of where they are,” Remillard said in a phone interview before Wednesday’s event, noting that horrific events can happen even in smaller towns and cities. “Look at how small Uvalde is. … Why not be prepared and hopefully never have to use it?”
The most important tactic, which goes for fire safety, too, is to identify exits of buildings when entering. If exits aren’t easily available, Ravish suggested that people figure out places to hide and hold out in the case of an emergency. If hiding, turn lights off, silence your cellphone and either stand, kneel or crouch so you can move quickly if needed.
“If it’s safe, can we exit? Absolutely. If it’s not safe, then we’re thinking of a place we get to be out of sight, out of mind,” Ravish said, explaining that the most important attributes are “cover and concealment.” This is because time is limited in a shooting situation, with large police responses typically coming in five minutes or less. If someone can’t easily access a room, “they’re going to move on and try and find an open door.”
While fleeing is always the safest option, sometimes it is not possible.
“If you can get out, please do so,” Ravish said, adding that if you are trapped in a room with a threat, seek out any possible “missile,” or object, to use against an attacker. “Pick up your coffee, throw your coffee, don’t sit here and become a victim,” he said.
Ravish again emphasized the importance of being aware of surroundings, including noise. Gunshots, he noted, can sound like firecrackers in large buildings.
“If it sounds like firecrackers, it’s not firecrackers,” if you’re in a grocery store or other similar location, Ravish said. “See something, say something. Hear something, say something.”
Next month, the Senior Center will host the next conversation in the series, which will focus on safety during snowstorms, particularly if you get stuck while driving.
“You may have a AAA card, but it may take them three hours to get to you,” Remillard noted. “It’s always better to be prepared because you never know what’s going to happen.”