Active Shooter Training | Video

Retha Colclasure | 1/17/2013

Violence is becoming more common in places where it once used to be non-existent. As shootings in malls and schools continue to dominate headlines, many are looking at their own workplaces and wondering what they would do if something bad happened there.

Shootings like what happened at a Connecticut elementary school are tragic, shocking and attention-grabbing. But they`re also fairly rare, compared to the most common kinds of violence.

"People will do violent things for a number of reasons. They don`t need to be a terrorist, they don`t need to be a troubled child who wants to go out and act out a video game. It may be a violent ex-boyfriend; it may be a disgruntled ex-employee. No matter where you go these days, you could find yourself in a situation where a very bad person wants to do very bad things," said attendee Clint Fleckenstein.

More than 150 people came to learn about risks and responses to violent situations, including what to do if someone comes in and starts shooting. That`s important information for people who work in very public areas, like the state capitol.

"We like it to be open because we like people to be there. For any agency in the state capitol, we have to be aware of our surroundings and understand what efforts we also need to be safe," said DPI Director of School Health Valerie Fischer.

Stefan Salmonson has been providing training like this for about 30 years. He asked that his face not be shown, because of the sensitive nature of some of his work.

But those who came to the training appreciate what he had to say. "Whether you`re talking church, business, anything like that, there are a lot of violent people out there, and they`ll do whatever, when they snap, they`ll do whatever they feel is necessary to strike out at people," Fleckenstein said.

Salmonson says it`s good to see people being proactive about coming to this kind of training rather than waiting until after something bad happens in their own environment.

The North Dakota Safety Council is planning to host a similar training in Minot in March.
More information about it is available on their website at www.ndsc.org.

COMMENT ON THIS STORY

BACK TO NEWS | BACK TO BISMARCK STORIES