County hosts active shooter talk

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Special Agent Eric Bailey brought information to Susquehanna County schools, government officials, churches and business owners on the resources the FBI has available in the events of an active shooter event, as well as best case scenarios on how the entities involved can work together.
Susquehanna County 911 and the Department of Public Safety hosted the two “active shooter” symposiums this month, with one held Friday, Dec. 9 at Blue Ridge High School in New Milford, and one the prior week at Mountain View.
Bailey, who now serves in the FBI’s Scranton field office, has experienced a school shooting incident firsthand at a remote school in California. There were no casualties in that incident, he told the audience and warned that this community was “not isolated from this type of incident.”
The agent said the FBI would help authorities facilitate communication. “That is critically essential in these situations,” he said.
He also spoke about the “Run, Hide, Fight” protocol in the event of an incident.
Bailey said everyone should be aware of the environment and possible dangers and always note two possible exits. If in an office, stay there and secure the door, he advised; and if in a hallway, hide in a room. Fighting is a last resort, Bailey said.
As the county roles out its use of Smart 911 for residents in the coming weeks, 911 Director Art Donato also noted that school districts will be able to utilize the “Panic button” feature. The downloadable app will allow schools and other facilities to upload floor plans that would help in emergency response.
In addition to reporting an active shooter, the Panic button could be used for medical emergencies, fire, or just to notify staff for non-emergency incidents.
Smart 911, a product of Rave Mobile Safety, will allow county residents to upload information that would better help emergency responders, such as medical conditions.
The information is only made available when the phone number it is linked to calls 911, Donato said.