UHPD is offering workshops to educate people how to respond to an active shooter scenario. | File photo
UHPD has partnered with a student organization to host workshops to educate students what to do in an active shooter situation.
The Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events program is led by UHPD. They hold bi-monthly workshops to address shooting scenarios.
“A lot of people say, ‘I don’t want to be paranoid all the time,’ ” said UHPD Sgt. Dina Padovan. “But it’s not, it’s a state of awareness, of what is going on.”
Stop the Bleed, the student organization that partners with UHPD at these monthly workshops, focuses on educating students on how to potentially save the lives of their peers if it were ever to be needed.
“We want people to know that anyone can make a difference,” said Vice President for Stop the Bleed Sahar Baig. “You probably have something in your backpack right now that could be used to save someone from bleeding out in an emergency.”
In September, a workshop was canceled due to the Democratic debate at Texas Southern University. Although there was no official workshop, many students still wandered into the KIVA auditorium at Farish Hall not knowing the event was canceled and addressed their concerns.
“I don’t know what I’d do especially in such a large classroom,” said education student Michelle Chang.
Chang is not alone when it comes to her uncertainty in a shooter situation. To address these concerns, UHPD pushes students to always be aware of their surroundings even if it may seem unnecessary.
“I think it’s important for everyone to know this information, especially for future teachers,” Chang said. “Too much is done after the fact, there needs to be more focus on prevention.”
UHPD shares a similar mindset to Chang.
“You have to script and practice. We know what to do if we ever catch on fire: stop, drop and roll,” Padovan said. “So, in the event of a shooter, we try to instill avoid, deny and defend.”
Athletes emphasize repetition when practicing their sport. The reason for it is so when they enter a pressure-packed situation, their muscle memory will take over. UHPD wishes to establish the same philosophy during these workshops.
“Avoid running towards the commotion, deny access to the area where you are at, and defend at all cost,” Padovan said. “There are no rules for your survival.”
The next CRASE workshop is scheduled for Nov. 13. UHPD and Stop the Bleed share a common objective in holding these workshops.
“Our goal, above all, is to reach as many people as possible,” Baig said. “Our main message is that anyone can take action to save a life.”
