Atlantic Beach police offer free active shooter training to public

Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Event scheduled for Saturday

File photo

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – The Atlantic Beach Police Department is hosting an active shooter class open to the public Saturday in response to recent mass shootings.

The Civilian Response to an Active Shooter Event training, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at 751 Atlantic Blvd.

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After recent mass shootings, including the November mass shooting that killed 26 at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, and the Las Vegas mass shooting in October that killed 58 concertgoers, the police department said it wanted to provide strategies that can be used to prepare and respond to an active shooter event or other life-threatening incident. 

The Atlantic Beach Police Department said research shows that many of the mass shootings, or active shooter events, are over before law enforcement responders arrive on scene, so it’s important for civilians to be prepared. 

The average response time for police response to an active shooter event is three minutes. Without effective, preplanned response options for civilians at the scene of an attack, many victims can be seriously injured or killed during these three minutes, police said.

Participants will be presented with several steps to take to help law enforcement response and to limit the number of potential victims.