This class might save your life
When I heard Captain Jeff Kranz talk about training to survive an active shooter, I knew I wanted him to visit my classroom.
Captain Kranz is a veteran of 26 years with the Milwaukee Police Department, a former SWAT team trainer and a current member of Marquette University’s Police Department.
Last summer, Captain Kranz visited my department (Marquette’s Office of Marketing and Communication) to talk about what to do if an active shooter opens fire in a public space. He went over what police have learned in the years after Columbine, and shared how these situations are often survivable by using the basic Run Hide Fight response.
I thought Kranz could help provide a training opportunity for the future communicators in my media writing class. More than that, his expertise might even save a life.
Throughout Kranz’s presentation, he stressed the importance of having a simple plan to fall back on. When the brain is under extreme stress, it goes to what it knows, even if that’s not logical. That’s why people sometimes hide under tables from an active shooter. They’re reverting back to childhood.
It’s also true that communicators need a plan to practice for times of emergency — when we’re subject to the most stress. On my shelf, I have a red communication binder that contains what to do during…
