The Best Practices Overview is our opportunity to find out what reports, plans, and other documents you already have in place.

We look for the controls and processes that function to mitigate vulnerabilities in your organization and identify those that may be missing. This data-dive provides us with a basis of understanding that will determine the steps and process to be taken for a future Vulnerability Assessment. Conducting a Snapshot Overview is the first step an organization should take when developing a Safety or Emergency Operational Plan, and periodically as a maintenance practice to keep the plans up to date with changes to your organization.

The Snapshot Overview:

• Identifies existing risk management strategies and policies

• Provides a roadmap to identify individual vulnerabilities

• Develops a matrix of your options and assesses them against your priorities

• Indicates the appropriate approach and plan for your facility

• Identifies how your resources (physical and procedural) are allocated

• Provides you a detailed time and expense estimate for a full Vulnerability Assessment

The findings from the Snapshot Overview will lay the groundwork to conduct a thorough, and comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment of your organization’s ability to navigate danger.

Unfortunately, most if not all of us know that an Active Shooter is defined as a person involved in killing, or trying to kill, others in an area where people are confined, usually a highly populated area. What makes it even more scary is the fact that most active shooter events are done within 300 seconds. This means that you need to know what to do to stay alive during those 300 seconds, before law enforcement is able to respond.

Several programs are available to empower schools to respond during an Active Shooter, or otherwise Targeted Violence event. Such programs are endorsed by US Secret Service (USSS), US Department of Education (DOE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Two of those methods/concepts of response are covered in this training session. They are as follows:

Run-Hide-Fight

One school of thought that could prevent you from falling victim to a person intending to hurt you and others, is choosing to Run, Hide or Fight, depending on the choice you have in the moment. What do you think you’re instinct would be if faced with such a predicament? Our training will help you to prepare for different options, which are dependent and specific to a given situation. In order to minimize the exposure to danger, it is generally recommended that you avoid as much as exposure as possible by following the order recommended below:

Run – If possible, find a way to escape the danger by removing yourself from proximity to the danger.

Hide – If you can’t escape the danger, find a safe place to take cover where the perpetrator won’t easily see you.

Fight – If the first two options are not feasible, and you are directly confronted by the dangerous person you will want to be mentally prepared to subdue the shooter in some way.

A.L.I.C.E.

The Soteria Group will educate your team on the 5 concepts of ALICE, which are:

Alert – let as many people as possible know that a threat exists

Lockdown – take shelter where you are and get ready to counter or evacuate if need be

Inform – continue providing information regarding the shooter(s)

Counter – distract or otherwise make it difficult for the shooter to aim his weapon

Evacuate – Relocate away from the danger zone

We will teach your team the ALICE principles by providing training and exercises that address multiple active shooter type scenarios. We will coach you on practical options to survive an emergency, if and when a life-threatening situation exists. For example, training will include instruction on techniques for barricading a room, simple communication do’s and dont’s, along with best practices and strategies. The mental mindset should always be survival!

The goal of our Active Shooter Response Training is to minimize, or ideally eliminate any harm or killing. Studies show that in most events the shooter dictates how the intended victims respond. We will help you prepare to take the power back & impact the way an event plays out, reducing the possibility that you will become a victim.

Training and mental preparation for an Active Shooter event requires planning. The goal is that you have a simple and understandable plan. The less complex the plan the more likely it is that the plan will be remembered and utilized. There’s no point in creating a plan that just sits on a shelf, benefiting no one. Keep it Simple.

Without a doubt, having a plan, training and preparing for crises will greatly enhance your survival and sustainability. Our Training brings 46 years of combined law enforcement experience in multiple disciplines, and puts it at your fingertips. We are here to help.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) is intended and designed as a resource tool for managers and staff. Its purpose is to help manage emergency situations related to students, staff, buildings and the surrounding community.

The building of an EOP should begin with an assessment to identify the vulnerabilities of a facility or campus. This process involves looking at the physical plant, document review, surveys/interviews as well as the familiarity with the customs and culture of the organization. The purpose of the plan is to centralize the policies, procedures, perform training and obtain equipment necessary to manage an emergency. The plan should also identify the people assigned specific duties and responsibilities. Such duties requiring action before, during and after an event in accordance with the four phases of emergency management, which are:

• Prevention and Mitigation
• Preparedness and Planning
• Response
• Recovery

It is important that the plan be consistent throughout a school district or organization. Individual locations or schools should not attempt to change their plan in isolation. It is important that prevailing community partners, such as first responders, be included in the planning/training process, since they will be responding to events at the various locations or schools throughout the community. Failing to include such community partners could result in miscommunication and the confusion of plans which would defeat the purpose altogether. Someone with a high level of responsibility (e.g. District Superintendent) should be the one driving the change of plan, so that changes are made consistently throughout the organization or school district.

We will discuss the joining of these phases with the schools training, code of conduct and how the plan should function as a template for meeting federal, state and local laws governing safety and security of schools. Also considered will be the mandates such as the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that address all levels of response to include local school, district and multi districts. Also covered will be the important aspect that this invaluable plan be designed as a living document, updated regularly as new information is gathered and reviewed no less than every other year.

This comprehensive training session will aid the participant in creating an EOP that takes into account all aspects of emergency management, such as:

• The Four Phases of Emergency Management
• Forming a Crisis Management Team (CMT)
• National Incident Management System/Incident Command System responsibilities
• Student/Staff Code of Conduct
• Site and environmental design
• Notification/action steps (e.g. Lockdown)

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

There’s no denying that at some point in time every organization will have to face a crisis of some sort. The single best way to prepare for such an event, regardless of the specifics, is to have a team trained and ready to address the crisis. A Crisis Management Team (CMT) is the primary group assembled to manage an emergency or critical incident. The goal of forming this team is to have pre-selected individual’s assigned specific responsibilities for managing a crisis or critical incident. The selected CMT members should come from within the organization or school community. They should receive specific emergency management training through the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS). When forming the CMT, people in the organization with special skills and abilities should be selected. For example, a bilingual person would be a great fit to handle communication responsibilities.

The size of each incident will play a role in determining how the CMT functions. Our training session covers specific duty assignments which include:

• Operations (tactics)
• Planning (documentation)
• Logistics (supplies)
• Finance (purchasing)
• Public Information (PIO)
• Notification (public address)
• Accountability (attendance)
• Medical (first aid)

Also covered in this training session is the complexity that is added by a formal activation of an Incident Command System (ICS). In such a case, CMT members will need to assume ICS role(s). Therefore, all CMT members should have a backup person trained and prepared to assume the duties of the CMT. Such positions may include: the principal, nurse, custodian teacher or counselor, human resources, etc. CMT members will also need to be cross-trained in multiple roles so that they can fill in for one another if absent or otherwise incapacitated.

The curriculum for this introductory CMT formation and training class will focus on:

• Identifying the most qualified individual to manage a specific piece of the critical incident response
• Training necessary for fulfilling the roles and responsibilities of the position
• How the Team members will co-mingle within the tiered (local/unified) levels of response.

Our Training brings 46 years of combined law enforcement experience in multiple disciplines, and puts it at your fingertips. We are here to help.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

There are different types of Emergencies. Fires, floods and tornados would of course be considered natural. An active shooter is a man-made emergency. Unfortunately, these kinds of emergencies are common across the spectrum and likely noticeable to everyone. Other emergencies such as structure decay or failure and atmospheric or ground water contamination are not as apparent but can still cause great harm. We cannot emphasize enough how vital it is that those responsible for your organization (e.g. school administrators, hospital administrators, business owners, etc.) develop and maintain Emergency Operation Plans (EOP) to address as many specific hazards as possible. Although your EOP may not identify all possible hazards, this training session will help you identify those that are most likely to occur in your facility and on your campus.

There are four phases of Emergency Management as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA). Since each hazard has its own unique characteristics and means for response, this training session will cover how each phase should be approached. The phases are as follows:

• Mitigation/Prevention
• Preparedness/Planning
• Response
• Recovery

It is important to acknowledge that the care and management of a critical incident or hazard is only possible if planning and preparation begin long before the specific event occurs or is identified. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to respond properly, thus minimizing impact.

The first two phases of the management process encompass doing all that can be done, within reason, to reduce or eliminate the risks through planning and training. Taking steps to secure and protect your facility utilizing target hardening techniques and preparing for lockdowns will greatly reduce the potential loss of life and limit damage to the organization. The final phase of recovery will be easier when the first three phases of emergency management are implemented early on and ongoing throughout the progression of the event(s).

This training session will provide you with an understanding and clear vision for implementation of the phases, helping you to integrate them into any level of emergency management and provide for a working knowledge on transitioning from one phase to the next.

Our Training brings 46 years of combined law enforcement experience in multiple disciplines, and puts it at your fingertips. We are here to help.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

Most incidents that occur across our nation’s schools are events that can be, and are, handled at the local school level. Such events are minor disturbances and simple trespassing. From time to time these minor events can trigger the implementation of an action step such as Shelter in Place, or even a Lockdown. If an organization has a Crisis Management Team in place, NIMS protocols or ICS can be a useful approach along with a selected set of managing principles such as the five management functions of crisis response. The ICS, when in use, provides for a managed response to an emergency situation or uncommon event, which if addressed in a proactive manner can prevent a situation from escalating into a crisis event.

There are however, other instances when a coordinated response with outside agencies or organizations is necessary. These emergencies or critical incidents, natural or man-made can quickly deplete local resources, including personnel. NIMS was established for the purpose of unified responses commanded by a higher administrator (e.g. school superintendent) in coordination with law enforcement. NIMS is the essential foundation for the National Preparedness System (NPS).

This informative session will address the need for training at the local level as well as for multiple organizations working together in response to a critical incident. Also covered is the importance that each entity involved knows what the other group is doing, so that efforts are not duplicated or even worse, overlooked completely.

The curriculum for this training session will focus on:

• NIMS/ICS – What it is
• How it is implemented
• The five management functions
• Assessing magnitude of an event
• How to return to a state of normalcy once the incident has come to an end

Our Training brings 46 years of combined law enforcement experience in multiple disciplines, and puts it at your fingertips. We are here to help.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

You may be thinking, what exactly is Target Hardening? Technically it is defined as proactive measures taken to secure and/or protect a facility, in an effort to deter or delay an attack. Basically, the more difficult it is for a perpetrator to breach a facility, the more likely it is that he/she will give up, thus mitigating or preventing an incident. Even better, the more obvious it is that a facility is difficult to breach, the less likely it is that an attempt will be made.

There are many low cost things that can be done to improve the security of your facility. This training course will help you to understand the principles of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), which are as follows:

• Natural Surveillance
• Natural Access Control
• Territorial Reinforcement
• Maintenance

This set of internationally recognized principles minimizes the opportunity for crime by effective use of design. The Soteria Group’s trainers are CPTED certified practitioners, and will cover the many simple and inexpensive measures that can be taken to increase the safety of a facility by taking into account the way a space is designed or laid out. For instance, if your organization is already planting trees and shrubbery, how do you utilize such items to also increase visibility and control access to the facility? If trees and shrubbery are already in place, are they maintained so that visibility from within the building is not compromised (e.g. site lines to parking lot)?

Soteria Group looks beyond defining a physical space, taking into account how the physical surroundings influence human behavior in the way people interact, function and feel.

Our Training brings 46 years of combined law enforcement experience in multiple disciplines, and puts it at your fingertips. We are here to help.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.

Bullying is defined as the unwanted, aggressive, repetitive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Bullying involves three or more people – the bully, the person being bullied and the observer(s). The fact that someone witnesses you being intimidated or mistreated makes the act itself that much more impactful. The advent of social media and texting has had a significant role in extending the hours in the day that a child can be exposed to bullying as well as exponential increase of the audience. Addressing the issue of Bullying is not an option. The long term impact and repercussions cannot be ignored.

The training provided by Soteria Group will equip you with the knowledge necessary to develop an anti-bullying strategy and methodology for your school or district. Attendees will learn to:

• Identify the characteristics of the bully
• Identify the characteristics of the victim
• Understand the long term effects of bullying
• Develop and take appropriate steps to minimize or eliminate bullying

We will share the knowledge we have gained from our combined 46 years of experience in law enforcement to help you create safer and more supportive learning and teaching environments. You will walk away with the ability to recognize behavioral cues and warning signs, as well as develop interpersonal communication skills.

Who Should Attend?

Education

• Administration
• Teachers
• Security Staff
• Counselors
• School Nurses
• Office Personnel
• Cafeteria Staff
• Custodians
• Bus Drivers
• Students
• Parents

Healthcare

• All hospital staff and employees
• Contractor / subcontractors

Places of Worship

• Religious Leaders
• Volunteers
• Parishioners

Workplaces

• Small employers
• Large employers

Public Spaces

• Theaters
• Amphitheaters
• Casinos
• Malls

Length of Training & Cost
Lecture: 1-2 hours $500 – up to 50 people
Interactive: 1/2 – full day $1,500 – up to 50 people

Customization of Training: Depending on your needs, the training scope can be customized to your organization.