‘It’s good to have a plan’: Yuba City Police Department conducts local active shooter training

Yuba City Police Department officer Scott Rounds said being proactive in the event of a mass shooting can be the difference between life and death for someone.

Rounds said situational awareness is key for any family or individual at a public event, whether that's school, a concert or any public setting where there are a lot of people present together.

On Saturday, the department provided both classroom and hands-on training at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Yuba City for individuals in case they are caught in an active shooting event.

Mass shootings have become a regular occurrence in the United States in recent years. The Gun Violence Archive defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 275 mass shootings in the United States this year. In 2021, 706 died from mass shooting events. In 2021, more Americans died of gun-related injuries than in any other year on record, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pew Research Center noted that gun deaths among children and teens rose 50% in two years, from 1,732 in 2019 to 2,590 in 2021.

Rounds said it's important people have a plan when they go out and attend events in public places.

Rounds wanted those involved with Saturday's training to be ingrained with knowledge that "when this happens, we are going to do this."

"It's good to have a plan," he said.

Rounds said statistically speaking there are three scenarios that can be put into action during a mass shooting event.

It's called run, hide, fight, Rounds said, and it has been proven through research to at least mitigate the amount of casualties coming as a result of an active shooter.

Rounds and the Yuba City Police Department put into place run, hide, fight scenarios with simulated events, where an individual fired foam balls with a nerf gun at a group of people.

The first scenario was to do nothing, or as Rounds noted, "hide under a desk and hope nothing happens."

Rounds said it's a situation that can potentially result in the most amount of casualties and injuries, referencing the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 where individuals hid under desks as the suspect came in and took out almost 90% of a classroom.

In the simulation, Rounds said the shooter took out nearly the whole room in the span of about 15 seconds.

The next three simulations detailed the run, hide, fight model. Running would be to find a way to escape anyway possible. Hide, Rounds said, is to barricade oneself until law enforcement can arrive and subdue the threat.

Rounds said on-average response times from law enforcement can range from 5 minutes to over 10 minutes depending on the agency and how far away the police are at the moment the shooting takes place.

Running or sheltering in place, which Rounds referenced as self-rescue, can be viable options to protect yourself against a shooter or shooters.

Then there is the fight option, which was simulated again with nerf guns and foam balls. As the shooter broke through, the group pelted the person with foam balls.

If individuals choose to fight back, Rounds said it can cause the shooter to retreat, duck and flinch.

"To do nothing is going to be fatal," said Craig Hendy, a member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and participant in the simulation scenarios. "It was interesting to see the options that you have."

Hendy, who has never before participated in an active shooter training or was caught up in a mass shooting, said the Yuba City Police Department training can be potentially life-saving.

"Hopefully you are never in that situation, but if you were, it gives you a little experience or the knowledge that you have options," Hendy said.

Tamara Sheen, a local school teacher who was also present at the training, said it is important to put the principles into weekly practice sessions with family, so when something happens individuals can be prepared.

"You need to keep thinking about it, working on it in your own life to have that mindset of when something happens I am capable of helping out," Sheen said.

Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High around 80F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

A few clouds. Low 57F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Updated: June 6, 2023 @ 11:20 am

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