Sachse residents looking to learn more about preparedness for a potential mass casualty situation will have the opportunity to attend a class using a curriculum developed by Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT).

Assistant Police Chief Steven Baxter said the class has previously been offered to the community. This year’s class will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Public Safety Building, located at 3815 Sachse Road.

The ALERRT curriculum focuses on a data-driven approach to educating individuals in the community, said Baxter, and the course is standardized regardless of which department is teaching it. 

The assistant chief said the class is regularly updated as different mass casualty events occur.

“They update all their stuff as things go on,” Baxter said. “Their material is based upon studying those events in a certain time frame to give the public what is expected of them and what they can expect.”

Baxter said movies and television do not give an accurate impression of how individuals respond in high pressure situations, which is something that the course focuses on. “When a gunshot goes off, everybody doesn’t run away,” he added.

He said two components are understanding how the body responds in the situations and how law enforcement will respond to these types of events. 

“It’s good for them to understand what response law enforcement will have to these events and things they can do,” Baxter said. “It’s not just shooters; it can be any kind of attack.”

For the full story, see the Aug. 18 issue of The Sachse News.