NORFOLK, Va. — Mass shootings have impacted communities across the country. Now, deputies with the Norfolk Sheriff's Office want to make sure residents know to protect themselves and others during an active shooter threat.
Twenty Norfolk residents will learn how to run, hide and fight during active shooting response training.
“This training for us actually provides a lot more awareness for the staff and our individuals that we serve throughout Eggleston," said Kyle Sloan, the manager of the Eggleston Brain Injury Services Program.
Sloan said he went to the training and many of his colleagues did too.
“It will prepare them to be more aware of the surroundings and what is taking place at the time that they are with our clients," said Sloan.
The training will be at the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Administration Building. Norfolk Sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Wright is providing the training.
Wright said the training will incorporate the Department of Homeland Security’s Active Shooter Training and the Run-Hide-Fight method.
“What they're going to do in here is that they're going to put as much as they can in front of the door to barricade it. The next thing they will be doing is going to be turning off the lights. They're going to be silencing their cell phones. What we want if there’s an active shooter in the building, we want them to come to pass on by," said Wright.
Sheriff Baron said he gets a lot of requests from people for this kind of training. He said he decided to start the class after a recent mass shooting.
“And then recently there was a, you know a mass shooting down in North Carolina in the news, and it basically tipped the scales and I said, 'You know, what this is something we can do. We have the talent here to teach it,'" said Sheriff Baron.
The active shooter response training is free and open to the public. Sheriff Baron said the next session is expected to happen in November.
Norfolk Sheriff’s Office officials said that this is a monthly training and if you are interested you can sign up online.