In Yesterdays News: School Safety talk at Monty Tech Joseph Benavidez News Staff Writer #FITCHBURG — About 37 firefighters, police officers and EMTs from throughout the Worcester County met at the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School library late last week for a School Safety Seminar — including a demonstration of the Worcester County Mobile Command Center. “School safety is the safety of the students — empowering them to save their own lives,” Fitchburg Officer Leroy Jackson said. “We have to train the students and give them knowledge because we (police) won’t always be there.” Officer Jackson has worked as a school resource officer for six years and currently serves Monty Tech. He said the students can take this training and use it everywhere because traumatic events can happen anywhere. Sgt. Glenn Fossa with the Fitchburg Police Department said that Monty Tech has been active in protecting its student and has hosted conversations with the police department for nearl 10 years. He said he felt that the high school could serve as a model for other schools in the county. “The administrators are open to police recommendations,” he said. “They coordinate with formulating prevention, response planning and practical drill sequences.” Officials said School Safety has become more of a concern with an increase in school shootings over the past five years. Earlier this month, an Oregon student brought a gun to school, and killed one student before turning the weapon on himself. According to a timeline compiled by CNN, the country has seen 10 violent incidents — including shootings and stabbings — in the past five years. “Whenever you hear about something like the Sandy Hook (CT, shooting), there’s that general uneasiness,” Russell Holbert of Fitchburg said during the Class of 2014 student panel. The panel had five alumni, all recent graduates from the school answering various questions about school safety. “It does put a fear in you, but knowing this school is safe makes the students feel safe,” said James Landry of Gardner. “But I’ve never not felt safe here,” panelist Noah Meunier, of Athol, said. “There’s been substantial changes to the emergency plans and I think implementing ALICE was the best (choice).” ALICE, or Alert Lockdown Inform Counter Evacuate Training, is a new standard of training for lockdown procedures used in schools should there be the threat of an intruder. ALICE has been met with conflicting criticism, some say that it endangers students unnecessarily — since the program encourages students to attack the gunman. Other feel the program offers students more control in a dangerous situation. “ALICE gives the students a chance — it empowers them,” Marine 1st Sgt. Paul Jornet said during the seminar. “Admins always want to know where the 1,400 students are but we don’t want to have to pick them off the ground.” Monty Tech has completed ALICE training. Mr. Landry said that when his shop class went through a simulated attack, he felt safe. Conversely, Mr. Holbert said he froze during his simulated attack and needed a fellow freshman to defend him. Mr. Holbert said that if the class was not taught to act defensively he did not know if he would have “lived” through the practice drill. “Monty Tech hasn’t been reactive but proactive,” Mr. Holbert said. Westminster native and student panelist Olivia Frawley agreed. She said the high school has taken a number of measures to protect students including swipe pads, identification cards, front door check-ins, cameras on campus and effective communication skills. “(Monty Tech) is one of the most effective schools at keeping the students updated and safe,” she said. Both panelists Tom Miller, of Gardner, and Jacob Michaelson, of Winchendon, said they thought the cameras were not too much of an invasion of privacy, citing that most public places have cameras recording. The panelist said that cameras in schools were commonplace and that some privacy was sacrificed for additional security. “Camera are not something I would have chosen,” Ms. Frawley said. “But the pros outweigh the cons.” Worcester County Sheriff Detectives Dan Mehlhouse and Eric Scott brought the County Mobile Command Center to demonstrate the vehicle’s capabilities. According to Detective Mehlhouse, the van is an advanced dispatch on wheels. With cameras, the ability to tap into video feeds, infrared, smart boards and Internet, the vehicle aids in missing persons cases, barricades, large fires, prolonged events and large populace functions such as parades. Ashburnham Fire Chief Paul Zbikowski attended the seminar and said that he was glad to see many police and fire departments coming together for school safety. Westminster Fire Chief Kevin Nivala agreed, stating that having many different agencies available allowed him to develop a better understanding of the thought process that went into protecting the students. “It’s good to see students taking ownership in their own lives and safety,” Chief Zbikowski said. “By empowering students, they can make their own decisions.”
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 15:12:14 +0000
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