'We have to be prepared': FSPS reviews active shooter training prior to start of classes

Paige Eichkorn, Fort Smith Times Record
·2 min read

Fort Smith Public Schools Police Department and the Fort Smith Police Department will team up for an active shooter scenario training taught by instructors from Texas Saturday, Aug. 6 and Sunday, Aug. 7 at Woods Elementary.

Fort Smith Public Schools Police Chief Bill Hollenbeck said the training is data-driven and taught nationwide to officers and first responders.

Texas State University has set the standard for police officer active shooter training through their Advanced Law-Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) classes.

The research team at the university provides up-to-date active attack data regarding events, shooters, weaponry, and the resolution of active shooter events.

For subscribers: Fort Smith police prepare for school shooters after recommendation for more school security

Previously: Fort Smith Public School police officers attend school safety summit

Hollenbeck said classroom sessions and force-on-force training will take place.

Police officers work with various trainers to help them prepare if an active shooter is at a local school. The Fort Smith Police department will be working with various traineres and agencies at a Fort Smith school to help the department be better prepared in case of such event.
Police officers work with various trainers to help them prepare if an active shooter is at a local school. The Fort Smith Police department will be working with various traineres and agencies at a Fort Smith school to help the department be better prepared in case of such event.

"We'll be using simunition, which is a force-on-force training platform that officers will be responding to people actually shooting paintball-type ammunition during this training," he said. "We'll be engaging people who will be shooting at us and the stress level will be heightened to give the officers the opportunity to train in the most realistic environment possible."

Hollenbeck said the Fort Smith Public School Police Department has active shooter training every year. He said they use a three-pronged approach of making their officers available to students, responsive to active shooter threats, and trauma-trained for physical injuries.

The department also has a social worker through the Fort Smith Police Department who conducts behavioral analyses. Hollenbeck said this officer is able to identify students who may need help.

Officers of Fort Smith Public Schools Police Department stand outside the district's service center.
Officers of Fort Smith Public Schools Police Department stand outside the district's service center.

"The chances of this happening is very slim, but it's already happened in 300 other locations so we have to be prepared," he said. "We take our oath at protecting students and staff in the public serious. We want to make sure that we have the best training possible in order to keep our school community safe."

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: FSPS reviews active shooter training before 2022-23 school year