In light of all the recent press on school shootings and active shooters, I wanted to post a little AAR on a TDI course I took earlier this year. I also attended a one-day class with Fortress Defense Consultants on this topic, but I did not take notes nearly so well due to wet and rainy conditions. I will try to post an AAR of that training as well. Also, I don't have pictures like esrice. I'm not that good. :-) I have tried to include links to various instructor's individual web pages, a map of the facility location, and links to the TDI web page, and to the TDI course description for this training.
School: Tactical Defense Institute
Course: Active Killer/Shooter Training
Date: August 31, 2012 – September 2, 2012
Duration: 3 days
Location: Tactical Defense Institute 2174 Bethany Ridge, West Union, OH 45693
Instructors: John Benner, David Bowie, Greg Ellifritz, and other TDI Staff.
Summary
TDI hosts this course in a three-day format for open enrollment at their West Union facility. TDI also offers this course in a five-day format through the National Association of School Resource Officers to police departments around the country.
The course covers:
· The history and nature of various active shooter incidents
· Skill-based range drills related to movement, accuracy, and speed
· An explanation and practical application of the method TDI recommends for finding and engaging the shooter and how to act immediately afterwards
· An overview of terrorism and bomb awareness information
· A four hour introduction to combat trauma medical care
· Live fire shoot house drills
· Force-on-Force scenarios
Conclusion
Overall, I found the course to be very worthwhile. Significant amounts of research were put in to the lecture portions of the course. The course brings awareness level information on a wide variety of topics which are critical in responding to an active shooter. Many live, scenario-based sessions were used to practice the methods taught. The methods taught were traceable back to the lecture material and the reasoning for each technique was clear. There were a few details of range drills or scenarios which I didn’t like, but that is true of any class. Overall, I would recommend the TDI Active Shooter class to anyone seeking another perspective on training for this type
Details
Day One: Morning Session
The first day began in the classroom with a lecture titled “Who is the Active Shooter”. This lecture was given by John Benner, owner of TDI. John first discussed the history of active shooters both in the US and abroad dating back to 1764. Based on the study of various incidents and statistics, TDI has categorized active shooter incidents in to 4 categories: Level 1 is a single person with minimal planning; Level 2 is an individual or partners with some pre-planning; Levels 3A and 3B are categories of terrorist threats stratified by level of planning and number of participants (for 3B think Beslan). After defining the broad categories, John went over a number of statistics and examples from various incidents in an effort to identify methods and help us determine what tactics might be appropriate in response to active shooters. Some statistics I found interesting: 80% use a long gun, 90% will commit suicide on site, 7-8 people are shot every minute (on average), and almost 66% are solved by non-LEO intervention.
After introducing us to the nature of various active shooters, John went on to discuss some of the options for response. The lecture focused on mental preparation, being prepared to see and bypass victims, and an understanding that time is the most important factor. Whether you choose to hide, to run, or to seek and engage, decisiveness and aggressive action were emphasized. Should you choose to engage, TDI has some very interesting and valid thoughts on method of movement through structures for active shooters vs a slow building search, and for what to do during and immediately after engaging the shooter. These methods were discussed in the lecture and later practiced in shoot house and FoF scenarios.
Day One: Afternoon Session
After lunch the class congregated on the range for a few drills. The first drill performed was a 30 yard accuracy test on paper, cold. From 30 yards, we advanced in 5 yard increments down to 10 yards. This was to demonstrate each individual’s effective range without warm-up or practice. It appeared to be very eye-opening for some participants. After the accuracy exercise we did some moving and shooting drills on steel targets. TDI showed us their methods for moving through obstacles, working corners, and other considerations when shooting and moving through crowds.
Day Two: Morning Session
We were back in the classroom for two lectures before lunch. The first lecture was “Terrorism Awareness and Prevention”. This session outlined the difference between terrorist attacks and some of the other types of school shooters. A list of groups known to attack schools was provided and some of their methods discussed. Some suggestions for prevention and response were explained. They can be boiled down to paying attention to surroundings; keep abreast of local, national and world news; and develop and practice emergency plans. If you want the details, you’ll have to take the class.
The second lecture was “Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings: Awareness Level Course” presented by Greg Ellifritz. I found this part of the class to be one of the most interesting. Greg went through various explosives and what they might look like. He described components, basic workings, and a general doctrine of what to do if you suspect, or are sure, there is an explosive present. He also discussed some interesting statistics and “critical distances” for various types of explosives. Basically, that is how far away you have to run to avoid getting your arse blown off. The basic advice is pretty similar to the Eddie Eagle program. Stop, don’t touch, tell an adult. Or, Stop, Run like the dickens, Call a bomb squad,
Day Two: Afternoon Session
I didn’t take notes on this part, but I believe the afternoon session was on the range again. We kicked off with a “warm up” type range session. Of all aspects of the class, this was my least favorite. I could have done without the warm-up session at all. It almost seemed like they just wanted to squeeze in some shooting. That isn’t to say the shooting drills in this portion weren’t worthwhile. But they were less focused on active-shooter-specific tasks and skills and more just shooting.
After the warm-up period, we broke in to groups and went to different shoot houses. Two types of shoot house drills were run. The first was with inert pistols and the second was a live run on simulated paper targets. These sessions were well done. They were the first opportunity to bring the full set of recommendations from the lecture together. We worked the shoot house with an instructor in-tow. It was interesting to see the difference in suggested tactics and techniques when compared to the Partner Tactics course which I had also taken at TDI. They recommend some different strategies when dealing with an active shooter vs conducting a slow building search or clearing rooms.
Day Two: Evening Session
After the range session we broke for dinner then returned to the classroom for a great medical lecture by Greg Ellifritz. This four-hour lecture covered the injuries most likely found in an active shooter or terrorist bombing situation. Greg had an excellent set of slides depicting photos of various wounds and provided a verbal description and/or demonstration of how each might be addressed in a field-expedient manner. Airway, breathing, and evacuation considerations were also discussed. A number of different bandages and medical devices were demonstrated or passed around for familiarity. This was another excellent part of the course. Obviously you cannot learn to be a doctor, nurse, or EMT in a four hour training session. However, it certainly illustrated the need for further medical training and gave students a basic knowledge of what to do for critical wounds in the field.
Day 3:
The final training day was conducted entirely on the range, in shoot houses, and in the Force on Force house. I am a little fuzzy on the details because I neglected to take notes on day three. I will do the best I can. I believe at some point on day three we ran the accuracy test from day one. I cannot remember if it was morning or afternoon, so I’ll mention it here. Everyone’s performance was markedly improved after a couple days of shooting. Always remember, you are not likely to be as good cold or after a long break from shooting as you are right after a two or three day class.
Morning Session:
We started the morning working on some methods to move through crowds of people while protecting your weapon and not getting stifled by the crowd. TDI demonstrated a couple of methods which we practiced in groups. After practicing the techniques, we performed an interesting range drill which required moving through hanging sand bags to simulate a crowd, finding the correct target, drawing, and engaging the target. If I recall correctly, this was a timed drill.
For the next few drills we proceeded to the shoot houses and force on force houses. Each student was given an opportunity to move through the shoot house with live people moving and fleeing the shooter, find the shooter, and engage with an inert gun. This was a good drill because it allowed us to bring together all of the techniques taught to this point. Each student had the opportunity to play the active shooter, a victim/bystander, and the responding CCW holder/police officer. There were some specifics regarding the role players’ movement and actions which I felt was less-than-realistic. However, some of it was necessary to simulate a crowd using only a few people, or to compress the time and allow everyone an opportunity at the drill. We went through variations of this drill at a couple different locations, with different instructors and slightly different focuses.
Afternoon Session:
For the afternoon session we broke in to groups and rotated between a few stations.
Station one was an accuracy clinic with instructor David Bowie. David set everyone up on the line at close range and had us shoot the best group we could manage. It was close enough that it should have been a one-hole group for a proficient shooter. We moved progressively backwards until students started to show accuracy problems. After each string/distance, David would inspect each target and make observations from watching each student shoot, or from the results on paper. Each student was used as an example to demonstrate issues to the class. Not in a mean way, of course. Just as a learning tool. I found this portion of the class to be very worthwhile. I think everyone else on the line did as well. I have not taken the TDI entry-level pistol class. However, if this is their method for teaching accuracy, I would recommend it.
Station two was a series of outdoor Force on Force scenarios in a simulated parking lot. I will not give any details of the scenarios, but they were well run and well thought out. FoF sessions were conducted with marking rounds or with AirSoft pistols. Again, students had an opportunity to play the victim, the shooter, and the responder. There were shoot scenarios, no-shoot scenarios, and scenarios that could have gone either way.
Station three was a series of indoor scenarios conducted in TDI’s two-level FoF house. Students used AirSoft pistols for the scenarios. These scenarios were also well put-together. A couple scenarios even involved un-armed response to the active shooter. There was no hard physical contact, grappling, or retention/disarm work. However, even the un-armed response scenarios were done in real time, at speed. The focus of the scenario was timing and how to approach un-noticed utilizing weapons of opportunity.
School: Tactical Defense Institute
Course: Active Killer/Shooter Training
Date: August 31, 2012 – September 2, 2012
Duration: 3 days
Location: Tactical Defense Institute 2174 Bethany Ridge, West Union, OH 45693
Instructors: John Benner, David Bowie, Greg Ellifritz, and other TDI Staff.
Summary
TDI hosts this course in a three-day format for open enrollment at their West Union facility. TDI also offers this course in a five-day format through the National Association of School Resource Officers to police departments around the country.
The course covers:
· The history and nature of various active shooter incidents
· Skill-based range drills related to movement, accuracy, and speed
· An explanation and practical application of the method TDI recommends for finding and engaging the shooter and how to act immediately afterwards
· An overview of terrorism and bomb awareness information
· A four hour introduction to combat trauma medical care
· Live fire shoot house drills
· Force-on-Force scenarios
Conclusion
Overall, I found the course to be very worthwhile. Significant amounts of research were put in to the lecture portions of the course. The course brings awareness level information on a wide variety of topics which are critical in responding to an active shooter. Many live, scenario-based sessions were used to practice the methods taught. The methods taught were traceable back to the lecture material and the reasoning for each technique was clear. There were a few details of range drills or scenarios which I didn’t like, but that is true of any class. Overall, I would recommend the TDI Active Shooter class to anyone seeking another perspective on training for this type
Details
Day One: Morning Session
The first day began in the classroom with a lecture titled “Who is the Active Shooter”. This lecture was given by John Benner, owner of TDI. John first discussed the history of active shooters both in the US and abroad dating back to 1764. Based on the study of various incidents and statistics, TDI has categorized active shooter incidents in to 4 categories: Level 1 is a single person with minimal planning; Level 2 is an individual or partners with some pre-planning; Levels 3A and 3B are categories of terrorist threats stratified by level of planning and number of participants (for 3B think Beslan). After defining the broad categories, John went over a number of statistics and examples from various incidents in an effort to identify methods and help us determine what tactics might be appropriate in response to active shooters. Some statistics I found interesting: 80% use a long gun, 90% will commit suicide on site, 7-8 people are shot every minute (on average), and almost 66% are solved by non-LEO intervention.
After introducing us to the nature of various active shooters, John went on to discuss some of the options for response. The lecture focused on mental preparation, being prepared to see and bypass victims, and an understanding that time is the most important factor. Whether you choose to hide, to run, or to seek and engage, decisiveness and aggressive action were emphasized. Should you choose to engage, TDI has some very interesting and valid thoughts on method of movement through structures for active shooters vs a slow building search, and for what to do during and immediately after engaging the shooter. These methods were discussed in the lecture and later practiced in shoot house and FoF scenarios.
Day One: Afternoon Session
After lunch the class congregated on the range for a few drills. The first drill performed was a 30 yard accuracy test on paper, cold. From 30 yards, we advanced in 5 yard increments down to 10 yards. This was to demonstrate each individual’s effective range without warm-up or practice. It appeared to be very eye-opening for some participants. After the accuracy exercise we did some moving and shooting drills on steel targets. TDI showed us their methods for moving through obstacles, working corners, and other considerations when shooting and moving through crowds.
Day Two: Morning Session
We were back in the classroom for two lectures before lunch. The first lecture was “Terrorism Awareness and Prevention”. This session outlined the difference between terrorist attacks and some of the other types of school shooters. A list of groups known to attack schools was provided and some of their methods discussed. Some suggestions for prevention and response were explained. They can be boiled down to paying attention to surroundings; keep abreast of local, national and world news; and develop and practice emergency plans. If you want the details, you’ll have to take the class.
The second lecture was “Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings: Awareness Level Course” presented by Greg Ellifritz. I found this part of the class to be one of the most interesting. Greg went through various explosives and what they might look like. He described components, basic workings, and a general doctrine of what to do if you suspect, or are sure, there is an explosive present. He also discussed some interesting statistics and “critical distances” for various types of explosives. Basically, that is how far away you have to run to avoid getting your arse blown off. The basic advice is pretty similar to the Eddie Eagle program. Stop, don’t touch, tell an adult. Or, Stop, Run like the dickens, Call a bomb squad,
Day Two: Afternoon Session
I didn’t take notes on this part, but I believe the afternoon session was on the range again. We kicked off with a “warm up” type range session. Of all aspects of the class, this was my least favorite. I could have done without the warm-up session at all. It almost seemed like they just wanted to squeeze in some shooting. That isn’t to say the shooting drills in this portion weren’t worthwhile. But they were less focused on active-shooter-specific tasks and skills and more just shooting.
After the warm-up period, we broke in to groups and went to different shoot houses. Two types of shoot house drills were run. The first was with inert pistols and the second was a live run on simulated paper targets. These sessions were well done. They were the first opportunity to bring the full set of recommendations from the lecture together. We worked the shoot house with an instructor in-tow. It was interesting to see the difference in suggested tactics and techniques when compared to the Partner Tactics course which I had also taken at TDI. They recommend some different strategies when dealing with an active shooter vs conducting a slow building search or clearing rooms.
Day Two: Evening Session
After the range session we broke for dinner then returned to the classroom for a great medical lecture by Greg Ellifritz. This four-hour lecture covered the injuries most likely found in an active shooter or terrorist bombing situation. Greg had an excellent set of slides depicting photos of various wounds and provided a verbal description and/or demonstration of how each might be addressed in a field-expedient manner. Airway, breathing, and evacuation considerations were also discussed. A number of different bandages and medical devices were demonstrated or passed around for familiarity. This was another excellent part of the course. Obviously you cannot learn to be a doctor, nurse, or EMT in a four hour training session. However, it certainly illustrated the need for further medical training and gave students a basic knowledge of what to do for critical wounds in the field.
Day 3:
The final training day was conducted entirely on the range, in shoot houses, and in the Force on Force house. I am a little fuzzy on the details because I neglected to take notes on day three. I will do the best I can. I believe at some point on day three we ran the accuracy test from day one. I cannot remember if it was morning or afternoon, so I’ll mention it here. Everyone’s performance was markedly improved after a couple days of shooting. Always remember, you are not likely to be as good cold or after a long break from shooting as you are right after a two or three day class.
Morning Session:
We started the morning working on some methods to move through crowds of people while protecting your weapon and not getting stifled by the crowd. TDI demonstrated a couple of methods which we practiced in groups. After practicing the techniques, we performed an interesting range drill which required moving through hanging sand bags to simulate a crowd, finding the correct target, drawing, and engaging the target. If I recall correctly, this was a timed drill.
For the next few drills we proceeded to the shoot houses and force on force houses. Each student was given an opportunity to move through the shoot house with live people moving and fleeing the shooter, find the shooter, and engage with an inert gun. This was a good drill because it allowed us to bring together all of the techniques taught to this point. Each student had the opportunity to play the active shooter, a victim/bystander, and the responding CCW holder/police officer. There were some specifics regarding the role players’ movement and actions which I felt was less-than-realistic. However, some of it was necessary to simulate a crowd using only a few people, or to compress the time and allow everyone an opportunity at the drill. We went through variations of this drill at a couple different locations, with different instructors and slightly different focuses.
Afternoon Session:
For the afternoon session we broke in to groups and rotated between a few stations.
Station one was an accuracy clinic with instructor David Bowie. David set everyone up on the line at close range and had us shoot the best group we could manage. It was close enough that it should have been a one-hole group for a proficient shooter. We moved progressively backwards until students started to show accuracy problems. After each string/distance, David would inspect each target and make observations from watching each student shoot, or from the results on paper. Each student was used as an example to demonstrate issues to the class. Not in a mean way, of course. Just as a learning tool. I found this portion of the class to be very worthwhile. I think everyone else on the line did as well. I have not taken the TDI entry-level pistol class. However, if this is their method for teaching accuracy, I would recommend it.
Station two was a series of outdoor Force on Force scenarios in a simulated parking lot. I will not give any details of the scenarios, but they were well run and well thought out. FoF sessions were conducted with marking rounds or with AirSoft pistols. Again, students had an opportunity to play the victim, the shooter, and the responder. There were shoot scenarios, no-shoot scenarios, and scenarios that could have gone either way.
Station three was a series of indoor scenarios conducted in TDI’s two-level FoF house. Students used AirSoft pistols for the scenarios. These scenarios were also well put-together. A couple scenarios even involved un-armed response to the active shooter. There was no hard physical contact, grappling, or retention/disarm work. However, even the un-armed response scenarios were done in real time, at speed. The focus of the scenario was timing and how to approach un-noticed utilizing weapons of opportunity.
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