Providing active-shooter response training to civilians and educational institutions in the Western Balkans
Purpose:
A spate of mass-shooting/active-attack events that took place in public schools in Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have left the authorities and administrators scrambling to adopt new strategies and procedures to curb such incidents.
Design:
Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training [ALLERT], created by Texas State University in 2002 following an active-shooter event at Columbine High School in 1999. The training was soon introduced for a variety of agencies and institutions in the USA, and for the training of civilians it was also adapted in the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events [CRASE] programme.
Findings:
The ALERRT programme was recently introduced in the three countries, with the subsequent training of certified trainers allowing the CRASE programme to also be taught within local educational institutions, the majority of which are woefully underequipped and undertrained with respect to the types of violent events they refer to. Adaptions made to both types of training in the region include enhanced first-aid/casualty evacuation modules, situational awareness, first response, incident command, and communication strategies. A particularly beneficial outcome of the programme’s acceptance and implementation is the building of trust and interdependency among the educational institutions, law enforcement, and emergency medical care facilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Practical Implications/Value:
The findings are relevant because of the CRASE programme implementation by selected high schools in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is to be introduced to schools in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia.
UDC: 351.78:343.344
Keywords: Active-shooter response training, ALERRT, CRASE, Western Balkans, Education