By Charles Heller – Co-Founder, AzCDL |

We have been struck by another tragedy this week in Texas. The cries go up, “Something must be done!” And indeed, it must. If we do not take active measures to stop this killing, the momentum will continue. Copycat actors will duplicate previous shootings, as we have seen since Columbine.

While some factions of the country will attempt to advance a political agenda, others will go about securing the most vulnerable places in our society. What if there was a model we could use to end the carnage? There is.

In several school districts across the country, a program called “F.A.S.T.E.R” exists. You can read about it at fastersaveslives.org. It stands for Faculty and Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response. It is a program, taught by the most highly qualified police officers and trainers to willing and qualified school administrators, staff, and educators, to equip them with the tools and skill set to save lives in the event of an active killer amongst them.

The program teaches only volunteers who are qualified how to neutralize the threat, and then just as importantly, the lifesaving first aid for gunshot trauma and the tourniquets and chest seal patches to get the victims to the ER with a pulse. Did you know that 90% of shooting victims who make it to the ER with a pulse survive?

The “F.A.S.T.E.R” program is taught through the AzCDL Foundation, a 501© 3 non-profit. All a school district has to do is green light the project. AzCDL Foundation will train the staff to do the rest. In addition, the program teaches those responders how to communicate with arriving police, so it doesn’t create new problems, too.

You can learn more about the “F.A.S.T.E.R.” program right here.

Charles Heller is the Co-Founder and Communications Coordinator for the AzCDL.