By Reporter staff

The Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton will hold a Countering Active Threat Training on Thursday, November 30, at 5:30 pm, at Temple Israel, 4737 Deerfield Pl., Vestal. Mark Henderson, the director of community security for the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester, will lead the session. The training is open to the entire community and there is no cost to attend. To register for the event, contact the Federation at 607-724-2332 or director@jfgb.org, or click here.

The Countering Active Threat Training is a comprehensive training program that teaches how to counter an active threat event. It was developed for faith-based institutions and houses of worship. Its learning objectives include: 

• Learning to know when there is an active threat. 
• Understanding the difference between security and safety.
• Developing a better understanding of active threat incidents.
• Explaining appropriate modes of action to use during an active shooter incident, including “run, hide, fight.”
• Understanding how to prepare for an active threat event.
•  How to respond to law enforcement’s arrival.
•  Recognizing the importance of additional trainings such as “Stop the Bleed.”
• Being able to commit to action during an active threat event
• Henderson has been coordinating security trainings with help from the Secure Community Network, the national Homeland Security initiative of the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
• “Sadly, we are living in an era that requires all people in this country to be vigilant of their surroundings,” said Shelley Hubal, executive director of the Federation. “No matter how many security measures we have in place, if we wish to be a welcoming community, we risk having a terror attack. The important thing is to know what to do if, God forbid, that does happen. We hope and pray never to have to put what we learn into practice, but it is clear that the best thing we can do is be prepared.”