With the number of “active shooter” incidents growing across the country over the past 20 years — the July shooting at a Walmart in Southaven, and multiple threats made recently against Mid-South area churches — people are increasingly interested in preparedness.

September is National Preparedness Month, and to kick things off a day early on Saturday the Shelby County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Office (SCEMHSO) conducted its latest Active Shooter Awareness training session free to the public inside the Emergency Center at its headquarters at 1075 Mullins Station Road.

“It’s a very timely message because of what is taking place in our country and recently what is taking place in our community,” said SCEMHSO Officer Terry Donald, a graduate of the Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Active Shooter Threat Instructor Training Center, is certified in Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response, and is a West Tennessee Terrorism Liaison officer.

An active shooter is defined as any individual actively engaged in killing of attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area. Donald talked to the group about the history of active shooter incidents, basic concepts of how to survive, what to expect from law enforcement officers in those situations, and prevention of mass killings.

The main defense strategies discussed were “run-hide-fight” and “avoid-deny-defend.”

“We want you to get away from there. Have an escape route in mind. We don’t want anyone to try to be a hero in situations like this,” said Donald. “If you can’t run, hide and protect yourself behind large objects. If you can’t run, you have to fight. Act with aggression. Each and every one of us has this thing called courage… and you activate that courage by making a quick decision.”

He pointed out how active shooter situations can involve more than just guns, including knives, bombs or vehicles.

“If you know that you’ve got an organized group that’s going to be outside for a while, designate one person to look out and listen,” said Donald. “Another thing, ensure that you have some kind of strong barricade around the group. If you don’t have a strong barricade, you can always use your own vehicles.”

Staying vigilant and being aware of any suspicious behaviors or situations can help to prevents active shooter incidents.

“It’s so important that if you see something, you say something to law enforcement as quickly as you can,” he said. “Do not second guess yourselves. You let law enforcement make that determination if it’s viable or not.”

Lisa Eason and Sue Malone attended the session out of concern for their churches. Eason was motivated by news of threats against Memphis churches by a man in Indiana.

“The incident was pretty scary I think for a lot of churches, and there were a couple of churches in Bartlett that received threatening letters,” said Eason, who is an administrator at downtown’s First Unitarian Church of Memphis. “We want our churches to be not only be safe but also welcoming. Now it’s hard to strike the right balance.”

She notes that her church is in a unique building in an urban area, and it’s seeing more traffic due to the Big River Crossing.

“Churches are safe sanctuaries, and people come there to be safe. Especially when we have worship services, we need to make sure that environment stays safe. So we need to be able to identify threats,” said Malone, who attends St. Luke Lutheran Church in Cordova.

Delores Evans attended a previous active shooter training session led by Donald at her church, New Sardis Baptist Church on Holmes Road, and she brought her friend, Ruby Gaston to Saturday’s session.

“I think it’s educational, and it’s something we all need to know,” said Evans, who formerly worked in safety emergency response at the PMC Biogenic chemical plant on Polk Street. “In today’s world, we need to be prepared.”

The SCEMHSO’s next free community training session will be its Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, a hands-on lesson in what do before, during, and after a disaster that teaches citizens how to safely and responsibly respond to hazards and threats that impact Shelby County.

The next two-day classes will be held Sept,. 7 and 14, and Oct. 5 and 12. Students will learn how to assemble a disaster kit and acquire life-saving skills in the areas of fire suppression, team organization, light search and rescue, medical triage and first aid, terrorism, hazardous materials, and disaster psychology.

The next active shooter workshop will be held Sept. 21, and a countywide tornado drill will be held at 9:25 a.m. on Sept. 25.