03/28/2024
Federation Unveils New Community Security Training
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About 40 participants listen to the active shooter response presentation on March 21. CJN Photo / Courtney Byrnes
COURTNEY BYRNES | CJN
Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s security provider, JFC Security, LLC, launched a new security training series with a lively group participating in its “Run-Hide-Fight: Active Shooter Response” training on March 21.
The series will include JFC security’s training programs on a monthly schedule and open to the community. Programs are also available upon request for institutions.
“This is exactly what we need to be doing as a community is being prepared for any kind of hostile confrontation we may be confronted with,” Jim Hartnett, the David P. Miller director of community-wide security of JFC Security, LLC, told the Cleveland Jewish News. “And the best thing we can do as a community is know our options and how to stay safe.”
About 40 people participated in the active shooter response training, with many actively asking questions and engaging in the discussion. With a women’s self-defense training scheduled for April, a Stop the Bleed training in May and other training programs to come, Hartnett said he hopes the community will continue to turn out and offer feedback on new types of training to keep the community safe and prepared.
Neil Waxman, chair of the JFC Security committee, told the CJN about JFC Security’s four pillars: awareness, target hardening, training the community and relationships with local law enforcement. This training series is about awareness and training, he said.
“The more people we have aware, the more people we have trained, the better our security operation will function,” Waxman said.
While Jewish communities in America have seen an increase in antisemitism since the war in Israel began on Oct. 7, 2023, it was really the Tree of Life synagogue shooting on Oct. 27, 2018, in Pittsburgh that spurred a more robust community training operation, Waxman said.
The same day of the active shooter response training, JFC Security hosted members of the Montreal Jewish community and heads of their volunteer security operations. Serving as a model for other communities, JFC Security has also presented at the National Homeland Security Conference.
JFC Security staff led the active shooter response training as they instructed participants on how to plan to run, hide or fight during an emergency situation, using real life examples.
They stressed the need for civilians to know how to respond in the moment to a situation like an active shooter as it takes on average three to five minutes for law enforcement to respond. Continued training is important, especially as guidance evolves over the years such as the move away from traditional lockdown protocols to a more active response like run, hide, fight.
Upcoming security training sessions
7 p.m. April 9 - Women’s Self Defense
7 p.m. May 9 - Stop the Bleed
For more information and to register, visit jewishcleveland.org
