A man walks into an office building and opens fire, shooting and killing people at random.
Some people hide behind desks, some in office room, others run to safety.
The active shooter training video was shown to staff and volunteers who will be working at this year’s Ridge Meadows Home Show, by Richard Wedzinga, director of operations for B300 Security, based out of Albion.
It will be the second year Wedzinga’s five-year-old company will be providing security for the annual home show in Maple Ridge, one of the largest in the province.
This year, though, he is training not just his own security guards, but personnel on the ground at the event as well.
Wedzinga was hosting the free training event upstairs at the Golden Ears Winter Club on Thursday, April 9, with his colleague Ionel Carceru.
About 30 people attended the event, including also City of Maple Ridge staff and B300 security guards.
“We do see a lot of security issues happening in Maple Ridge,” said Wedzinga.
“So, having people from various different backgrounds, whether it’s in the city, the rec centres, or community centres, it gives them an opportunity be able to learn how to identify hazards, risks,” he said.
Wedzinga and Carceru talked about situational awareness, emergency response, and emergency preparedness.
They also talked about how to deal with things like suspicious packages or bags, what the best course of action for lost children, how to properly deal with different kinds of threats like a bomb threat, or emails suggesting violence.
“How do you manage those, how do you report those properly without missing information,” he said.
They talked about how to communicate, how to deal with an evacuation in a calm manner, and knowing when to call on security or police, or to be able to manage a situation accordingly.
“Unfortunately there’s a lot of organizations that just aren’t properly trained or aware and then they rely too heavily on law enforcement or emergency services,” said Wedzinga.
Graham Vanstone, executive director of the Ridge Meadows Home Show, said in his many years of being in the event industry, he never thought this kind of training was something they needed to consider.
“As we experience more of these unfortunate acts of violence, or someone in a mental health crisis, I think it’s important to educate our team and volunteers, as well as the community on how to react in these situations,” he said.
His main takeaway from the training was if you see something, say something.
“If you are anywhere and you see something that just doesn’t seem right, find the appropriate person and report it. It’s better to be safe than have something happen that could have been prevented,” said Vanstone.
The Ridge Meadows Home Show will be taking place May 1-3, at Planet Ice and the Albion Fairgrounds at 23588 Jim Robson Way in Maple Ridge.