Orange County to provide active shooter awareness training on Oct. 24

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Sheriff Paul Arteta announced that the county will host active shooter response training for residents at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24.

The free seminar will be held in the auditorium of the county’s Emergency Services Center at 22 Wells Farm Road in Goshen and is open to the public.

“While we hope no one will ever need to utilize this training, as county officials we want to make sure you possess the knowledge and information to help you survive, should you find yourself in an active shooter situation,” Neuhaus said. “The goal of this training program is to prepare you ahead of time so you can protect yourself, your family, and your co-workers.”

Joined by other county officials, Neuhaus announced a plan aimed at standardizing active shooter training for schools county-wide in June. The videos, developed in collaboration with the sheriff’s office, are designed for the unique needs of groups impacted by active shooter incidents in schools, places of worship and local businesses, including emergency personnel/first responders, school administrators/teachers, and student’s parents/guardians.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group will provide the training at the one-hour session on October 24. It will feature information on how to recognize signs of potential workplace violence, how to respond to active shooter or other workplace violence situations, and answer questions on individualized emergency plans.

The sheriff’s office will be on hand to answer questions.

“The primary goal of this presentation is to stress the need for preparedness,” Arteta said. “Unfortunately, these types of situations can happen in the world we live in. You must be prepared for anything, and we are always here to help provide some of the resources and education you need.”

To register for the active shooter training, email ceoffice@orangecountygov.com or call 845-291-3255.