The Retail Learning Institute/IGA Coca-Cola Institute, in collaboration with Rouses Markets and the Thibodeaux, Louisiana, Police Department, has launched an online course aimed at equipping grocery store employees with the knowledge to respond to active shooter incidents.
Available in English and Spanish, this five-minute course provides a comprehensive how-to video that emphasizes the “Run, Hide, Defend” approach.
Statistics released by Guns Down America have highlighted the urgency of addressing gun violence in grocery stores. In the past year alone, there have been 159 gun violence incidents and 42 fatalities reported at the nation’s leading grocery retailers, as demonstrated by the mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
Additionally, according to the Gun Violence Archive, large supermarket chains have experienced an average of four shootings per week, totaling more than 600 incidents since January 2020.
Considering these alarming figures, this new course offered by the Institute is of paramount importance for the safety of grocery store employees and vendors. The course objectives aim to promote best practices recommended by local law enforcement agencies for surviving active shooter events.
Features of the course include:
- Identification of the three crucial actions to be taken during an active shooter event: “Run, Hide, Defend.”
- Comprehensive explanations of the appropriate actions to take during each phase of an active shooter event, covering methods of escape, hiding strategies and self-defense as a last resort.
- Development of personalized exit plans and increased situational awareness to enhance the chances of survival during an active shooter event.
“We have developed this course to educate and prepare our employees, as well as the wider grocery community, with the essential knowledge required to respond to active shooter situations,” said Rouses University Dean Ashley Candebat. “Our hope is that this training will never need to be actively implemented, but it is crucial to be well prepared.”
The course is included in the catalog of courses available to all Institute retailers. Non-members can contact the Institute for further details at retaillearning.net.
