Active-threat training draws ‘disappointing turnout’

What if you threw a party and nobody came?

That’s the equivalent of what happened Tuesday night at the Sallisaw High School gymnasium.

Catholic Charities Sallisaw offered something it hopes no one will ever need, but for which they would be thankful should they need it.

But few took advantage of the free opportunity.

It was something no one ever used to think about.

It’s something you can’t predict, and something that happens way too often these days.

It’s something no one wants to experience.

And when provided so schools and businesses and the public can be prepared when a mass shooting occurs, few turned out.

“Run, Hide, Fight,” a civilian active-threat training program, was presented so participants could learn to run or evacuate when possible, hide or shelter in place, or fight if there are no other options.

The couple of dozen people who attended now know, but the gymnasium was conspicuous with empty seats.

“It was a disappointing turnout,” admits Pam Wemhaner, manager for Catholic Charities Sallisaw. “I was very surprised.”

The week prior to the free presentation, Wemhaner said she hoped hundreds would attend. After all, she’d done her part. She invited attendance from several organizations, all the county schools, Indian Capital Technology Center and Carl Albert State College, as well as the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce.

In anticipation of what should have been a standing-room-only turnout, organizers switched the venue from the intimate Parrish hall to the much larger gymnasium so everyone who wanted to attend could.

Apparently, only a handful wanted to attend. MaryLynn Lufkin, director of Disaster Outreach for Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, also expected a good portion of the gymnasium to be filled.

“This is such a topic that people are very concerned about, and they don’t really know what to do,” she said last week, previewing the presentation. “So this will give them an idea of what to do. They’ll have a better idea of how to protect themselves and others.”

It would appear that 1) everyone already knows what to do when there’s an active shooter, 2) they’re going to stick their heads in the sand should it happen to them or 3) no one really cares.

“Those that attended were engaged with the speaker, asking questions and getting the most out of the presentation,” Wemhaner said. “Everyone I talked with said they were impressed and very glad they attended.

“I just don’t get it why there was not better attendance. We had a whole handful of teachers from the Boys and Girls Club there — I was told they closed early so their staff could attend. But other than those instructors, we had zero teachers, and I had sent an email to every principal in Sequoyah County.”

A mass shooting event is something few can predict. If it should happen in Sequoyah County, it’s unfortunate more people — at least those who chose not to attend Tuesday’s program — won’t know what to do.