OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A church security group will hold a training class for security teams in East Tennessee on Saturday, showing them how to respond to situations and protect their parish in case of an active shooter situation.
The group, Protect His House, hosts events nationally with churches and faith groups. They also offer private training sessions for faith leaders interested him training their church members on how to stay safe.
Saturday's training will focus on advanced techniques and will last from 9 a.m. through 6 p.m. Organizers said participants must have covered basic techniques with them before, or have equivalent training. It will be held at Highland View Church, with a limit of 20 participants.
The shoothouse will be live, with participants actually firing guns as they learn how to enter rooms during active shooter situations, apply on-site medical procedures and identify signs of a possible shooter.
They will use simulation ammo that engages all components of a gun without actually sending bullets, and instead, participants will fire projectiles similar to paintballs. They warned that participants could be shot at during the training with a simulation round.
They said the training session costs $200 per person, and people will not need to bring anything. They recommended wearing long sleeves and long pants for the simulation rounds.
Organizers said the instructors are active and former members of law enforcement, with many having worked with SWAT teams.
Anyone interested in participating in a future training session can reach out to Protect His House online.
