FASTER Utah aims to empower Teachers and Administrators against Potential School Shooters
Salt Lake City-- In the wake of school shootings throughout the country, administrators and legislators are looking for smart and cost-effective solutions to defend school students and minimize the tragic consequences of these events. As Utah Legislators begin their 2019 session, one hot topic will include protecting educators and students from aggressive threats.
Utah school teachers have an opportunity to be empowered with knowledge to help defend themselves and their students in a variety of crisis situations. FASTER Utah aims to empower teachers with the training needed to protect and defend schools from those who wish to cause harm. FASTER stands for Faculty / Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response and is patterned after similar successful programs in other parts of the country.
After a year of hard work and research, Brant Taylor with Taylor Gunsmithing is introducing the program to Utah this spring. He remarked, “We are bringing FASTER Saves Lives to Utah. FASTER is a groundbreaking, non-profit program that gives educators practical and effective violence response training. Funded by the good people of Utah, training is provided at NO COST to teachers and administrators with concealed firearms permits.”
This program offers a carefully-structured curriculum offering hands-on training over three days. Extremely qualified instructors teach the course to help ensure they retain critical life-saving knowledge under stressful conditions. Those who graduate will pass a Law Enforcement Qualification Shoot.
The purpose of FASTER Utah is not to replace police and EMT's, but to help teachers and administrators stop school violence rapidly and render medical aid immediately until help arrives. Taylor commented, “When violence strikes and students' lives are on the line, every second matters. Even though police are only minutes away, already there is faster than a response. FASTER can bridge the gap until help can respond.”
Brant Taylor added, “Our mission is to make scholarships for advanced handgun and trauma first aid training available to K-12 school faculty and administrators who have concealed firearms permits.” We never want money to be a limiting factor for teachers to participate in this program.
“Knowledge is power and perhaps is the most cost-effective option when it comes to protecting our students.” Physical barriers can help limit certain threats but can become prohibitively expensive and further restrict the already limited funds and resources available for teachers and our educational system. Unfortunately, there is only so much that can reasonably be done to fortify our school institutions with physical barriers. The ideal scenario is a combination of education, fortification, and tools to help enable those who wish to defend and educate our most precious resources. Doing so will reduce the image of our schools being soft and easy targets to these criminals.”
Taylor remarked, “We invite all school staff with concealed firearms permits to apply for a training scholarship at http://www.fasterutah.org. This training is initially scheduled during Spring Break on March 23, 25 and 26, 2019. School staff members interested in attending should take a concealed firearms class immediately if they have not done so already.” Some concealed carry classes are offered at no cost to educators. Taylor suggested contacting instructors early and ask if they provide free concealed carry classes to school staff to prepare them for FASTER Utah.
Taylor concluded, “We believe that FASTER is the most effective and cost-effective way to harden Utah schools. Many teachers and other school staff are already legally carrying firearms in schools. Giving our educators this advanced handgun and trauma first aid training will strengthen our schools from within. Similar to the Federal Flight Deck Officer and Air Marshal programs, potential predators will think twice if we advertise that trained school personnel are on site that have skills on par with law enforcement. FASTER Utah should make our schools less attractive targets to those tempted to murder school children to become infamous while committing suicide.”
About FASTER Utah-- Brant Taylor and his team has been serving Utah with firearm and trauma first aid training for more than a decade. To learn more about the program, visit the website at http://www.fasterutah.org
Brant Taylor of FASTER Utah is available for interviews.
For more information about FASTER Utah, please contact FASTER Utah at 801-608-4095 or e-mail Brant at info@fasterutah.org
A special media event is scheduled at the P.M.A.A. Gun Range on January 24 from 1-4 pm. Please see attached information to register a time to learn more about the program in person.
Date: January 24, 2019
Time: 30-minute personalized appointments from 1 to 4 pm
Location: P.M.A.A. Gun Range Gun Range, located at I 80 E. Exit 134, 1 Highway 65 S Salt Lake City, Ut 84109
Website: http://www.fasterutah.org
Schedule your Appointment: Please reserve your spot by calling FASTER Utah at 801-608-4095 or emailing info@fasterutah.org
Members of the media will have an opportunity to learn more about FASTER Utah and how it can effectively help prevent Utah schools from becoming soft and easy targets for criminals. We will discuss the cost-effectiveness of this program when compared to other options in protecting students in our schools.
Members of the media are invited to discover some techniques that can save lives in a potential crisis. Techniques will include trauma first aid and firearm training relevant in school scenarios. Feel free to bring questions and have fun while learning about FASTER Utah.
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