By Rep. Rick West
Last week, I attended a two-day School Safety Overview training session hosted by LeFlore County 911 that brought together 91 participants from LeFlore, Sequoyah and Latimer counties.
I received a nice note from LeFlore County 911 Director Jamie Gonzalez, who participated in the training. She said she appreciated my support and my willingness to share the group’s accomplishments with my radio audience.
Well, I was happy to do so.
Attendees at the training included school superintendents, assistant superintendents, teachers, school administrators, school resource officers, police chiefs from Stigler, law enforcement officers, fire departments, EMS personnel, emergency management, Oklahoma Highway Patrol dispatchers and 911 dispatchers. Gonzalez said she was particularly proud that every single LeFlore County 911 dispatcher attended, including herself.
Gonzalez wrote the following about instructor Darren Norris, who she said brought an incredible amount of knowledge and experience to this training.
“Norris previously served as vice chancellor, overseeing school safety initiatives in Florida. He serves on both the FS3 and Florida Association of School Resource Officers boards and currently oversees school safety for one of Florida’s fastest-growing colleges, which has four campuses. His experience in school safety planning, legislation and working with educational and public safety organizations gave attendees an opportunity to learn from someone who has been directly involved in improving school safety on a much larger scale. Norris has an extensive background in law enforcement, including as an instructor at both his sheriff’s office and the academy.”
Gonzalez said the training went well beyond active assailant incidents. Participants discussed the history of school shootings; lessons learned from past tragedies; strategies such as Run, Hide, Fight; emergency response; and the responsibilities of everyone involved in school safety. They talked about what has worked, what hasn’t and where they can improve.
One important part of school safety that is sometimes overlooked, Gonzalez said, is what happens after an incident. LeFlore County 911 now has three NOVA-trained crisis responders, including Gonzalez, who have received training to assist individuals and communities following traumatic events. Crisis intervention, emotional support, and recovery are important parts of the overall school safety picture.
School safety doesn’t begin when someone calls 911, Gonzalez pointed out, and it certainly doesn’t end when the emergency is over.
Gonzalez said her goal was to bring everyone together. A superintendent sees school safety from one perspective, a teacher from another, and first responders from another. Each has a responsibility, and understanding those responsibilities before an emergency can make a tremendous difference.
Gonzalez said when she began organizing this training, she was told it might be difficult to get people to attend and that she might not be able to pull it off. But she believed the communities her organization serves wanted and needed this opportunity.
And 91 people showed up.
I want to express my own appreciation to Gonzalez for her dedication to host this training and the care she shows to the communities she serves.
She left me with a parting thought: “Just because you don’t see my face, doesn’t mean I’m not saving your life. Behind every hero there is a guardian looking out for them, and I am the heroes’ guardian. I am the 911 dispatcher.”
Have you told your dispatcher they are doing an amazing job today? Jamie Gonzalez, you and your team are doing an amazing job. Thanks for letting me witness it.
Remember to listen to my Capitol update on the radio at 7:35 a.m. every Thursday on KPRV.
As always, if I can help you with anything, please call my Capitol office at (405) 557-7413 or email me at rick.west@okhouse.gov.
Rick West serves District 3 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. His district includes part of LeFlore County.
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