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Canfield staff gets schooled in security
CANFIELD
Canfield Village Middle School teachers got a lesson in security from two officers from Advanced Training Group-Worldwide, a Navy SEAL-owned and operated company, to prepare for a field trip to Washington, D.C.
Diane Liggitt, eighth-grade teacher, said traveling with students isn’t getting any easier with terrorist acts becoming more common.
“I’m not nervous to travel with students, but it’s always good to get more information,” she said.
Don Fisher, ATG intelligence officer, and Scott Loveland, ATG chairman of station, used their backgrounds in numerous foreign operations and multienvironment knowledge to teach staff tips for the eighth-grade trip in June.
“D.C. could truly be like going to another country,” Fisher said.
One tip that applies to any trip away from home is awareness, Fisher said.
Fisher encouraged teachers to pay attention to their surroundings, while maintaining a cool composure and conducting normal activities.
Loveland said in the technology-driven world, it is easy for younger people to miss signs that something is wrong.
“You need to be situationally aware for them [students],” Loveland said.
In using this awareness, Fisher advised that if something seems off on the way to an event to just take a different route to err on the side of caution.
“Be fluid in your routes that you take,” he said. “In that environment, down in D.C., things change very quickly.”
Fisher also encouraged preparing students before the trip to be aware of the environment, ongoing world conflicts and the people they will be surrounded by.
He said it was important to prepare them for the reality of panhandlers and con artists.
“Some of these guys are so good, you truly believe their story,” he said.
Paired with awareness, both officers stressed the value of a backup plan.
“Good planning can save you a lot of grief,” Fisher said. “You never know in today’s world what you may run into.”
They provided several options for having plans including planning rally points, the importance of following strict policies and always having a secondary backup plan.
“As we say in the military, two is one and one is none,“ he said.