DETROIT – School officials in Detroit are taking steps to improve school safety, including a new method to secure doors during potential active shooter situations.
It’s part of a collaboration between Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), police and fire departments, which utilizes fire hoses that might otherwise be thrown away.
“Once they get a little old and tattered, they’re not used for safety reasons, but they still have strength. It’s still a fire hose,” said DPSCD Chief of Public Safety Lebrit Jackson.
Jackson said the technique was learned during an active shooter response training called ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evade. After being told about it, Jackson made the call to the Detroit Fire Department and got multiple 12-inch pieces of fire hoses distributed.
How it works
The method involves cutting fire hoses into 12-inch pieces and using them to secure doors. The piece of hose is placed over the forearm of the door closing mechanism, preventing both it and the door from opening.
Jackson said that while it isn’t the only tool that will save lives in these situations, it can be an effective measure when paired with other safety protocols. Active shooters want to find the path of least resistance, Jackson said, and making the door more difficult to open can turn them away.
“Anything that you do to slow down an active assailant, it gives first responders that much more time to get there, and that’s what you need,” Jackson explained. “You just need to buy yourself some time until help arrives. So this will buy you the time that you would need.”
While it’s an effective method during a lockdown, Jackson said they’ve been training teachers that if there is an option to evacuate, distance is the best option.
