Louis has been focusing on the Operations section, and contributing in other areas as needed, to the new ASTM Standard on Mitigation of Armed Aggressors in Educational Institutions. This document will convey “best practices” in a variety of different areas.
Louis: “As an expert in the area of School Safety this document will provide the end user with a central repository for any and all information regarding best practices in active shooter mitigation in a variety of areas. I believe it will lessen confusion with trying to acquire all this information from multiple resources while providing individuals with a concise resource document.”
View the complete ASTM article: Support for Safety in Schools by Jack Maxwell
“The design community needs a comprehensive document or standard that collects all of this information and best practices into a single source.” – Jeff Brown
“We’re trying to take a more prevention-oriented approach rather than a reactive one. The security industry is hyper-focused on responding faster once an incident is in motion, and we should have that focus. But we should not be afraid to consider incorporating a different approach and seeing what preventive measures we can design.” – Jason Destein
[From the article] “One of these elements is specifically in threat assessment: How do you design a building based on threat assessments that take into account how threats could evolve over the next 10-20 years? And further, is there a way to design in de-escalation efforts to help make a school less stressful for kids?”