NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As trauma still lingers from two recent school shootings in the Nashville area, educators from all over Tennessee participated in an active shooter training hosted by Defend Systems.

"Data continues to show us that the people that have to survive these events need to have tools on ‘how do I actually do that’… instead of before the event happens or after the event happens. We need to know what to do when the event is actually happening,” Defend Systems Vice President of Operations Tracey Mendenhall said.

Jessica Phillips, a teacher at Highlands Latin Nashville Cottage School, said that after the Covenant School shooting, knowing how to be ready for an emergency is always at the back of her mind.

"I remember feeling the feeling of knowing that people who do my job were being called upon to respond, and that was really heavy,” Phillips told News 2.

Phillips said that after attending the training for the second time, she feels grateful to know how to respond if confronted by danger.

"[The Covenant School shooting] was in our city…. It's almost like every teacher in the city could feel their hearts reaching out towards that and also thinking to themselves, ‘I hope I would respond the way they did and with training,' and so, like I said, heavy responsibility but important,” she added.

Defend Systems experts said empowering people with the knowledge and training for worst case scenarios can make a difference.

"The Covenant School... that was 14 minutes that those teachers had to do something for those students and had to protect them. The police were on the way, but it's still minutes where we have to know how we're going to protect our kids and protect ourselves and our classrooms,” Mendenhall explained.

Through lessons and hands-on exercises, Defend Systems' goal is to give the average civilian the tools and mindset to respond in life-or-death situations.

"It's really sad that I'm not only focused on my students and my lessons, but I don't have that luxury,” Phillips said.

Defend Systems offers training all over the country. You can learn more by following this link.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/it-was-in-our-city-tennessee-teachers-receive-active-shooter-training-as-nashville-processes-2-recent-school-shootings/