A new Seymour business is focused on teaching people how to fight back in an active shooter situation.
Andy Rumph, a former police officer and county coroner, founded B-Safe Tactical Training. Rumph hired former and current police, military, and SWAT team members to help with the courses.
Seymour Police Captain Carl Lamb serves as the business' training manager. As a veteran law enforcement officer, Lamb says he was skeptical of the idea at first.
"I took a look at it for two or three days, called Andy back, and said, ‘I can't find a downside to this,'" Lamb says.
Before training, organizations get a consultation meeting to discuss their specific needs and expectations.
The active shooter training can involve fake guns and knives that simulate the weight and feel of real weapons. Lamb says they familiarize people with tasks like reloading a magazine.
Participants wear vests that allow them to feel a "pain penalty" if they are shot by one of the simulation firearms.
There is also a sound system that mimics the chaos that might be heard in an emergency situation.
"We want to train and teach people one mindset, how not to be a victim," Lamb says. "Or if you are encountered by a suspect, how you can win that situation."
Indiana State Police can provide similar emergency training. Lamb says the realistic equipment and stress makes B-Safe training different.
The Point Church in Seymour was B-Safe's first client. Lamb says some participants were initially reluctant to undergo training.
"At the end of the day, the response was a complete 180," Lamb says.
Lamb says after the training, Point Church decided to make changes to security like making sure both workers in the nursery had a radio and installing mirrors at the church entrance.
Lamb says B-Safe will adapt its techniques according to client surveys, responses and critiques.
The cost of training can range from $65 for a concealed carry course, to hundreds of dollars for a tactical training course.
