School Bus drivers from the Clovis Unified School District participated in an 8 hour “hands-on” training session, learning to deal with person threatening with a gun.
Clovis Unified School District’s Director of Transportation Charlie Ott says he found out about the program then brought it to him district.
Ott says gun threats and violence is becoming increasingly more common, and he wants to be proactive.
APEX Safety Curriculum Fundamentals is a Reno, NV based company that travels throughout the United States offering similar events.
They use law enforcement techniques to train a variety of organizations on how to handle these situations.
The instruction includes highly visual hands on training sessions from former police officers.
APEX Trainer Tom Carroll is a law officer who travels to school districts and other organizations – teach drivers techniques to disarm gun-wielding assailants, such as swerving the bus and verbal commands.
Clovis bus drivers say that even though they are taught to be alert, the program was able to address situations that they didn’t even consider, directing them to look for cover and concealment to avoid bullets from a shooter.
Clovis is one of three districts in the Central Valley that is using the program to train their drivers for the “What if” situation.
