MAY 2018 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 19
By LAURA CURRAN
Nassau County Executive
The Parkland Florida tragedy was a
grim reminder that no community
is immune from the threat of an
active shooter. As Nassau County
Executive, it’s my duty to address
this reality, and to ensure we do all
we possibly can to prepare for an
incident we hope to never face.
The typical campus shooter is
a student known to others in
the school community. A little
more than half of the 270 school
shootings since Columbine, in 1999,
happened on college campuses –
with high school incidents a close
second. Sixty-eight percent of
school shooters got their guns from
relatives or at home.
But here is perhaps the most crucial
statistic to consider if the goal is to
“We’ve got to cut down response time
to save lives.”
save as many lives as possible: Since
Columbine, 70 percent of school
shootings ended in less than five
minutes.
“Every second counts,” Nassau
County Police Commissioner
Patrick Ryder said. “We’ve got to cut
down response time to save lives.”
Our active-shooter response plan shaves
off precious seconds by honing tactical
measures, launching educational
initiatives, and closely collaborating
with our 56 school districts.
We’ve instituted Rave, a smartphone
app that allows a teacher or
administrator to covertly alert a
dedicated terminal in our 911 call
center. That alert will immediately
send out patrol cars to a scene. The
Rave app is in more than 130 of
the 450 public school buildings in
Nassau County, with more slated to
come online each week.
All sworn police officers, including
village and city officers, receive
uniform active-shooter-response
training at the Nassau County
Police Academy. And Nassau
County Police Medics, who are
being equipped with ballistic vests
and helmets, have been trained in
mass casualty response.
Designated police-officer liaisons
work with each school district to
coordinate active- shooter response
plans, and every Nassau police officer
on patrol will visit a school at least
once each school day. Officers are
learning the layout of every school,
coordinating active shooter plans
with school leadership, and serving
as the designated representative to
assist if school officials have concerns
about a particular student. Our cops
are also planning training for school
officials, students, and parents on
how to spot a potential threat.
This is how we protect our kids – by
working together to ensure lightningfast
responses, properly equipping
our first responders with training and
tools, and maximizing our intelligence.
POINT OF VIEW
ACTIVE SHOOTERS:
EVERY SECOND COUNTS
Hands-on learning at Nassau BOCES Adult Education is the best medicine
Through extensive handson
instruction, students
taking the Clinical Medical
Assisting (CMA) course offered
by Nassau BOCES Adult Career &
Technical Education (CTE), at the
Joseph M. Barry Career & Technical
Education Center in Westbury, will
acquire skills to assist in all phases
of medicine. In the course, certified
by New York State, they will
learn to take vital signs and blood
pressure; how to deal with infection
control, instrument and tray set
ups; and become knowledgeable in
professional communication, law
and ethics. They will also learn to
use computerized EKG machines,
specimen collection, urology
testing and throat culture. Computer
applications are also part of the
curriculum.
Students who complete the course
will be qualified to work in a variety
of entry-level positions, such as
clinics, emergency care centers,
health centers, hospitals, physician’s
offices, medical labs, public health
systems, schools and blood banks.
Nassau BOCES Adult Education
CMA teacher Maureen Robinson,
has a decade of experience in her
field. “It’s something that I love
doing,” she says. “The students
come from all walks of life. They
are enthusiast, and I love bringing
my expertise to them. This course
is a great launching pad into the
medical field.”
One of her students, Henry
Gonzales, 18, of Westbury, said that
Robinson is an “inspirational and
motivating teacher.” He, like many
of the other students in the class,
are here for a variety of different
reasons. “I want to work in a clinical
setting…a hospital, or a clinic. I
love learning about the technical
aspects, about the history and
science behind medicine.”
At the end of the ten-month program,
qualified students in good standing
have the opportunity to sit for the
Certified Health Professionals
National Certification in Medical
Assisting. It is an excellent
foundation for college-bound
students interested in health careers.
For more information about
the Nassau BOCES Adult CTE
program, visit www.nassauboces.
org/adulted, call 516-622-6950 or
email Adultreg@nasboces.org.
Tips for a healthy heart
Here are some basic tips from the
Nassau BOCES Adult CTE Medical
Assisting program.
• Exercise regularly. Walk around the
block if you can’t get to the gym. Just
keep moving!
• Eat a varied diet. Increase the amount
of vegetables and fruits, and cut out
salt when you can. Stay away from
fatty meats.
• Take you blood pressure regularly.
• Make an appointment to see your
doctor annually.
• Check your family history, and tell
your doctor if there is heart disease in
your family.
Adult Career &
Technical Education
Medical Assisting teacher Maureen Robinson (right) shows students (from left)
Andrea Damico and Henry Gonzales how to track a patient’s vital signs.
/www.nassauboces
link
