tation and associated code enforcement. The school resource officer and co-in- ventor of the product in question said, “The chance of having an active shooter and a fire at the same time is something I’ve never heard of.” My response to this ill-informed gentleman would be this: Have you ever heard of Columbine High School? That tragedy involved a firebomb to divert firefighters, propane tanks con- verted to bombs placed in the cafeteria, 99 explosive devices and bombs rigged in cars. The most killed in a school massacre was 44, with another 58 injured during the Bath School Disaster in Michigan in 1927. The killer in this incident was not an active shooter; he used bombs to cause his carnage. Lori Greene also brought up another very important fact for her upcoming article for Doors & Hardware magazine: On just one day — March 19, 2015 — 16 school districts (including some involv- ing more than one school) went into lock- down, which is a time when these barrier devices may have been used. This is not just a problem for people in Arkansas. The Ohio state senate also is considering a similar bill (Ohio SB125). It can also be expected that the companies that make and sell these barrier products will keep looking for ways to get around informed fire code officials and keep making at- tempts to change the local fire code. A Numbers Perspective The death of a child or young adult in any educational environment is always tragic, and strenuous, passionate debates about how to protect students and staff always follow in their wake. But it’s important to try to put the issues into perspective: The worst active shooter event in an educational environment was the Vir- ginia Tech shooting, where 33 people were killed (Note: the shooter barri- caded the fire doors himself to slow WWW.ALOA.ORG “I just don’t think society should be trad- ing one kind of tragedy for the threat of another by taking regressive steps in our life safety regulations.” the police response and entrap people). The worst K-12 active shooter event was the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, where 27 were killed. Unfortunately, fire has proven much more deadly, more oſten. Consolidated School New London, TX — 294 deaths Lakeview School Collinwood, OH — 175 deaths Our Lady of the Angels School Chi- cago, IL — 95 deaths The Cleveland School Kershaw County, SC — 77 deaths I am not trying to imply that any kind of death is “better.” As you all know, school security has been a top priority my entire time as president of AIL. I just don’t think society should be trading one kind of tragedy for the threat of another by taking regressive steps in our life safe- ty regulations. Now for the call to arms. Call to Arms If you live in either Arkansas or Ohio, please reach out to your local representa- tive and inform him or her of this situa- tion. As president of AIL, I will be sending letters to the governors and key political leaders of both states. But, as a voter, your contact will have much more impact. Locksmiths are experts in these mat- ters, and we must make it our mission to inform our institutions that we have proper and code compliant hardware to meet the need for life safety and the need for security in response to an active shooter situation. My commercial brothers and sisters, you too should be spreading the word. Tell the schools in your service area. Tell your friends. Tell every teacher and school employee you know. I hope to have an AIL-endorsed guidance document prepared for our members soon so that you can intelligently engage in any dis- cussion regarding classroom security is- sues with politicians and employers alike. As locksmiths, we are the experts. We can have an impact. Even if the companies that make and sell these barrier products manage to change the fire code through a few uninformed politicians in some loca- tions, through our sharing of information, educational facilities will have the option to not choose this dangerous route. ohn Truempy, ICML, CRL, MIL, IFDI, is employed at e University of Pennsyl- ania, where he’s been a cksmith for more than 21 ears. Prior to that, he spent ommercial locksmith and te of New Jersey at Tren- ric Hospital. As the first president of ALOA Institutional Locksmiths (AIL), the ALOA SPAI division, he has over 15 years of association management experi- ence. He has written many books focusing on both practical and esoteric applications for master key systems, including Advanced Master Keying Skills and Master Key System Specification, Application & Management. He also teaches both fundamental and advanced locksmith subjects. MAY 2015 KEYNOTES 21
