Central Valley faith leaders practice responding to active threats

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - The Department of Homeland Security hosted a information symposium for Central Valley religion leaders Friday, teaching them however to instrumentality the frontline.

Many expect to beryllium harmless successful their houses of worship, but the section warns threats tin amusement up anywhere.

Around 50 religion leaders gathered astatine People’s Church to larn however to code an progressive assailant, however to de-escalate a threat, and however to prevention an injured person’s life.

“I’m starting to recognize however important it is to marque definite that we person information measures successful place,” Maricella Gutierrez with Divine Mercy Catholic Church said.

Jesse Rangle with the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) led the symposium, urging each idiosyncratic to combat for their lives if necessary.

“If I don’t person thing astatine my disposal, I person my hands and I person me,” Rangle said.

He says faith-based organizations are intent connected establishing a lukewarm and inviting atmosphere, truthful they often hide the value of being attentive to those who locomotion into the building. 

“We person to beryllium a harmless spot for radical to spell to. We privation to beryllium welcoming, but it has to beryllium determination wherever radical tin beryllium safe,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez works with children astatine Divine Mercy. She has ne'er experienced an progressive threat, but she says, if the worst happens, she volition beryllium ready.

“There are imaginable threats each astir us, whether it’s idiosyncratic trying to actively wounded america oregon conscionable benignant of earthy things that tin hap passim the people of the day, accidents happen. So it’s bully to beryllium prepared,” Gutierrez said.

Rangle says a elemental mode religion leaders tin marque definite nary 1 successful the congregation is simply a menace is by introducing themselves to each caller person. He calls it some affable and strategic.

“Individuals inherently travel to churches and houses of worship erstwhile they’re having struggles, and truthful sometimes this de-escalation constituent is portion of them caring for their communities,” Rangle said.

He encourages immoderate funny religion leaders who could not be Friday’s symposium to survey their free online resources.