By Steve Stockmar

Independent Newsmedia

Recreation Centers of Sun City West officials have explored ways to ensure that public facilities are safe in the event of an active shooter situation, and the board will look at more.

At the RCSCW’s general manager operations meeting Jan. 22, Gary McGuire, a 30-year veteran of law enforcement and military police, and founder of GRM Consulting, LLC, led a presentation on building security assessment. GRM specializes in security consulting, private investigation and active shooter avoidance training, and Mr. McGuire has reviewed sites like the lecture hall and the social hall inside the R.H. Johnson Recreation Center, 19803 N. R.H. Johnson Blvd.

Gary McGuire of GRM Consulting presents active shooter avoidance training during a Jan. 22 RCSCW general manager operations meeting. At left is General Manager Mike Whiting.

His presentation was an overview on general active shooter measures, based on a 2015 FBI report that, for the first time, examined active shooter situations. The report, Mr. McGuire said, analyzed active shooters from the period of 2000-13, which showed the overwhelming majority of events happen in five minutes or less, emphasizing the need for critical decisions in a minimal amount of time should anyone find themselves in harm’s way.

“They walk into a facility, they create as much harm as possible, and then they take their own lives,” Mr. McGuire said of the studied situations during his 50-minute presentation to the board and about a dozen members of the public in attendance. “And in that five minutes or less, we’re learning that they take their own lives when confronted by anyone. Anyone who confronts these people. And so civilians have been successful in stopping these things.”

Mr. McGuire examined situational awareness when it comes to things like taking notice of exits when arriving into a room. Active shooter situations, he said, leave those in danger with options to run, hide or fight.

“If you mentally rehearse this in your head, your body will take over,” he added.

Mr. McGuire will be back to survey other Sun City West public facilities, like Beardsley Park, 12755 W. Beardsley Road.“We’ll come up with some sort of plan with Gary and bring it back to the board,” RCSCW general manager Mike Whiting said during the meeting. “This obviously will cost something. We don’t want the community to get panicked that we see a danger here. We really don’t right now. But we want to be prepared, and we want to do everything we can in every situation — it might be a large gathering — to protect our members.”

Board president Peggy Robbins referenced the openness of RCSCW’s membership services office.

“They’re so vulnerable when we’ve had some wild residents come in,” she said.

Board member Marion Mosley asked about the facilities being non-carry sites, referring to firearms. Mr. McGuire said his purpose in this facility evaluation is not to train members of the public or employees for carrying or shooting, only to survey the sites themselves and prepare residents for situations, or to advise if a facility should consider placing trained security on site.

“I think it’s very good that you’re pro-active in this,” Sun City West resident Tom Jones told the board during the open meeting.