Just a month after the shooting massacre that killed more than two dozen people in Sutherland Springs, Texas, Seminole County officials are working to help local churches step up security measures.

  • Seminole officials hold faith-based active-shooter training
  • Officials stressed importance of plan-of-action
  • Emergency management will hold more training sessions after new year

Seminole County Emergency Management held faith-based active-shooter training for dozens of church leaders from Seminole and Orange counties Wednesday morning.

Seminole County Emergency Manager Alan Harris said he wanted to offer the training in time for church holiday gatherings.

“All of these concerts and plays bring in a lot of folks, and we want to make sure that our places of worship can protect their congregation,” said Harris.

The lead pastor at Central Baptist Church in Sanford said his church already had many key security measures in place.

Lead Pastor Alan Brumback said recent mass shootings prompted him to step those measures up even further. For example, people entering the church for services can only get inside using two sets of doors that are both in one area of the building.  All other entrances remain locked.

He said in addition to other security personnel, there’s now also a law enforcement officer keeping an eye on everything while in plain clothes.

Brumback said law enforcement who are also members of the church are helping out in another way as well.

“They’re actually parking their police cruisers right out here in the front so when people come by they think, hey, that’s probably not a good place to go because there’s law enforcement here,” said Pastor Brumback.

In the training, Seminole County officials stressed the importance of churches having a plan of action in case the worst happens. Pastor Brumback said he wants his congregation to be sure they’re safe.

“The times we’re living in are dangerous times so therefore we want to be proactive instead of reactive,” Brumback said.

Seminole County Emergency Management officials said they’ll be offering another active-shooter training class for church leaders after the first of the year.

Until then, they encourage anyone interested to get in contact with Seminole County Emergency Management for more information.