AAR--FASTER Saves Lives level 1 class, TDI, June 14-16 2022
This is an active shooter response course nominally for school workers. FASTER is an acronym for Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response. John Benner of TDI apparently put together this course almost a decade ago and works with the Buckeye Firearms Association to help fund it. My understanding is that school teachers and other school employees from Ohio (and maybe elsewhere) can apply through the FASTER website to get the class and hotel room paid for through Buckeye. I am not an Ohio school employee, so I had to pay my own way. The class, including the hotel, is usually $1000 for the three day course, which is a pretty good deal. However, I've been subscribed to the FASTER email list for quite awhile now, and this spring I got a mailing offering a pretty huge discount for the class, which wound up costing me $400 including 3 nights hotel stay. (They would have put me up for a 4th night, but I wanted to get home.) Also included in the price was a very well-stocked trauma kit, which they sell for $85. The only thing missing from the kit, really, is hemostatic gauze, but I can hardly blame them for not giving that out free to all participants. All things considered, the amount I paid could hardly have even covered the hotel room and trauma kit, so I have much to thank Buckeye for! Thank you, Buckeye!
My main interest in the class actually wasn't active-killer-related, or shooting-related: it's that it's very hard to find good shoothouse and force on force classes, and I know I need a lot more of that kind of training. Because it is a level 1 class, experienced shooters might shy away. I was concerned that it might be boring, but the scenario-related stuff, plus the medical refresher were definitely needed training for me. And although I probably wouldn't have sought out another active shooter class just as such, I did learn quite a bit, and get some good solid stuff to think about.
It was hot. I did not look at the weather reports, but I believe the heat index was above 100 all three days. The classroom was nice and cool, but we spent little time in it. The force on force house was the worst environment, but we did force on force in a morning, so it was fairly tolerable. Everyone did, I thought, extremely well with the heat, and the instructors were good about reminding/insisting that people drink water.
On to the class itself. There were, I think, 8 instructors present for all or most of the class. There were 13 students in the class. So this was pretty well-supervised! Forrest Sonewald was the lead instructor for the class. I was the only teacher in the class, but I'm not an elementary or secondary school teacher, so even I didn't exactly fit the profile. There was a pretty good number of guys who worked security at their churches or synagogues, and a few others who were just armed citizens looking for good training. In my opinion, they got it. This was a well-designed, well-taught class. Quite a few of the students made really huge strides in their shooting skills, and everyone got to do multiple live fire shoothouse runs, and was exposed to quite a few force-on-force scenarios. I believe we fired around 700 rounds over the 3 days.
I didn't really take notes about the structure of the class, so I can't give a thorough account of how it flowed without risk of misrepresentation. But, roughly: TD1 began with a welcome from John Benner, who wasn't able to participate much in the class. Then we had a lecture from Forrest which gave some history and other facts about active killers. This was well-designed, and we drew on it repeatedly throughout the class. We moved on to some fundamentals of shooting for the remainder of the morning. Over lunch, we had a 2-hour or so medical block of instruction with TJ. This was a mix of lecture and (after we finished eating) hands-on practice with TQ's and such. Afternoon, I believe we went back to the range for the remainder of the day, but as I say, I'm a bit hazy there. Training ran from 8-5.
TD2 began on the range with a one shot drill. They had cones set up to mark lines from I think 7 yards out to something like 25 or so. Students shot this drill individually. We were paired with an instructor and told to walk to the line where we could guarantee a hit. Then we shot from that point together with the instructor. A little pressure. I am pretty sure we spent the rest of the morning on the range. Then we retreated to the classroom for lunch and another medical block. The first day had really just covered the M in MARCH-RE, so this time we talked about the rest of the acronym. At the end of the medical block, we got another chance to practice a bit with the TQ's and then were tested to show we could apply them to a buddy within 30 seconds. I think we also applied them to one of our own legs. Afternoon was shoothouse time. We got a solid lecture on some basics of moving through structures, with a particular focus on an active killer event, where we are not doing a slow search. Then we each did 4 runs, 2 each in 2 shoothouses. In between shoothouse runs, we got a chance to shoot a couple of plate racks and other steel. The plate rack drill was nice: two shooters, taking turns shooting plates. If shooter A hits plate 1, then shooter B shoots at plate 2. If shooter B misses plate 2, then shooter A shoots plate 2, but if shooter B hits plate 2, then shooter A hits 3. Etc, through two racks.
This was a fun drill. Again, we worked from 8-5.
They used to do the medical block in an evening from 6-10 or something. I think that moving it and making it part of two long working lunches is great. I was actually dreading staying at the range until 10pm and was very happy to discover that had changed.
On TD3 we again began with the one shot drill. I think the class did better this time than the first time, but I believe that we still missed 2 out of the 13 shots. Then we shot a practice qual, and then we were off to the force on force house. This is a really cool (I don't mean cool in temperature, unfortunately) 2-story building. I believe we each got to do 3 scenarios, but I don't remember for sure. Then lunch--again, a working lunch, although this time we were just watching a video about concealed carry options for women. Afternoon had us doing more force on force, but they moved us to the shoothouses, which don't have roofs, and have some open walls, so this was much cooler than the force on force house. After a couple three more scenarios, we moved back to the range for the qual. You have two chances to pass the shooting qualification. I believe 3 or 4 people didn't make it the first time through, and I think in the end 2 people did not pass. At least one of them was super close. The other, I think, was kind of suffering from the heat and just wasn't able to get it together. I'm pretty sure he had passed the practice qual that morning.
Then certificates and home: I had a six hour drive so I was happy that we finished up around 4pm. Not everyone got certificates. However, students who did not pass the shooting qual were still given certificates--they just have to return to shoot the qualification to get that element added to their paperwork. I believe the students who didn't get certs had had issues in the shoothouse. The folks at TDI were pretty open the whole time that they were watching us, making notes, and that we weren't guaranteed to pass anything. I guess they weren't kidding. But they obviously didn't demand perfection.
The students were a mixed bag, in terms of shooting skill. There were a few people who were clearly very solid shooters, and others who were much closer to beginners. I think that the instructors were active in coaching the students who were struggling, but I was kind of in my own world on the line, and not trying to watch what was going on with other students. I'm not a great shooter by any means, but I didn't have any issues with the shooting tasks that we were working on, and so I myself didn't really get much coaching. Early on, I was misunderstanding one of the drills and I was pinning the trigger, and an instructor noticed that and came and talked with me, so I know they were attentive to mistakes and were helping students who needed it. And really the improvement speaks for itself. Looking at some of the targets that first morning, I was wondering how many would pass the qual, but...not a problem!
The shooting qual itself, as I understand it, is the OPOTA qualification plus one stage not on OPOTA, for 28 total shots. The target is a silhouette that has a scoring area a fair bit smaller than an IDPA target. But although the target does have A, B and C zones on it, all hits in the silhouette count. So the scoring area is a generous size. The course of fire, as best I can describe it was:
1. At 3 yards, draw and fire 2 to the body, 1 to the head. I think we had 6 seconds?
2. At 4 yards, draw and fire 4 shots strong hand only in 8 seconds. Then transfer the gun to the support hand and from the ready present and fire 4 rounds in I think 6 or 7 seconds.
3. At 7 yards, draw and shoot 3 to slide lock, reload, shoot 3 more. I believe we had 12 seconds for this stage.
4. At 10 yards, draw and fire 3 shots in 8 seconds.
5. At 50 feet, draw and fire 2 shots in 8 seconds.
6. At something like 2 yards, draw, step in, and fire from retention. 3 rounds in maybe 5 seconds or so.
7. From I think 7 or 10 yards, start from the ready, and on the signal move forward, firing 3 rounds on the move before you reach the 3 yard line. I don't remember the time on this one, but I think it was probably 6 or 8 seconds. This is the stage that I think Benner added to the qual that's not part of OPOTA.
As I say, it's not a very difficult course of fire, but it does cover a lot. And it would have been extremely difficult for some of the students on the morning of TD1. Students are generally required to take a one-day "foundations" course before coming to the FASTER level 1 class, to give them some exposure to drawing, and a little coaching on their shooting. So nobody was handling a gun for the very first time.
The instructors had a great rapport with one another and with the students. The facility itself was extraordinary. I didn't see the whole place, but there are at least 3 good-sized modular shoothouses, and the force-on-force house, plus the large air conditioned classroom and at least 3 ranges with steel and such. I don't think I've ever been to a neater range. Previously, the best place I'd had the chance to train at is the Range Complex in Autryville, NC. Still a great place, but I prefer the shoothouses at TDI.
The range is very rural, so you can't just pop out for lunch. You have to plan to bring everything with you. And the hotel is a solid 45 minute drive. So the days are long. I'm tired out.
This was an excellent class and I'm glad I took it. If I can find another good sale next year, I will definitely head back for level 2. Can't afford full price, but at the discounted rate it's a complete no-brainer. Thanks again, Buckeye! And thanks to all the good folks at FASTER and TDI. Great class, good people.
