In the wake of the most recent tragedy involving an active shooter, I wanted to share some of the work that we here in Kewaunee County have been doing to better prepare ourselves, as well as our response partners, should the unthinkable occur here in our communities.

Over the past two years we have been working very closely with our counterparts in Fire and EMS to develop protocols and plans that will assist us in coordinating our response in such events.

We began with several meetings to define our roles and develop plans that make the best use of our resources, both in personnel and equipment.

We then developed table-top exercises to better understand what those resources would look like and operate like in a given specific scenario. These exercises provided some great learning experiences that we then implemented as we transitioned to full-scale drills which were conducted in both local schools and private facilities.

The next step in preparing our communities is expanding our outreach and inviting members of our community, both in the private and public sectors, to engage in conversations surrounding their own specific needs and help in planning around their facilities and operations.

Earlier this week, I was honored to be a presenter at an event hosted by Northeast Wisconsin Technical College which focused on safety planning for houses of worship. It was a great opportunity to present information on considerations related to planning before an event, response and reaction during the event, and follow-up, in which we discussed aftercare and debriefings.  

It is truly unfortunate that we find ourselves in a world where these discussions must take place, but we cannot dismiss the many tragedies and regard them as events that will happen “somewhere else.”

We are blessed to have so many public safety servants throughout our communities who, when needed, will rush in the direction of danger in an effort to minimize the carnage and devastation should a tragedy befall us.

However, good intentions are not enough. We must mobilize and coordinate these resources in a manner that will be the most effective. To do this we must start the conversations and commit to deliberate planning and coordination.

Toward this effort, I am offering the support and resources of the Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department to any and all organizations, businesses and educational facilities who would like to engage in the conversation of planning and preparing for critical incidents.

While there are many contributing factors to the rise of such events, the one common denominator has been the selfless and courageous response we have seen not only from our public safety community but also everyday citizens who view their roles in our community as something greater. These acts of evil will only succeed when they result in the division of communities and the undermining of our faith in each other. We must deny them that victory.

I can be contacted at 920-388-7177. Thank you.

Matt Joski is Kewaunee County Sheriff.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Sheriff: Help us prepare for possible mass shooting incidents