Training Day

(Hamilton, OH) - No, not the Denzel Washington/Eathen Hawke action thriller.

(Although when Brian Buchanan of the Hamilton Police Department and Jim Bolen of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency step on stage - electricity.)

Buchanan and Bolen led training sessions on July 2 for the Fitton Center staff and various partners in the arts and business communities.

About 60 people attended as Buchanan discussed active threats and how to best prepare for - and escape from - an unthinkable situation like a shooting, vehicle rampage or other situation that puts lots of innocent people in harm's way.

After a lunch break, Bolen addressed natural disasters - think tornadoes and floods - but addressed the human element, too, with the idea of chemical spills and other shelter-in-place scenarios.

Media outlets including Fox 19, WLWT-TV Channel 5 and the Journal News covered the event.

“You don’t like to think about these things, but as a place where the public gathers, we need to think about these things,” said Fitton Center Executive Director Ian MacKenzie-Thurley. “We are lucky to have such outstanding partners in the police department and in emergency management who are willing to share their expertise.”

“We never want to have to actually use this training. But just in case, we’ll know what to do to keep people as safe as possible in the event of an emergency. It’s important for our staff and for our guests to know we’re doing everything we can to make sure they will be safe when they are here.”

See some photos from the event in the gallery below.