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Utah seniors train to react to active shooter situation

Posted at 10:06 PM, Apr 25, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-26 00:06:31-04

SALT LAKE CITY – It’s not the first place one would expect to see an active shooter, but they feel like they are some of the most prepared.

“You just don’t know what can happen these days; anyone can walk through the doors,” said a woman named Wendy, a resident at The Ridge Senior Living Center in Salt Lake City.

A local Utah-based company, TigerLite, brought a device called the D.A.D. (Defense Alert Device) to the Center Wednesday afternoon. Instructor Gloria Marcott helped show off the device and teach other self-defense tactics.

“You have to take your own personal safety into account every day, every day, every day,” repeated Marcott.

She’s been in law enforcement for 20 years and says: “There’s nothing like this. It has a G.P.S. on it and that’s the game changer. The G.P.S. means you’re not alone in this. What it’s going to do is send a signal to anyone whose within a mile of you to let them know, in your worst event of your life, I’m in danger, and here’s my coordinates on a map.”

In order to see the alerts, you need to download the D.A.D. 2 mobile app on your phone. Alerts can come via email or text.

“We’ve been working with police and military for years,” said company founder Michael Teig.

He said the device was inspired while thinking of a way to keep his daughters safe as they walked around their college campus.