AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Local emergency management leaders combined forces to form #StrongAugusta months ago. Now they are taking their work to the national level.

It’s a training that teaches organizations like churches, hospitals and schools, how to prepare, respond, and recover from an active shooter situation.

The organization has already hosted three trainings and continues to add to its list of community partners. Most recently #StrongAugusta added Paine College, Fort Gordon, and Columbia County EMA to this list, among others.

The#StrongAugusta cadre agencies work together to implement an national standard known as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 3000, which offers a more cohesive response to an active shooter situation.

It’s the NFPA’s standard the group teaches to local organizations.

“All of the partners understand and realize that should the unthinkable happen here, just like it has happened in other places, we’re able to look and learn from those other places and we know what that looks like. And in addition to that, there’s now a standard. Up to now, there hasn’t been a written published standard,” explained Joe Webber with Augusta University Critical Event Preparedness and Response.

Even though the group has only been in existence a short time, #StrongAugusta leaders will present their work to members of Congress in May and on a panel at the NFPA conference in Las Vegas in June.

“So you’ll have folks that will be in our session that will say, hopefully, ‘That’s a good idea. Let me talk to them about how they’re doing that.’ Hopefully that’s how we’re a force multiplier. Not only are we keeping our community safer, but we’re setting examples for other communities around the country on how to keep themselves safe from this threat as well,” said John Ryan, an Emergency Manager at AU.

If your organization wants to become a partner or receive training, you can call John Ryan at (706)495-6958, or email strongaugusta@augusta.edu.