Announcing: Collective Threat Response Initiative

In recent weeks, we have all experienced horror, grief, anger, and deep concern for our friends and families in Israel and around the world.

We mourn the loss of men, women, and children, including infants and Holocaust survivors, who were slaughtered and abducted in Hamas' cruel assault.  To us, the fallen were more than just victims; they were family - our brothers and sisters, our parents and our children. For those of us who served, many were our brothers and sisters in arms. We are also witnessing a distressing display of hate and dehumanization of Jews around the world, along with support for those who inflicted the worst massacre on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

Jews in America are scared, but we don’t have to be.

From the darkest days in our recent history, countless stories are now emerging of individuals who bravely fought back against the terrorist army or rushed to aid the wounded and protect the vulnerable. These acts of courage and selflessness serve as a remarkable source of inspiration.

As Ellie Wiesel wrote, “’Never Again’ is more than a slogan… it is a vow.” For us, it is a call to action. And so, we have made the decision to soft launch a security initiative ahead of schedule so that we can help serve and protect the Jewish communities of the Greater Washington DC region, including Northern Virginia and Montgomery County, MD.

We hereby present the Collective Threat Response Initiative (CTRI).

We come from a background of service in law enforcement, emergency management, homeland security, fire/rescue, the US military, and the IDF.  We are passionate about keeping the Jewish community safe.

Our mission is to protect the Jewish community by providing professional and licensed armed security services using volunteers from the Jewish community who have successfully completed our extensive training academy. Our non-profit purpose is clear: Securing the Jewish Community, With the Jewish Community.

Effective immediately, our leadership team are available to support the Greater Washington DC Jewish community with security assessments and Stop the Bleed / Until Help Arrives training.   

We will be working as quickly as possible to finalize our non-profit status and to recruit volunteer candidates for our first Virginia security guard training academy class.  We are also seeking synagogues and Jewish community institutions to partner with, and donors to help support our efforts.

We are currently offering the following training and resources:

  1. Stop the Bleed Training

  2. Site Security Assessments

  3. Active Shooter Awareness

  4. Personal Security Awareness

Please visit our web site to learn how you can help us, support us, join us, and use our services.

We look forward to working with the community.

 Sincerely,

 

Steve Birnbaum, CEO

Matt Watson, Director of Training

Eric Rasmussen, MD, MDM, FAC, Board of Directors

Aaron Gross, Board of Directors

Barak Engel, Board of Directors