FMI offers training on workplace violence prevention and preparedness

FMI - the Food Industry Association, in partnership with The Power of Preparedness (TPOP), will offer its members comprehensive online training for workplace violence prevention, verbal de-escalation and active assailant preparedness. The training, which is custom tailored for the grocery and food industry, aims to give FMI members and their workers the knowledge and confidence to identify, prevent and, if necessary, minimize potentially violent conflicts.

“Our industry leaders have experienced inexplicable crises that tremendously affected their companies, their employees and their communities,” said FMI president and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin. “They have experienced acts of violence and responded with heroism. While we may never be able to make sense of these devastating situations, we must continue to remain vigilant, offer resources and training, and uplift each other when they occur.”

The web-based courses include topics such as situational awareness; verbal de-escalation techniques; active shooter preparedness; and response to injury. The training is interactive, engaging and designed to help quickly and efficiently commit the training to memory. Since the course is accessible from any internet-enabled device, it is ideal for reaching teams of all sizes without the need to organize in-person group events or work around disparate schedules. 

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“Public venues like groceries and retail locations are especially vulnerable to malicious actors, and current societal stressors have heightened the risk of violence,” said William Flynn, TPOP co-founder and chief strategy officer, and former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. “I applaud FMI and its members for committing to maximize the safety of their workers and customers.”

“We know from experience that the way to ensure effective crisis preparation, response and recovery is to build muscle-memory through training and practice,” said Doug Baker, FMI’s vice president of industry relations. “Providing this essential, best-in-class training from The Power of Preparedness (TPOP) will help FMI members to confidently manage and mitigate risk.”

FMI members may take advantage of exclusive member discounts for training their entire organizations. Retailers can visit www.thepowerofpreparedness.com/fmi to learn more and request trial access.