CHICAGO – Instances of interpersonal tensions escalating into violence continue to make headlines and viral videos on social media platforms. That’s why FMI – the Food Industry Association is offering members comprehensive online training for workplace violence prevention, verbal de-escalation, and active assailant preparedness. The training is being offered in partnership with The Power of Preparedness (TPOP), a provider of customized, online training for workplace violence prevention training.

TPOP courses include topics such as situational awareness; verbal de-escalation techniques; active shooter preparedness; and response to injury. The training is interactive and designed to help quickly and efficiently commit the training to memory.

“Our industry leaders have experienced inexplicable crises that tremendously affected their companies, their employees and their communities,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and chief executive officer of FMI. “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 training is tailored for the grocery and food industry and designed to give FMI members and their employees the knowledge and confidence to identify, prevent, and if necessary, minimize potentially violent conflicts.

“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, US Department of Homeland Security. “I applaud FMI and its members for committing to maximize the safety of their workers and customers.”

Doug Baker, vice president of industry relations for FMI, said the training will help members manage and mitigate risk with confidence.

“We know from experience that the way to ensure effective crisis preparation, response and recovery is to build muscle-memory through training and practice,” Baker said.