As a father, I know the joy that comes from watching my children learn and grow. I feel their excitement when they come home from school brimming with stories, and share their pride as they compete, sing, or build something new. And I also know the overwhelming desire to keep them safe. It’s an instinct I share with parents everywhere.
Every day as our kids head off to school, we assume they’ll be home at the end of the day. The unfortunate truth, however, is always right beneath the surface of our assumptions: whether natural or man-made, bad things happen to good people.
Bad things could happen to you, things beyond your control. But there are things within your control— by learning how to be vigilant and aware, you have the power to prevent bad things from happening or escalating. Recent events have brought safety to the headlines again. Violence is spreading to more unlikely places, hitting closer to home for some. Frighteningly, violence can occur anywhere at any time. One person has a bad day, or finally breaks under the strain of too many bad days, and takes action that shatters so many lives forever.
We are vulnerable. But we are not helpless.
M3 Senior Risk Manager, Ted Hayes has made it a personal and professional mission to keep our schools and organizations safe. He believes that the real work lies in recognizing, reducing, and eliminating injury exposures and security threats— before bad things happen. He believes in being vigilant about asking tough questions and tracking the dangers of our ever-changing culture and environment. He believes in creating action plans in advance, so they are ready when needed. (Although hopefully, they never are needed.)
Ted believes the key is to be ‘prepared, not scared.’ That phrase really packs a punch. Dangerous things are out there. We can’t cower in anticipation or they win by TKO without even entering the ring. We can, however, educate ourselves so we are ready when the unthinkable happens.
I am proud of Ted– proud that he is part of the M3 team, proud of his passion, his purpose, and that he has helped so many become safer and smarter. With people like Ted on our side, the good guys have a fighting chance.
