Frequently Asked Questions
F.A.Q.’s
TEACHERS:
I am a teacher and I have never shot a gun; should I be afraid of this? What kind of training, if any, can I get? Am I going to be expected to leave my classroom and confront a shooter in the hall or other parts of the school?
First of all, there is nothing to be afraid of. This is not a gun. There is no gunpower or explosive.
The launcher works with compressed air. The air tanks are the same as used in paintball guns.
Also, you don’t have to worry about aiming. A gun shoots a small bullet at a small target area.
Our 3D darts are 1.5” wide by 11” long. Your target area will be 2.5 feet by 3.5 feet. Even if you miss the shooter and hit the door or wall near him the star burst effect of the spinning dart will still have a disorienting effect. And remember you will also have a second dart.
No, you will not be expected to leave your classroom. This device is supposed to fill in that gap of giving you an effective last line of defense that you don’t have now when and if a shooter tries to enter your classroom. See the training segment below.
ADMINISTRATORS:
What risk is there to the children? Where will these be stored? Will they be locked up? How do we train our staff?
Who will be responsible for maintaining these devices and how much maintenance do they require.
The only risk to the children would be that they might breath in or get a small amount of the composite dust in their eyes. There is nothing toxic in this dust and it can be easily rinsed out of eyes with water. A child with asthma might need their inhaler if they are within three or four feet of the impact area. The heavy dust falls quickly to the ground.
We would advise having one Bopper in every classroom or at least every home room.
However, where ever they are stored, they should be locked up. We are having a few locking
rack options produced.
Only trained teachers will have keys. Each key will fit every rack. And the racks should have quick and easy access in case they are needed.
Each school will have a program administrator who will be responsible for overseeing teacher training, handing out keys, and maintaining the launchers and darts. There are air pressure gauges on the launchers similar to those on fire extinguishers. They should be looked at monthly.
The darts have a two-year shelf life and should be replaced every other year.
The launchers are being produced by a military contractor and made to the same rugged standards that are required by the Army. They should not require maintenance, even over many years.
TRAINING:
NOTE: We constantly refer to the “Bopper Defense System.”
We want everyone to realize that this “system” is not just the Bopper device and 3D darts.
Our goal is to provide a fully integrated tool into a schools’ already existing defense programs.
We are not supplanting what you are doing now, but instead working with each school to enhance each step of your program. Also, we hope to provide an additional venue with which you can communicate with other schools and share their experiences in this arena.
Every school will have a program administrator. This will be the person with whom we will be communicating. They will be provided with all the tools necessary to train teachers and other school employees. These things will include training films, school audit manuals*, and testing materials**. Dummy darts will be provided so teachers can have a little target practice and feel comfortable with the Boppers.
*Audit Manuals: Our system is designed to be a last line of defense. Teachers have been taught “Hide” protocols but all worry about what to do next if a shooter breaks into their classroom while they are hiding.
Just handing them a Bopper is not enough. Remember our 3D’s. The first is to Distract. The auditors look for Things that are already in the classroom that can be easily used as additional distractions as the shooters are trying to get into the classroom. Like putting a desk or two chairs in front of the door or other objects that can cause tripping or using anything to draw the shooter’s attention. The auditor has already checked to see which way the door opens and will know where to tell the teachers to position themselves so they can “Bop” the shooter as they are coming through the door (tripping on something else) before they actual get into the classroom.
The next D is to Disorient. The starburst from the dart will have a temporary disorienting effect.
There should be discussions on what to look for and how to react. Remember the Bopper carries a second dart! As with the final D which is possibly disarm. Again, this requires discussions.
Our goal here is not only to make programs more effective, but more so to give the teacher, students and parents more confidence about being in a classroom with this ominous threat always lingering around.
** After training any teacher who will be issued a key should have to take a test confirming that they have been through the training and understand everything that was shown them.