Sunday, August 25, 2013

Anti-Defamation League Has Praise for Frank Storch Guidebook

Frank Storch Wrote "Keep Your School Safe"
Referring to the safety guidebook "Keep Your School Safe," recently published by Frank Storch, the Anti-Defamation said,
“We think it’s a useful resource and a welcome complement to our materials.” 
This statement, made by Elise Jarvis, the ADL’s associate director of law enforcement outreach and communal security, is high praise indeed, considering that the ADL distributes its own safety guidelines booklet.

Frank Storch is uniquely positioned to produce such a useful booklet as a security consultant and the coordinator for the Northern Park Heights Community Response Team in Baltimore. Storch says that he was able to receive some guidance from law enforcement groups and SWAT teams. He also elicited help from US-based and Israeli security and school professionals.
“They gave us a little bit of feedback,” Storch remarks.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Saving Lives with AED

Frank Storch, with the help of others such as Dr. Elimelech Goldstein, launched a program ten years ago which has the potential to save many lives; the AED program. With support from Project Ezra and the Chesed Fund of Baltimore, these pioneers have been installing automated external defibrillators in synagogues and other places where people gather.

Frank Storch said at a fundraiser for the program that,
“Thousands of lives each year would be saved if more defibrillators were placed throughout the country. We, as the Jewish nation, value life tremendously. The Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Program shows achdus, unity, and our commitment to help all Jewish people, regardless of their affiliations,” said Frank Storch, who oversees the Chesed Fund Ltd.

Dr. Goldstein explained a bit about how the program first started back in 2003. Back then he was teaching CPR at local synagogues and schools as a volunteer for project Ezra. The group he worked with had talked about getting AEDs, but they were extremely expensive. But in 2003 the price on a certain model came down to only $1,000, which changed everything.

“We called a meeting together at Suburban Orthodox [Congregation Toras Chaim] for basically every synagogue and Jewish school in the state. We had a pretty full room and we offered the program to everyone. There were not a whole lot of people who turned it down,” recalled Dr. Goldstein.

Within just a few months 14 AEDs were installed in the Balitimore area. Now there are 70 such devices throughout Baltimore, and at least two lives have already been saved.


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Frank Storch Discusses School Safety

For Frank Storch the tragic events which took place in December 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut, were a wake-up call to do something about the safety of children within their schools. Taking the position that no one should any longer take for granted that our children are safe within the walls of their schools, Frank Storch began to write a clear, concise and easy to use guide to creating the most secure school possible for children. Within just a few months “Keep Your School Safe” was ready for distribution.

“My prayer for our community is that we will all do our part to protect ourselves.  It might be a small step like placing a buzzer system at the front doors of our schools or gathering important personnel information in one place in the front office or installing video cameras by each entrance.  The main thing is that we are working to improve the status quo,” Storch said.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Improving Safety in Your School with Frank Storch

The Jewish Federations of North America and the Anti-Defamation League agree that Frank Storch’s guidebook, Keep Your School Safe, is an excellent resource for schools and other institutions that want to improve in-house security.

Elise Jarvis, the associate director of law enforcement, outreach and communal security for the Anti-Defamation League praised Storch’s booklet and believes it will become an essential resource for promoting safety.

We think it’s a useful resource and a welcome complement to our materials,” said Ms. Jarvis. The ADL also publishes guidebooks for improving safety.

At the Jewish Federations of North America, in their Secure Community Network, praise was also heaped on Storch’s work.

“(This booklet is) yet another  excellent tool to equip our community leaders and those of you whom are responsible for securing our children, with the knowledge to better understand the risks, threats and vulnerabilities we all face and be empowered, to effect change, and to implement a true culture of security within our schools and institutions.”