From the Premier Safe & Loved Course:
Certified E-SAT Practitioners

I was driving down the highway when I saw a pickup truck on the opposite side that had flipped multiple times and was blocking both lanes.

It had just happened. 

People were running toward it. 

Everything from the truck was scattered across the road as if it had been picked up by a tornado, spun, and slammed back down. 

It was crazy. 

I crossed the grassy median and pulled up as close as I could. By the time I got there, at least 10 people were already at the truck. 

The front windshield was a splintered spiderweb. Someone had climbed inside the cab to help the driver—an elderly man with a deep, nasty gash across his forehead. 

When I looked inside and saw the driver dangling upside down, still strapped in by his seatbelt, my first thought was golden hour. 

It’s a military term.

It means you have about an hour—maybe less—to get that person into surgery. 

The truck was resting on the driver’s side so getting him out wasn’t going to be easy. Worse, the truck was tilting and looked like it could roll onto its roof at any moment. Six or seven men braced themselves against it, holding it in place. 

I bent back the broken windshield and held it open so a nurse could crawl inside. 

Then another nurse showed up. She dropped down near me and started offering suggestions to her colleague inside the truck. 

Around us, more people kept arriving.
Dozens ran toward the scene without hesitation.

Some cleared debris so the ambulance could get through.
Others relieved the men holding up the truck. Everyone found a way to help. 

At one point, at least 30 people were actively involved. 

And as I stood there—taking it all in—a thought hit me. 

This is the world we actually live in.

Not the one on the news but this one. 

A world where people run toward danger to help a stranger.
Where they take on risk without being asked and just do what needs to be done because it’s the right thing. 

There’s a lot of lessons we can learn from that moment, but here are 3 that can help us with school safety.

1. A clear purpose drives everything
   

   There was no confusion, no debate, and no competing priorities.

   We all shared the same goal – get him into an ambulance as fast as possible.

   When the purpose is clear, people can be assertive. They can move fast and act independently without having to be told what to do. 

   If you want strong school safety, the purpose must be just as clear. 

   It’s one of the many reasons I’ve adopted Safe & Loved.

   We all want to be safe. We all want to be loved and we all want the same for everyone else. That’s our common purpose, our shared goal.

   When I was in the Marine Corps we had something very similar.
   Win battles and train Marines. 

   I cannot tell you how many times I stopped activities that did not directly support those goals. These simple goals gave me clarity, permission, and encouragement to take initiative. 

   It simplified decision-making. 

   It helped me prioritize what mattered and let go of what didn’t. It reduced hesitation. It created confidence to act without waiting for approval. 

   When the mission is clear, people move with greater speed, independence, and purpose.

2. A clear purpose drives everything
   

   No one stood around waiting to be told what to do.
   They saw what needed to be done and helped in whatever way they could.

   That is where school safety often breaks down. 

   We make it too complicated and treat it as if it belongs only to the principal, SRO, counselor, or crisis team. 

   Safety belongs to everyone.

   E-SAT makes it easy for everyone to play a part by blending proven violence prevention techniques into everyday interactions. 

   All you have to do is just engage—interact with each other—and safety becomes automatic. 

   Everyone can do that.

   When it’s simple, everyone participates.

3. Encouragement multiplies effort.
   

   No one criticized what someone wasn’t doing. Instead, they encouraged each other in whatever role they were playing—big or small.

   “Excellent job clearing the road.”
   “I’m so happy you’re here.”
   “Thank you for helping!”

   At one point, a young woman watching the men hold the truck in place said, just loud enough for them to hear, “What brave men.”

   You could see the effect ripple through them.

   They stiffened their backs. Stood taller and pushed harder to hold up the truck.

   Encouragement builds energy and energy saves lives.

   Too often in schools we focus on what people missed instead of what they are doing right. School safety improves when we catch people doing the right thing and encourage their effort.

   You’re doing a great job.
   We couldn’t do this without you.
   I’m so happy you’re here.
   You help keep this place safe and our kids feel loved.
   Thank you for all you do.
   I love you.

   When people feel valued and encouraged, the more they engage and the less vulnerabile our schools are to violence, disruptions, and burnout.

And maybe this is the most important lesson of all.

Those of us in violence prevention are trained to notice danger. Sometimes we become so focused on the bad that it starts to feel like that is all there is. 

But the world is not full of hate. Far from it. 

I know that because on one random day, on a busy highway, a large group of strangers stepped into danger to help someone they did not know and would never see again. 

If that’s not the opposite of hate, what is? 

Sometimes we listen to the loudest voices instead of watching the kindest hearts. 

That’s what I saw that day and that’s what I see every day in schools.
I see what this world is really like. People showing up for each other. 

And that’s the reality of school safety.