ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF PREPAREDNESS
Prepared for Life. Ready to Protect What Matters.
Preparedness begins with people. The knowledge, decisions, and actions we take before an emergency can make a meaningful difference when it matters most. Yet many families, schools, and organizations lack the practical training and guidance they need to respond confidently when the unexpected happens.
In 2018, Shawn Rafferty founded SPR Group LLC, a security consulting and preparedness company built on more than 30 years of experience in military service, law enforcement, executive protection, and security leadership.
School of Preparedness is the training division of SPR Group LLC, created to make practical safety education and preparedness training accessible to the people who need it most. Through specialized programs, training resources, and educational communities, we help parents, educators, individuals, and organizations develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to better protect themselves and others.
Our mission extends beyond any single audience. Through the School Preparedness Network (SPN), we support schools and educators. Through the Family Preparedness Network (FPN), we help families and individuals build a stronger foundation for safety. As we grow, we aim to bring these resources to more workplaces and organizations.
Together, these initiatives advance one shared mission: helping people become better prepared to protect what matters most.
Our Mission
Our mission is simple: help people protect what matters most through education, preparation, and practical training.
We believe preparedness should not be driven by fear. It should be built on knowledge, planning, confidence, and a willingness to take action before a crisis occurs.
Whether you are a parent protecting your family, an educator responsible for students, or a business owner looking out for your employees, you deserve access to useful information and training that help you make informed decisions.
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to be better prepared. Our mission is to make practical safety education and preparedness training accessible to families, schools, and organizations, helping people gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to protect what matters most.
Your ability to prepare should never be limited by your ability to pay.
We want to bridge the gap between professional security knowledge and everyday preparedness, giving individuals and organizations practical tools they can use in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
One Mission. Three Ways to Make a Difference.
School of Preparedness
School of Preparedness brings together practical safety education, preparedness resources, and training designed to help people recognize concerns, make informed decisions, and respond more effectively when emergencies occur.
Our goal is to make preparedness understandable, accessible, and relevant to everyday life, not just something people think about after an incident.
Through education, planning, and practical training, we aim to help individuals and organizations build confidence, strengthen readiness, and develop a proactive approach to safety.
School Preparedness Network (SPN)
Schools have a responsibility that extends far beyond the classroom. Educators and administrators balance countless demands while creating an environment where students can learn and staff can work with confidence.
The School Preparedness Network helps schools and educators strengthen their preparedness through practical training, shared knowledge, and resources designed for the school environment.
Through programs such as TEACHERS FIRST, we help school personnel build situational awareness, improve emergency communication, understand response options, and develop the knowledge they need to better protect their students and one another.
Our vision is to help make preparedness an ongoing part of school culture, supported by education, thoughtful planning, and collaboration.
We want schools to have access to practical resources that help them take meaningful steps toward preparedness, regardless of their size or available resources.
Family Preparedness Network (FPN)
Preparedness starts at home, where parents and caregivers play an important role in helping children develop safe habits and make good decisions.
The Family Preparedness Network brings safety education and practical preparedness resources to families and individuals. Through programs such as KIDS FIRST and other preparedness training, we aim to help parents teach their children age-appropriate safety skills, build awareness, and become better prepared for unexpected situations.
Our goal is to help families replace uncertainty with knowledge and take practical steps toward protecting the people they love.
Preparedness does not have to be complicated or overwhelming. Small steps, clear information, and consistent learning can help families build a stronger foundation for safety.
As the network grows, we aim to provide additional resources that help individuals and families prepare for a wider range of everyday safety concerns and unexpected events.
Expanding Preparedness to the Workplace
The principles of preparedness extend beyond homes and schools. Businesses and other organizations also have a responsibility to consider the safety of their employees, visitors, and operations.
Our long-term vision includes expanding practical preparedness education and training to workplaces, helping business owners and organizational leaders identify concerns, improve emergency planning, strengthen communication, and prepare their teams to respond more effectively.
Regardless of the environment, the objective remains the same: give people the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions and protect one another.
Experience That Drives Our Mission
My commitment to preparedness comes from more than three decades of experience in military service, law enforcement, federal investigations, executive protection, and security consulting.
I began my career as a United States Marine and later served as a corrections officer and police officer. My career then took me into international security and protective operations, where I helped safeguard U.S. ambassadors and other senior diplomatic personnel in challenging overseas environments.
I subsequently served as a federal agent on protective details responsible for cabinet-level officials, coordinating security operations and working alongside diverse teams to protect people, manage risks, and prepare for complex events.
Throughout my career, I have led security teams, developed emergency procedures, conducted vulnerability assessments, delivered training, and worked with organizational leaders to turn security concerns into practical plans.
These experiences reinforced an important lesson: effective preparedness begins long before an emergency. People need clear plans, practical training, reliable communication, and an understanding of their roles. Waiting until something happens is not a strategy.
I founded SPR Group LLC to put those lessons to work for the people and organizations that can benefit from them most. Through School of Preparedness, I continue that commitment by translating professional experience into practical education that people can use in their everyday lives.
Why This Matters to Me
In 2007, after returning to the United States from Iraq, I heard news coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. As I thought about the lives lost and the families forever changed, I kept coming back to one question:
What can we do to help people become better prepared before something like this happens?
That question stayed with me for years. I began thinking about how ordinary people could receive better education, how organizations could prepare their personnel more effectively, and how communication between organizations and first responders could be improved.
In 2018, I turned that commitment into action by establishing SPR Group LLC. Since then, I have continued developing practical training and resources to help schools, families, and individuals take a more proactive approach to safety.
The work is about more than responding to an active threat. It is about building awareness, developing good habits, planning ahead, and helping people understand what they can do to protect themselves and others.
For me, this has always been about making a difference before a preventable tragedy changes someone's life forever.
Our Commitment to You
We know parents, educators, and business leaders already have plenty of responsibilities. Preparedness training should help them meet those responsibilities, not overwhelm them.
That is why we focus on making our resources practical, accessible, and relevant to real-world needs. We want to help people take manageable steps toward becoming better prepared, whether that means learning a new skill, reviewing an emergency plan, improving communication, or teaching a child an important safety lesson.
We believe access to preparedness education should not be reserved for those with the largest budgets. Families should have opportunities to learn. Schools should have practical options for training their staff. Organizations should be able to find resources that fit their needs and circumstances.
Our commitment is to make preparedness more accessible without losing sight of what matters most: useful information, quality education, and training people can put into practice.
We also believe preparedness is a shared responsibility. Families, schools, organizations, and first responders all have important roles to play. Better education and preparation can help people work together more effectively when it matters most.
No training can eliminate every risk or guarantee a particular outcome. But better preparation can help people make more informed decisions, respond with greater confidence, and improve their readiness for the unexpected.
Our goal is to make preparedness part of everyday life, not an afterthought.
Thank you for being part of that mission. Together, we can help build safer, more prepared families, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Shawn Rafferty
Founder, SPR Group LLC
School of Preparedness | School Preparedness Network | Family Preparedness Network
