France, still reeling from the Bastille Day terrorist attack that killed 84 people in Nice, was once again the target of a recent ISIS attack. The horrific story tells of two men cutting the throat of Father Jacques Hamel as he celebrated mass in Normandy on Tuesday.

It is the second terrorist attack in France in less than two weeks. Domestically, it opens wounds of the year-old mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, in which nine people, including the senior pastor, were shot and killed. As such, it prompts questions and discussion about everything from terrorism to border safety to gun control. One of the most important discussions that can come from this is one of proactivity.

Unfortunately, with all the horrible events taking place on an almost daily basis, this can happen anywhere at anytime. There are no ready answers, but the only sure-fire way to combat incidents like these is to be prepared.

It’s tough — and downright sickening — to imagine something like this happening in this community, the conversation has been encouraged. After what happened in Charleston last year, the Harvest Church worked with Washington Police Department to host a question-and-answer session that mostly focused on active shooter situations.

But any place could be a potential target. It was less than four years ago that a shooter targeted Sandy Hook Elementary school, killing 20 children and six adults. The discussion that Harvest Church facilitated for local congregations needs to take place in all kinds of environments.

Schools, households and workplaces should all have action plans, not just for active shooter and violent scenarios, but also for everything from fires to natural disasters, too. The best way to combat these situations is to be prepared to face them.

A set action plan should the events in France take place here could be the difference between lives lost and lives saved.