Lifesaving Training:

Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate; knowing those terms and the steps that go along with them may end up saving a life one day.   

The A.L.I.C.E. training program is an active shooter training program that law enforcement officers as well as civilians are being trained in.  All Concord University officers have been trained in the A.L.I.C.E. program.  Sergeant Terry Moulder with the Concord University Police Department recently led a presentation that went over the basics of how a person should react in an emergency using the A.L.I.C.E. program.   

Moulder emphasized that a person doesn’t have to follow each step of A.L.I.C.E. in order.  Throughout the presentation, he used the example of an active shooter on campus and went through the steps of what to do in that situation.  One thing to remember, however morbid it may seem, is that in most cases, the shooter only has one goal: kill as many people as they can.  Most active shooters don’t actually plan on leaving the premises alive, so they really have nothing to lose.  Knowing the aggressor’s intentions is an important factor in being able to make rational, effective decisions that could save lives if executed properly.  

The “alert” step is when one is first aware of the emergency.  If there were to be a shooter on campus, the alert stage would kick in once the initial gunshot was heard.  This stage is over almost as fast as it starts.   

The “lockdown” step consists of making sure people in the safest place they can possibly be in an emergency situation. Many high schools have drills where they teach students that if a shooter were to enter the school, the best thing to do is lock the door, hide under the desks, and wait.  Contrastingly, Moulder urged against this. Hiding under a desk puts a person in a vulnerable position and makes self-defense significantly more challenging. Instead, make sure the door is secure.  Even if it’s locked, block the door with desks, tie something to the handles or door knob to keep it from being opened from the outside, put a door stop in front of it, or anything else that would slow a person from entering the room.   

The “I” in A.L.I.C.E. stands for “inform.”  Inform covers gathering any information about the hypothetical shooter: their location, how many weapons they have, anything that’s going to give the victims the advantage. The more information that can be gathered, the better, as it will help in the following steps in the A.L.I.C.E. program.  

The “counter” stage is probably the most frightening and longest of any other stage.  Counter is when and if the shooter comes into contact with the victims.  As Moulder said, most active shooters plan on dying during these shootings, so one of the worst things one can do is to try and negotiate with the shooter or talk them out of it, because chances are, they’ve already made up their mind.  If a shooter enters the room, don’t hide, throw whatever is available hand to distract them.  As they’re distracted, take that time to try and engage the shooter and disarm them.  Of course, this works better if there are several people trying to engage the shooter.  Once the shooter is disarmed, Moulder encourages the victims to do whatever they believe is necessary to make themselves feel safe, even if it means shooting the person.  He says “better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6,” referring to the idea that a self-defense trial is much more appealing than a funeral. Once the shooter is dealt with, get rid of the weapon and wait for police to arrive. 

“Evacuate.”  If at all possible, evacuate the building before ever coming into contact with the shooter.  If evacuation is successful, don’t try driving away, because chances are, you’ll get stuck in traffic since everyone else likely had the same first thought.  Instead, leave on foot, either into the woods or into town depending on location and situation. 

One of the most important things to remember, as Moulder put it, is to “go into this thing knowing you’re going to win.”  If one begins an encounter with the mindset that physical harm or death is inevitable, they won’t be in the right mindset to make the appropriate decisions to save their lives. 

Concord University Police are planning on setting up a live practical simulation on campus within the next month or so where students will actually be able to put the A.L.I.C.E. program into action.  For more information, contact the Concord University Police Department at (304)-384-5357, or in case of an emergency, call (304)-384-9334.