There have been zero deaths due to fire in schools for the past fifty years. Why? Because students are prepared. They practice fire drills so they know exactly what to do in the event of an actual fire. The same concept applies to active shooter situations, which are sadly becoming a reality for many schools around the country. Campus Security at Elizabethtown College has introduced a program to prepare students for such a crisis. The program is known by its acronym, ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate.
The first ALICE training session for the semester was held by Director of Campus Security Andrew Powell and Assistant Director Dale Boyer on Wednesday, Jan. 20 in Hoover 110. Many of the students in attendance were education majors. They believe this training is important for them to learn and apply to classrooms. “I’m going to be a teacher so it would be helpful to know for when I’m in a classroom,” senior Allison McLamb said. “I want to know how to communicate these types of situations to children,” senior Joelle Ford added.
Alert is the first stage, in which the campus is informed of the situation. The EC Alert system, which sends out messages via email, phone and text, is an essential notification channel. Getting out accurate information is essential, Boyer said.
The Inform step ties in closely with Alert. Students are encouraged to report tips to Campus Security and 911. The information students should provide includes their location, the number of shooters and weapons, the type of weapons (physical descriptions are all that is needed if unsure about the name of the gun), whether the shooter is carrying bags (which might contain additional weapons or explosives), a physical description of the shooter and whether there are any injuries.
Humans have three natural responses to danger: fight, flight, and freeze. ALICE works with these natural instincts to develop a response. Lockdowns have traditionally been ineffective, making students easy targets, but ALICE offers an enhanced lockdown option. Evacuate goes along with the flight instinct, and Counter offers a way to fight back.
Before ALICE was created in 2000, standard procedure was a passive lockdown where students locked the doors, turned out the lights, and crouched against the farthest wall. As Boyer put it, such nonresistance is counterintuitive. The police will arrive and subdue the shooter within an average of five to six minutes. What ALICE does is teach students what to do in the meantime. “Anything you can do to soak up time gives the law enforcement time to respond,” Boyer said.
Physical barriers play a large role in buying time. Students are encouraged to get creative, looking for objects around them. A board secured in place by a cord is a good barrier that can be replicated with available materials. Anything heavy, preferably with wheels for ease of movement, can be used to block the door.
Evacuation is often the best option. Identify your available exit points and break a window if necessary. As Powell put it, “We’d much rather replace a window than have twenty people dead.”
With the Counter step, Boyer said, “We’re not saying you need to fight back, but we need to give you the option.” As he pointed out, civilians have intervened in many situations. When people are prepared to act and follow through there are fewer casualties, and though some people are likely to get shot, many more will survive because of the steps taken to neutralize the threat. Shooters aren’t usually highly skilled. Anything to distract the shooter, from noise and movement to throwing objects or swarming, will decrease shooting accuracy.
Boyer stated that the goals of this program are to make a safer campus and possibly save lives. The better trained we are, he said, the higher our survival rate. He aims to eventually educate the entire campus in ALICE techniques. “We’re trying to roll it out incrementally,” Boyer explained. “We’d like to make it part of first year orientation so in four years we’ll have the whole school trained.”
The most important thing for students to take away from the training, Boyer said, “is the realization you have options, there are things you can do besides just cowering against the wall waiting to become victims. You can survive, it’s not hopeless.”
There was a second session on Wednesday, Jan. 27 in Nicarry 205, and there will be additional sessions once a month for the rest of the semester. “We’re trying to get this out to as many people as possible, so please spread the word,” Powell said.
