Partnership

On June 7th, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine released recommendations from his School Safety Task Force Report at a news conference in the Ohio Statehouse. DeWine convened his School Safety Task Force in December to bring together school administrators, emergency first responders, and government officials to improve Ohio school safety practices. Included in the Attorney General’s many recommendations is the concept that –Lockdown is no longer a sufficient standalone strategy to secure in place.

The report states that with regard to active shooter situations that:

1. Optional responses must now include barricading, evacuating and distracting.
2. Schools are required to be proactive, plan, prepare, and train their staff and buildings accordingly.

The sustainability of the Attorney General’s plan hinges, however, on local law enforcement partnering with school officials, students, teachers and parents. 

ALICE equips you with strategies to better prepare for life-and-death encounters.  ALICE is not designed to be sequential but rather to be utilized dynamically in each unique situation. ALICE training addresses each component.

Alert focuses on simple, clear communication. ALICE, along with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), recommends plain and specific language. ALICE training discusses methods for clearly conveying warnings and the ways various communication technologies can facilitate those messages.

Lockdown can be a valid response but should be used as a semi-secure starting point from which to make survival decisions. ALICE training explains scenarios where lockdown is the preferable option and dispels myths about traditional lockdown procedures. Relying on lockdown alone will significantly endanger occupants in a violent intruder situation. ALICE trainers instruct on practical techniques for how to better barricade a room, what to do with mobile and electronic devices, how and when to communicate with police, and how to use your time in lockdown to prepare to use other strategies (i.e. Counter or Evacuate) that might come into play should the active shooter gain entrance.

Inform is a continuation of Alert and uses any means necessary to pass on real-time information. Video surveillance, 911 calls and PA announcements are just a few of the channels that may be used. Information should always be clear and direct and, as much as possible, should focus on communicating the whereabouts of the intruder. If the shooter is known to be in an isolated section of a building, occupants in other wards can safely evacuate while those in direct danger can lockdown and prepare to counter. Knowledge is the key to survival.

Counter is the application of skills to distract, confuse and gain control through the use of simple proactive techniques. Counter focuses on actions that create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately. ALICE does not endorse civilians fighting an active shooter unless confronted directly in a life-and-death situation. Counter is a last-ditch and worst-case scenario option.

Evacuate is always the preferable response. Our human instinct in the face of danger is to remove ourselves from that threat. ALICE training provides techniques for safer and more strategic evacuations. Many useful techniques exist and can save your life. ALICE trainers teach strategies for evacuating through windows, from higher floors and under extreme duress. ALICE trainers also give instructions on what to do at rally points, including communicating with law enforcement and administering first aid. Evacuation is the number one goal.

To learn more about the Ohio Attorney General’s recommendations and
what you can do to help better prepare your local schools and community

Please Contact:

Executive Director Donna Braxton, OACP at
donna.braxton@oacp.org or 614-761-0330
or
Frank Griffith, ALICE Training Institute at
fgriffith@alicetraining.com or 330-661-0106 x1007

Our partnership enables OACP Members to bring ALICE to their schools, businesses and communities while providing discounts for those trained.  And the ALICE program is not just for schools.  The program is applicable to any business or corporate setting.