Sioux Center, Iowa — It’s a sign of the times. In the wake of the Columbine school shootings in 1999 and events such as what recently happened in Paris, school districts are installing secure entrances and training their staff what to do if an armed intruder did happen to get in their school.
Staff at Sioux Center Christian School recently received an overview of the A.L.I.C.E. program of handling active shooter situations. Sioux Center Police Officer and A.L.I.C.E. trainer Josh Koedam says A.L.I.C.E. stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. Developers of A.L.I.C.E. describe it as “taking the lessons learned in the aftermath of Columbine”, and empowering those who find themselves involved in an active shooter situation with options that they can use to save their lives, says Koedam.
Koedam says the training at Sioux Center Christian School is only the latest of several sessions they’ve put on for businesses, schools, and other institutions, both in Sioux Center and elsewhere. He gives us some examples of locations where they’ve trained people in the A.L.I.C.E. methods.
Without going into too many details about A.L.I.C.E. that a potential intruder might use against staff members, Koedam gives us a glimpse into what they teach.
Koedam says taking the A.L.I.C.E. training also helps people to feel a sense of preparedness if they should find themselves in an intruder situation rather than feeling “like a sitting duck.”
If your organization is interested in A.L.I.C.E. training, you can call your local law enforcement agency and they will point you in the right direction.
