HURON — Huron Regional Medical Center (HRMC) recently hosted Active Shooter Response instructor training through Alert Lockdown Inform Counter and Evacuate (ALICE) Training Institute for more than 20 individuals from South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Course attendees from a variety of fields including health care, law enforcement, education and manufacturing participated in the training.

ALICE Training is a two-day course consisting of classroom learning and active shooter scenario training. All attendees completed the training and are now certified to provide Active Shooter Response training to employees of their respective organizations.

HRMC Safety Officer, Teresa Gange, coordinated bringing the ALICE Training to Huron. “As Safey Officer, it’s important to know that we are able to protect our staff and patients if we are ever in an active shooter situation,” she expressed. “We learned that being prepared is a must, there are many things you can use to protect yourself that one would not normally think about in an active shooter situation and coming together and working as a team is extremely important.”

Concepts taught in the ALICE Training align with the acronym.

Alert is the first notification of danger when seconds count. ALICE teaches overcoming denial and recognizing signs of danger.

Lockdown is the best option if evacuation is not a safe option. ALICE trainers instruct on practical techniques for barricading a room, what to do with mobile and electronic devices, how and when to communicate with police and how to prepare when in lockdown.

Inform consists of real-time communication tips, such as indicating the intruders location and direction in real-time.

Counter is a strategy of last-resort and include actions that create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent to reduce the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately. This does not include actively confronting a violent intruder.

Evacuate from harms way when safe to do so is recommended, with safe and strategic tips for evacuation under extreme duress.

The ALICE Training program teaches proactive response options to change the way people in schools, universities, businesses, hospitals, and places of worship respond to armed intruders, empowering individuals to make their own life-saving decisions.

Brandon Peschong, engineering technician in the HRMC facilities department was among the certified attendees. “ALICE Training gave me the resources, abilities and confidence to lead others in our organization to the best course of action if an active shooter situation arises.”