Terry O'Donnell, a former TSA agent and current security officer, spoke to Boardman Rotary on Tuesday about ALICE training in school systems, universities, healthcare systems and the workplace. 
 
ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate, is a method of training for dealing with an active shooting scenario. It was developed by Greg Craine, a law enforcement officer, in response to the mass shootings at Columbine High School. One of Craine's reasons for creating the training was to protect his wife, a high school principal at the time. 
 
As Terry explained, each letter stands for a specific step in the training:
 
A: Alert, such as the sound of gunshots, or perhaps someone makes an announcement over a loud speaker. This alerts people to be aware of the situation. 
L: Lockdown, this could be one of the ways an individual in the scenario chooses to protect his or herself. This could include locking the door plus barricading the door with anything possible. This could not only protect the individuals inside, but buy them time as the shooter would have to work through the barricade. Also, gather anything possible that can be used as a weapon. 
I: Inform, real-time information is always a help. If possible, use a cell phone to inform authorities as to your location, including room number and location in the room. 
C:Counter, use anything you can to attack or distract the shooter in a moment of surprise. Aim for the head, and try to buy time to run. If there are enough people, there is also the option to swarm a shooter and hold the shooter down. 
E: Evacuate, this is a decision that the group can make as long as they know that it is safe to do so. This means knowing where the active shooter is located. 
 
If you do get the gun from the shooter, do not hold onto it. Push it away from the shooter, throw it in the trash can, anything, but don't hold onto it. If you are holding onto the gun when the authorities arrive, you don't want a case of mistaken identity. 
 
For more information on ALICE, please visit: ​http://www.alicetraining.com/