Photo by Charlene Corson Selbee
On Thursday, April 3, Houston County Investigator Chris Frick and Sergeant Zach Swedberg led two active shooter training seminars. Approximately 50 Houston County employees attended the informative sessions.
The Houston County Sheriff’s office uses the ALICE model – an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate – for training purposes. The ALICE model, one of many active shooter training models, was selected by Sheriff Brian Swedberg and Chief Deputy Bill Hargrove because they believed it best fit the county’s needs.
ALICE was designed as a program for civilians that “addresses the fallacies of a one-size-fits-all response plan by explaining the truths and realities of Violent Critical Incidents. The reality is that extremely tragic outcomes in these events can be mitigated. They are very much survivable. Through training and empowerment, citizens can apply the ALICE proactive strategies and improve chances of survival in any environment where they may find themselves confronted by an active shooter or violent intruder.”
Frick and Swedberg began by acknowledging that it’s easy to believe a mass shooting could never happen in Houston County. However, they shared that one of the two shooters responsible for the tragic attack near Jonesboro, Ark., – where four students and a teacher were killed and 10 others wounded – was originally from Spring Valley, Minn.
The one-and-a-half-hour workshop was held in the Emergency Operations Center in the lower level of the Houston County Justice Center (CJC) in Caledonia. The three doors in the conference room that open out were used to demonstrate how to barricade the door. For less than $100, a door sleeve can be purchased that will slide over the bracket at the top of the door so it cannot be opened.
Throughout the workshop, the officers employed several different styles of interactive demonstrations, which strongly illustrated the concepts they aimed to convey. For example, while it was once taught that everyone should crouch in a corner, the current advice is to spread out across the room. In another exercise, the class crowded into a storage room and successfully blocked the door within four minutes, preventing the “shooter” from entering. The students were also instructed not to stand in front of the door because bullets can go through solid core doors, and to find something in the room to use as a weapon in case the “shooter” gets through.
Frick noted that it is a personal pet peeve of his when people are on their cell phones in restaurants and not paying attention to their surroundings. Another impactful demonstration came when Investigator Nate Smith burst into the room, and the class was then asked to describe him. They did an excellent job, showcasing how attentiveness can aid in identifying a threat. It is important to be aware of your surroundings.
Other takeaways from the training:
- Know the physical address of the building you are in, and the room number.
- When calling 911, you do not need to speak – dispatchers can track the call’s origin.
- Keep a $5-10 window punch in your office or classroom, and hit the window in the bottom corner to break it.
- Use your cell phone to take a picture of a license plate.
- The shooter cannot focus on two things at once.
- Use all your senses.
- Do not run along the sides of a hallway with cement walls – bullets can ricochet off the surface. Instead, zigzag down the hallway.
- 80-90 % of active shooter incidents end in suicide.
The officers also demonstrated how to disarm a shooter. If you can take the weapon or the shooter drops it, hide it in a garbage can or a drawer.
What does nearly everyone carry with them these days? A Stanley water bottle. Now imagine everyone throwing their water bottles at the shooters.
County employee Holly Felten described the class as beneficial, saying, “It was good.” She recommended that it be taken annually.
Organizations interested in scheduling a training session or having Frick and Swedberg do a walk-through can contact the Houston County Sheriff’s Office at 507-725-3379, Ext 4124.
The officers emphasized: Do not give up! Your actions can save your life or the lives of others.
Steve Ellis says
What a tragedy that such a class is necessary. The US is a grotesque outlier when it comes to gun deaths yet all suggestions in favour of sane gun laws are attacked by the gun lobby and hypocritical Republican politicians. A political party that loves to talk about “family values”, its “Christian ethic”, and which can only offer “thoughts and prayers”, cares little about the victims of gun crime, including innocent school children.
I grew up in Chatfield and had many friends and relatives who were hunters. I’m certain they would be appalled at things like military style weapons being in the hands of civilians and the “open carry” laws that force the police to assume that everyone they stop for traffic violations might be armed.