Listen HereBy: Emma Smith 
Following the events that occurred in El Paso and Dayton, many people may have been wondering, “What can we do to help?” and “How do we prevent such a tragedy from occurring in our backyard?” The University of Findlay is answering the second question by providing training for all of its faculty and staff. The staff took part in a four-hour ALICE training on Aug. 12, to better equip them with the knowledge on what to do if such an event as a school shooting was to occur. ALICE is an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. These are the steps that university staff have been taught to perform if there were to be an active shooter situation on campus.
Deputy Matt Crouch, of the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, was the facilitator of the training and stressed the importance of being aware of your surroundings, the events that were originally scheduled for the day, and the email or text alerts that the University of Findlay sends out. Once one notices that there has been an alert sent out, or one can hear screaming, yelling or gunshots; the next step is to lockdown. One would want to barricade the door, identify an escape route, and if possible, call 911. This would be the “I” in ALICE. The next step is to counter or take back control of the situation. The goal of this is to interrupt the shooters process of shooting accurately by moving around or throwing things at the shooter. This is a personal choice that each individual has to make and is arguably the most important part to remember in an active shooting situation. The last part in ALICE training is evacuate. When evacuating one should not to bring any belongings with them or get into their vehicle. One will want to get as far away as possible. It is hard to predict how one will react in the moment, but it helps to be ready and to understand the risks of everyday life.
The staff had the opportunity to also go through an active shooter scenario, so that they could not only take in the information that they were taught, but also act it out. Preparation is the key to saving lives.
This training has started a conversation that will continue throughout this next year. Don’t be surprised if your teachers discuss active shooter protocol on the first day of class or regularly lock the door once class starts. These are things that your professors have been taught is important to do to ensure your safety as their students. This of course is the first step of many that the University of Findlay has taken to help make campus as secure as possible. If you have any questions on security, please contact University of Findlay Campus Security with any questions or concerns. They can be reached at 419-434-4601 and are located on 201 Frazer St., across from Winebrenner Theological Seminary.
