Violent critical incidents can happen anywhere and at any time and the facts are that 69% of active shooter incidents last only five minutes or less, often ending before law enforcement arrives. It’s imperative that students, faculty, and staff know how to respond to an active shooter incident to increase their odds of survival. School shooting training, like ALICE Training®, has many practical benefits, such as enhancing individuals’ ability to make informed decisions, remain calm under pressure, and work together to minimize harm during a crisis. See how one school is prioritizing school shooting training with their staff to prepare them for the unthinkable in the story below.
ALICE active shooter training: Area teachers and others bring back safety skills
The Atonement Lutheran School kicked off a two-day training with the ALICE Active Shooter Program on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.
Syndi Eure
MILWAUKEE — Monday morning, as many schools began their fall break, teachers, faculty and other business professionals became the students. The Atonement Lutheran School kicked off a two-day training with the ALICE Active Shooter Program.
“So today we go through a lot of the book,” Atonement Lutheran School Principal Christopher Bartsch said. “We get a lecture and things like [that] and then the second day is all of the scenario training. Where we actually have someone that’s pretending to be an active shooter and then we are training ourselves on skills that would keep our students that are working in the business safe.”
At the end of the training, participants will have not only earned their personal certification but the ability to train others back at their own school or business.
During the course of the two-day training program, they’ll dive deep into the trauma-informed training, critical thinking and situational awareness.
Bartsch describes the ALICE Active Shooter Training Program as state of the art which is why he was proud to offer the course to people from all across the country.
“Anyone that wants to make sure that they are trained and ready for a safer environment in case of any sort of crisis that might come up,” Bartsch said.
ALICE Instructors said the training isn’t something that might save lives someday, it’s training that already has.
“Historically it’s just very sad but we do see a lot of active shooters in areas and especially in schools,” Bartsch said. “So as a principal, I want to make sure that I’m prepared for any situation and ready to keep my students safe.”
The Ultimate Guide to ALICE Training® for Schools
Prepare your staff for the unthinkable with school shooting training. Discover how ALICE’s research-based active shooter response program empowers students and staff to participate in their own survival in the face of a violent critical incident.