By Joe Morey
News Editor
On February 27, the LCO Health Center participated in the A.L.I.C.E. safety response protocol which is an approach that empowers staff to make informed decisions to keep them safe in an active shooter situation.
“This was an excellent training completed by Deputy Darrin Jensen from the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Department with assistance by Officer Nate Schweitzer from the LCO PD,” said LCO Health Center Human Resources Director, Sarah Klecan.
The ALICE training took place in the morning at the Bhiziki Wellness Center (formerly Woodcrafters) and then an afternoon training session was held at the health center.
As part of an Emergency Management Plan for Lac Courte Oreilles, being organized by Matt Riedell, LCO Emergency Management Coordinator, more ALICE training sessions are being planned for other tribal buildings.
“In an ongoing effort to keep the LCO Community a safe place, this training will be provided to as many tribal entities as possible,” said Diane Ton of the LCO PD. “The LCO Clinic is the first major LCO entity to receive the training though several others are scheduled. Between the LCO Police Department and the Sawyer County Sheriff's Department we intend to train as many facilities in Sawyer County as possible with this lifesaving instruction.”
The training program is called A.L.I.C.E. It stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate and it was created by a former SWAT officer and schoolteacher, Greg Crane. He calls them "common sense" strategies for contending with school shootings, or office situations. For example, students aware of an intruder in the building can build barricades against their classroom doors by stacking chairs and desks.
The ALICE Training instructor led classes that provide preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event, Klecan noted.
Whether it is an attack by an individual person or by an international group of professionals intent on conveying a political message through violence, ALICE Training option based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional “lockdown only” approach.
The ALICE protocol states, “Protection and safety must be the priority in an Active Shooter event or Terrorist Attack. Circumstantial and operational concerns vary in every new situation. ALICE Training provides options and classes that address the unique challenges specific to Police/LE, K-12 Schools, Healthcare Facilities, Higher Education, Businesses, Government, and Houses of Worship.”
