PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
(June 11, 2013 – Medina, Ohio).
Ohio Attorney General, Mike DeWine, today released the recommendations of his Ohio School Safety Task Force. The recommendations includedall of the training protocols found in the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) training program.
ALICE is already endorsed by law enforcement across the country and in line with recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The task force partnered with 38 stakeholders and leading school safety experts in authoring the report. Participants in the task force were: the Ohio Department of Education; the Ohio School Board Association; the Buckeye Association of School Administrators; the Ohio School Resource Officers Association; as well as members from the Chardon Board of Education, the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association and Ohio Homeland Security.
Greg Crane, president and founder of the ALICE program commented, “We’ve been conducting ALICE training in Ohio Schools for the past eight years. In addition to public schools, many Ohio Universities are ALICE trained along with the top Hospitals in Ohio, including the nation’s 4th ranked hospital – The Cleveland Clinic.”
“Lockdown Only” strategies are what most schools used more than 20 years ago (pre-Columbine) and unfortunately, some schools still do today. It revolves around the idea that — if an active shooter was inside a school — faculty, staff and students sit in the corner and stay put until the threat is resolved.
Crane said, “Lockdown only actually gives the shooter what he or she wants — a lot of people locked in a building in several compact spaces, making easy targets.”
ALICE Training is changing how schools, universities and businesses respond to armed intruders. ALICE (Alert, Lock-down, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate), developed after Columbine, teaches strategies to survive a life-threatening event. Supported by educators and law enforcement organizations, ALICE is quickly becoming the new standard of care across the nation.
For More Information Contact:
Name: Victoria Shaw
Email: [email protected]
