Pittsburgh, PA

The safety experts say it’s important for school staff and students to take action on their own because statistics show that most active shooter situations are over within about five minutes — often before police arrive. And, they say, experience has shown that obeying the commands of the shooters does not save the lives of victims. Most of the school and college safety experts refer to ALICE training, an acronym that stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. Under the training, teachers and students are taught that in the event of an emergency such as an active shooter or other dangerous intruder, they should evacuate if they can and if not, lock down and barricade in place. At California University, ALICE training was part of the freshman orientation, said police Chief Edward McSheffery. It will be made available to other students through training sessions that will be advertised throughout the campus. Staff and campus police already have been trained. Read more