SPRINGFIELD-BECKLEY AIR GUARD STATION, Ohio -- Two members assigned to the 178th Security Forces Squadron partnered with the Clark County Sheriff’s Department in order to teach active shooter training to teachers on Oct. 19, 2018 at Easton Dayton Christian School in Dayton, Ohio.
Master Sgt. Carl Kanzari, NCO in charge of combat arms training and maintenance assigned to the 178th SFS, and Capt. Michael Gibson, the director of operations for the 178th SFS, assisted in training teachers on how to respond during an active shooter incident using the Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate method.
“We always look for opportunities to reach out to local schools in the community that have a need for the training,” said Kanzari. “This training is invaluable and lifesaving.”
The ALICE method is a proactive, lifesaving strategy that was developed in order to increase the chance of survival for individuals in an active shooter event. According to the ALICE training institute website, the method is currently the number one active shooter civilian response training. The goal of the training is to promote a proactive response through being alert, barricading entry points, countering the shooter if necessary and evacuating.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Department has taught the ALICE method to every county school within Clark County. In the past five years, they have educated more than 20,000 teachers and students.
“The training is very important and we teach it to staff members so they can pass it down to their students,” said Maj. Chris Clark, the operations commander of investigations and communications for the Clark County’s Sheriff’s Department.
Through the 178th Wing’s partnership with the Clark County Sherriff’s Department, the 178th Wing is able to become an additional resource for schools in the local community.
“It’s important that we partner with our community and give back in any way that we can,” said Gibson.