ALiCE is an acronym for:
- Alert
- Lockdown
- Inform
- Counter
- Evacuate
Now, you ask, what exactly is an ALiCE Based Training?
ALiCE was developed several years ago. It was brought to the Fairbanks North Star Borough by the North Pole Chief of Police, Steve Dutra, who actually helped present our training, along with Anne Weaver, CEO Fairbanks Community Food Bank. Local School District staff are now being trained; plus it is used in Valdez, the City of North Pole, Mat Su Borough, Anchorage Borough and Juneau. The method provides best options on ways to protect yourself, and family members from aggressive and armed individuals. The term armed can mean any type of weapon (long guns, pistols, hatchets, knives); and these unexpected, unplanned for individuals can show up at any moment affecting your life.
In today’s world; you can be a male or female of any age; at a day care, at a school (of any level), at a church (of any religion), at any business or worksite to include shopping malls, restaurants, theaters, grocery stores, sports and tourist type venues. You can be playing a game, filling up your car, walking your dog in a busy crowd, dropping by a hospital clinic or government office, visiting a historic site and other possible scenarios. Yet, you never know what you might be faced with; from one or more individuals intent on doing harm (though a majority of these individuals are lone wolves). This is the world we now live in and preparedness is a key to possibly making it &/or waking up to that next day…
There is a false premise: “It won’t happen here.” or “It won’t happen to my family.” The intensive training involves presentation by trained professionals, discussions of past incidents and how they were handled by the people most seriously affected (during the attack); and how and why some survived while others were wounded or perished. It also includes various active scenarios that teach you how to take control of your own situation and handle it to the best of your ability under the current set of circumstances (whatever that is). The course teaches a strong set of skills and strategies that bridge the gap between the time a violent event begins and when law enforcement actually arrives.
People that are undergoing an attack by a deranged individual or individuals (who is bent on doing harm and potentially suicidal); and that are using ALiCE based methods have a higher chance of survival. We were elated to have this opportunity to share these survival skills with 16 Northern Region Volunteers and Site Coordinators. We thank both Anne and Bo Weaver, who are both ALiCE Certified Trainers, for inviting AHF staff to participate in their agency training in late July; and then agreeing to host and teach an Alaska Health Fair ALiCE Training on August 28, 2018. For more information about the ALiCE concept and trainings; please go to their website at https://www.alicetraining.com/.
Article submitted by Sharon K. Phillips, Tanana Valley/Northern Region Program Director