Alisal Union School District holds active shooter drills for staff

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)-- In light of recent mass shootings in the United States, the Alisal Union School District is training staff with skills they hopefully never need. Staff arrived at Fremont Elementary School to start the first day of active shooter drills.

Staff is being recommended to attend active shooter drills held on Monday and Wednesday and for the next few months. Teachers, custodians to lunch personnel were all present to learn the skills needed to protect their students.

"You hear this on the news every other day now. This is happening in the streets; it's happening in church. It can happen anywhere. We saw what happened in Texas," Program Manager for the Special Educations Department for AUSD Satwat Rais said. "We need to prepare for what could happen. Hopefully, it doesn't, but we need to have those skills."

Skills shown by M.C. Kimball & Associates, LLC Training and Consulting included six action steps for mitigation:

• Get Away from the danger and alert others
• Get to a safe place
• Make it safer by locking, barricading, pilling, or covering windows and entrances. Turn off the lights, cover the windows, turn off the lights, and spread around the room. DO NOT DUCK AND COVER
• Check for injuries and call 911
• Prepare in case an armed intruder gets into the classroom to do anything to defend yourself. But remember to plan and practice your breathing.
• Repeat if necessary to get away from danger

M.C. Kimball & Associates, LLC Training and Consulting did the training, and they told KION that they have been getting more calls than usual for training in active shooter drills.

"When a crisis hits, your brain can only go to what is called 'brain scripts.' You have to have a planned, practiced response," Michael C. Kimball said. "You only have what you're prepared for. You may imagine you'll do something grandiose, but if you haven't prepared, it won't happen."

Both Rais and Kimball said they are here to support students and keep them safe. Rais added that their students have experience with the topic of active shooters, and this training will benefit them.

"Teachers everywhere are dedicated. The minute anything happens, they think about their students and their safety," Rais said. "Not just thinking about ducking and covering. Thinking about evacuating and keeping their students and co-workers safe. The worst thing you could do is be passive."

Students are also being shown how to prepare for active danger at school, no matter the age range. Communicating with them from an early age is essential to help prepare them.

Kimball said the goal isn't to scare kids, and they teach students, depending on age range, in different ways that they can understand. By speaking with psychologists, they have developed training for all age ranges.