School hosts active shooter training

Local law enforcement taking classes at Pleasant Valley

Local law enforcement officers are taking classes at Pleasant Valley Elementary this week to learn how to train their peers to handle active shooter attacks.

The "Train the Trainer" event is one component of a three-pronged program that also includes education for the general public on how to respond if a gunman attacks and what to do for wounded victims, said event coordinator Lt. Kermit Alwine of the Blair County Sheriff's Department. Alwine is also chairman of the Law Enforcement Committee of the South-Central Mountains Regional Task Force.

This week's event will align local law enforcement terminology and tactics for active shooter incidents with national standards recently adopted by the Pennsylvania State Police, said Alwine and Altoona Area School District Police officer John McFalls.

The ALERRT -- Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training -- course instructs first responders how to "isolate, distract and neutralize" attackers, according to a news release from district spokeswoman Paula Foreman.

The training will unify the different departments' procedures "so everybody is on a level playing field," said McFalls, the district's representative at the event and the prospective trainer for fellow district officers on the methods being taught.

One of the other components of the overall program -- training for the public on how to respond during active shooter events -- recommends that anyone caught up in such a scene Avoid, Deny, Defend, Alwine said. Evacuate if possible, barricade oneself and others in a safe place if evacuation isn't possible and fight if there's no other option, Alwine said.

The school district provided such training for staff last school year, Foreman said.

There was also a recent public session on that approach at the Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department in Hollidaysburg, Alwine said.

Anyone interested in learning the Avoid, Deny, Defend approach can contact their local police department or Alwine at the sheriff's department.

Public training on emergency treatment of victims on scene, "Stop the Bleed," is predicated on blood loss being a top cause of death following injuries from wounds like gunshots, Alwine said. The training advises application of pressure, packing of the wound and if necessary, application of a tourniquet.

Alwine's company, P91 Protection, will be holding Stop the Bleed classes.

Information on those sessions is available on the firm's website.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.