West Lebanon
It shouldn’t be, Lebanon police Detective Lt. Richard Smolenski told about 40 people who attended an “active shooter” training course last week at the SAU 88 auditorium.
“What you do matters,” Smolenski said Wednesday night. “Every second you wait makes the situation worse.”
First, a person should “avoid” the shooter at all costs by trying to leave the situation. Thinking outside the box is key.
“Don’t just think ‘I have to go these ways,’ ” he said as he pointed to the three marked exits inside the auditorium where he taught the three-hour civilian response to active shooter events course. Breach a window or look for vents, he said.
If there is no way out, the next thing to do is “deny” the shooter entry by blocking doorways or creating other obstacles.
Last-case scenario, he said, is to “defend” yourself.
“When the shooter is going around shooting, it does you no good to hide at that point,” Smolenski said.
The gunman already is determined to take lives. Smolenski urged people who may find themselves in such a scenario to try to overtake the shooter’s weapon, or use objects in the room to try to disable him, such as by picking up a piece of furniture and throwing it.
“Be cognizant,” he said. “Avoid it, deny entry and, by God, be ready to defend yourself if those two fail.”
That model — avoid, deny, defend — is one taught nationally through what is known as the CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events) course.
It was the first of two courses the Lebanon Police Department will hold this month to provide strategies and guidance to people interested in learning how to best react in an active shooter-type situation.
The event comes one month after authorities say a 49-year-old Rhode Island man shot and killed his 70-year-old mother in the intensive care unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, sending off a wave of shock and confusion through hospital staff and patients, and employees of nearby businesses.
Among those in attendance Wednesday night were several people from the Lebanon Co-op Food Store in Centerra, across Route 120 from the DHMC campus.
Several people from the hospital crossed the street on the day of the shooting and went to the store.
“Our management team decided that it would be a good idea for people to have this knowledge,” Jolleen Shepard, a manager and store supervisor, said after the three-hour session.
Sandy Cleveland, another store supervisor, said she learned to be proactive.
“It is important to at least try to avoid, deny and defend,” Cleveland said. “It’s important to try and prevent.”
The concept of “doing something” was welcome information for Dawn Paiva, a resident of Sharon.
“I have always been frustrated (when) you hear the reports of people just getting picked off. My own first thought is always, ‘why doesn’t at least somebody try and do something,’ ” Paiva said. “That was really nice to hear and affirming that that was not a bad idea.”
Jeremiah St. Peter, also of Sharon, said he attended the event out of curiosity.
“It is something that is always a concern on my mind when I am out in public places. I always play the ‘what if’ game,” St. Peter said.
During the presentation, Smolenski talked about the importance of people analyzing the spaces they are in every day.
“Mental scripting” allows a person to better react when they find themselves in a high stress situation, he said.
For example, he asked people to examine exits and come up with a plan in case disaster were to strike. Oftentimes when people are experiencing high stress, they don’t make the best decisions, so planning beforehand is important, he said.
“Think about what the other options are,” Smolenski said.
“That could make all the difference.”
The model he taught is one developed in 2002 by individuals at Texas State University, with input from law enforcement.
There are other active-shooter training models out there, but Smolenski said he feels Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, or ALERRT, through its “avoid, deny, defend” model, is most appropriate. Another popular program, for example, teaches “run, hide, fight.”
“I prefer ADD over run, hide and fight primarily because I don’t believe ‘hiding’ is the best course of action,” Smolenski said. “It’s very passive and against the positive, proactive mind frame ALERRT promotes.”
In 2013, ALERRT was named the national standard in active shooter response training by the FBI, Lebanon Police Chief Richard Mello said.
Regardless of which course a person takes, Smolenski urged everyone, and every business, to get trained and have a plan.
It was evident on Wednesday night that not all Upper Valley businesses have one. Smolenski said several employers have called the police department and said they feel ill prepared.
He has been busy helping them and others plan and train.
“The list is a half a mile long,” he said.
That isn’t a bad thing though.
“If the civilian population knows what to do and what to expect … then that is probably going to be the single greatest component of life-saving,” he said.
The next active shooter training course will be held on Oct. 27, at 5 p.m., at the SAU 88 building in West Lebanon.
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.