LEFT- South Tama Middle School staff members react to a simulation of an active shooter portrayed by 7th grade science teacher Kory S taff during ALICE?training in a Toledo classroom on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The Tama County Sheriff’s Office directed the training which also was conducted at the South Tama High School. Chronicle photos/John Speer

South Tama County schools employees received ALICE training on Wednesday, Jan. 3. ALICE is the acronym for Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate. The training emphasizes procedures for active or violent intruder incidents. Early in the fall, the STC High School had a threat of violence and a review of district response to that incident identified enhanced training for these types of incidents as a need. This training was and will be provided to all staff as a part of the district upgrading its emergency procedures.

“The ultimate goal with ALICE isn’t to “change” any school district or business policy, but rather enhance any policies already in place,” says Rodney Drummer, Tama County deputy sheriff. Drummer is one of three certified ALICE instructors in the sheriff’s office who provided training sessions for South Tama schools staff members on Jan. 3.

All staff received two hours of training in the morning and followed up that training with practice scenarios at the High School and Middle School where different simulations were run. No students were involved in these scenarios, but the practice includes simulations of real-life threats. The Elementary School will practice on January 10.

“You play like you practice” is a phrase Superintendent Jeff Berger used when he taught and coached. “Practicing these simulations of real events is important” said Berger. “You need to see how people implement procedures and react in real-time to ensure you have processes in place that will work. No school district is immune to this type of threat these days, so we have to have all staff prepared so we can work to ensure the safety of our students in any situation.”

The presentations provided some real experiences including tapes of 911 calls made during the Columbine, Colo. school shootings in 1999. Drummer says, “With the training hopefully comes the understanding that this training isn’t a “cure all” for an active shooter / violent intruder incident. As we all know nothing is 100 percent, however doing something is better than nothing.”

(L-R) Tama County Sheriff’s Detective Bruce Rhoads, Joe Tafta, Juvenile Court service officer and Rod Drummer, Tama County deputy sheriff and jail administrator respond to questions from South Tama High School staff during ALICE?training on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Chronicle/John Speer

Drummer says one of the goals of his office is to provide training to all school districts.

Tama County Deputy Sheriff Brian Randall leads discussion during ALICE?training at the South Tama Middle School on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Assisting was Marshalltown Police Officer Sadie Weekly, at left. Both Randall and Weekly previously served on the Toledo Police?Force.

An electrical cord is deployed to hold a door closed as one possible method of deterring an emergnecy situation.

simulated scene in an South Tama?High School Classroom.