ALICE Overview and Purpose 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Who founded ALICE Training, and what was their professional background?
- A school principal with a background in emergency management
- A former police officer named Greg Crane (Correct answer)
- A military veteran named John Connelly
- A university professor specializing in crisis psychology
Correct answer: A former police officer named Greg Crane
Greg Crane, a former police officer and SWAT team member, founded ALICE Training after recognizing gaps in standard lockdown-only protocols.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the 'Evacuate' option in ALICE?
- Staying in place until law enforcement clears the building
- Moving away from the danger zone when it is safe to do so (Correct answer)
- Evacuating only after the shooter has been neutralized
- Evacuation is prohibited unless ordered by police
Correct answer: Moving away from the danger zone when it is safe to do so
Evacuate encourages leaving the building or moving away from the threat when a safe path is available, reducing the number of potential victims.
Question 3: What does the 'Inform' component of ALICE training emphasize?
- Informing only administrators and teachers, not students
- Providing real-time, specific information about the threat to help people make decisions (Correct answer)
- Posting general safety rules on bulletin boards
- Keeping threat information confidential to avoid panic
Correct answer: Providing real-time, specific information about the threat to help people make decisions
Inform means continuously broadcasting specific, actionable updates about the threat's location and movement so individuals can make better survival decisions.
Question 4: How does ALICE Training recommend handling the decision between evacuating and locking down?
- Always evacuate first, then lockdown if escape is impossible
- Always lockdown first and only evacuate on police order
- Use situational awareness to choose the best option based on proximity and environment (Correct answer)
- Flip a coin if there is no clear leader to decide
Correct answer: Use situational awareness to choose the best option based on proximity and environment
ALICE is an options-based protocol — individuals use situational awareness and their proximity to the threat to determine whether evacuating or locking down is safer.
Question 5: What evidence from law enforcement research supports the ALICE approach over passive lockdown-only policies?
- Passive hiding always results in zero casualties
- Data from active shooter incidents shows that taking action can significantly reduce casualties (Correct answer)
- ALICE is supported solely by anecdotal teacher reports
- Research shows counter-attacking always stops the shooter
Correct answer: Data from active shooter incidents shows that taking action can significantly reduce casualties
FBI and Department of Homeland Security studies on active shooter events show that proactive responses — like evacuating or countering — are associated with reduced casualties compared to purely passive responses.
Question 6: Which population sectors does ALICE Training specifically design its curriculum for?
- Only K-12 schools and universities
- Law enforcement and military personnel exclusively
- Schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, houses of worship, and government organizations (Correct answer)
- Only large urban school districts
Correct answer: Schools, businesses, healthcare facilities, houses of worship, and government organizations
ALICE Training offers programs tailored for K-12 schools, higher education, businesses, healthcare, houses of worship, and government agencies.
Question 7: What was the primary shortcoming of pre-ALICE lockdown-only protocols that ALICE sought to address?
- They required too many staff to implement effectively
- They left occupants with no options if the threat breached the locked room (Correct answer)
- They were too expensive for most schools to adopt
- They focused too heavily on evacuation over sheltering
Correct answer: They left occupants with no options if the threat breached the locked room
Traditional lockdown-only protocols left occupants with no further options if a shooter entered the locked space, whereas ALICE provides strategies for those situations.
ALICE Overview and Purpose 3
Who founded ALICE Training, and what was their professional background?