Officer Curt Plassmeyer of the Estes Park Police Department will speak at the Rotary Club of Estes Park on Thursday, July 14, at their regular noon meeting. He will discuss the ALICE Violent Intruder Training Program, a proactive response to an active shooter/violent intruder situation.
ALICE was developed by a law enforcement officer and his wife, an elementary school principal, after the Columbine High School massacre. The program has studied multiple active shooter situations and learned what kind of responses save lives.
In the 1950’s we learned to duck and cover. We lock the doors and hide under the table. But there have been multiple lives lost because of this ineffectual response.
ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate (not sequential). The ALICE training provides employees of schools, business, churches, and governmental agencies multiple ways to respond to an active shooter situation and to give them the confidence and training needed to save lives.
In the Alert portion of ALICE, Plassmeyer will talk about the different ways employees could be alerted to a violent intruder situation and how to alert the police and others in the area. He will discuss the noises, the smells, and the observations that you might encounter.
In the Lockdown portion of ALICE, Plassmeyer will strategize how to barricade a door, making it less inviting for an intruder. Employees will be shown how to jam a door with items at hand.
In the Inform portion of ALICE, Plassmeyer will discuss what information is important to give to the police and to fellow employees. He will show how this information can assist in saving lives.
In the Counter portion of ALICE, if everything else fails, there may be a time where it is necessary to counter. Plassmeyer will demonstrate how to use simple items to counter the threat. He will show how easy it is to distract the threat and give you and others the time needed to survive.
In the Evacuate portion of ALICE, he will explain why this is the preferred response if possible. Many victims in multiple active shooter situations could have survived if they would have evacuated instead of taking the ingrained duck and cover approach. It is important to be aware of a building’s exits and how to evacuate quickly.
Plassmeyer has been involved in training the staff at the YMCA of the Rockies, the Town of Estes Park, and the Estes Park School District. And he will now engage and teach the Rotary Club of Estes Park.
Curt Plassmeyer grew up in Monument, Colorado and attended CSU for two years. He then acquired his fishing/hunting guide license at the Royal Tine Guide School and moved to Idaho to pursue his guiding career. After he and his wife, nurse practitioner Katie Plassmeyer, had two children, he decided to start his career in Law Enforcement, working for the Blaine County Sheriff’s Department in Idaho for five years. Two years, ago he and his family moved to Estes Park, where he joined the Estes Park Police Department.
Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are 1.2 million Rotary members in 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary clubs have been serving communities worldwide for more than a century. Rotary clubs, around the world, initiate projects that address critical issues such as conflict resolution, hunger, poverty, disease and illiteracy.
The Rotary Club of Estes Park meets Thursdays at the Park Village Theater, adjacent to the Other Side Restaurant. Visitors interested in learning more about Rotary and its programs are welcome to attend. Buffet is served at 11:30 a.m., the Rotary business meeting opens at noon, and the program begins at 12:30 p.m.
