Active shooter training in Lewiston: ‘If they shoot through the window, they can’t get me’

Jon Dresser, an information technology teacher at Lewiston Regional Technical Center, demonstrates Thursday how he would secure his classroom in the event of an active shooter. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

The staff at Lewiston Regional Technical Center learned Thursday how to avoid, deny and defend their classrooms in active shooter situations. The goal was to limit damage done by active shooters.

Jon Dresser, an information technology teacher, tried different belts that broke during the morning’s training. He decided that the best tool to secure the door while staying out of sight was a computer cord. “I can grab a cord from the back of a monitor faster than anything,” Dresser said.

He tucked out of sight and out of range by stepping into a recycling bin near the door. “If they shoot through the window, they can’t get me.”

The training used strategies developed for Avoid, Defy, Defend, a program developed by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program at Texas State University.

Chris Webb plays the part of a bad guy with a gun on Thursday, attempting to gain access to a classroom at Lewiston Regional Technical Center during a training designed to teach staff to “avoid, deny and defend.” Safety Observer Rob Schmidt, the LRTC student services coordinator, stands behind him in the yellow vest. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Safety observers were available to signal that the activities were part of the training and to stop the exercise if anything unsafe happened or participants became overwhelmed. The active-shooter scenarios were run for LRTC participants. Lewiston High School teachers will go through the same training in the fall.

Laurie Hearne-Trevino, right, works through an active shooter scenario with co-workers Patty Prout, left, and Bonnie Duchaine on Thursday during training at Lewiston High School. The educational technicians were asked to discuss actions they might take if someone entered an assembly and started shooting. Lewiston High School staff and faculty in the fall will go through a hands-on training, in which they act out scenarios. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal