When there's an active shooter ...

HAYDEN — Gunshots rang in the distance while a room of about 30 people sat in silence, listening to the phone call made by a teacher during the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Everyone in the class came to learn how to protect themselves during an active shooter situation.

Ironically, during the class, shots rang from a shooting range next door.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s office held its first “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” class Saturday, at the Volunteer Search and Rescue building. Community Service Officer Gary Shults said he felt the need to inform the community about how to handle these types of situations. He has given presentations to private companies, and was approached by community members to do one for them. When he announced the class, it filled up in three days. So he kept adding more classes, one per month. Currently, the November class has some openings.

Shults wants the public to know how the police want people to handle active shooter situations; that's why he started the class.

“It’s just getting them to where they’re not going to freeze and do nothing,” he said, “but to where they can think and do something to save their lives.”

Annie Pettis of Rathdrum brought her son, Logan, to the class. She wanted to know what to do in these situations and more importantly, wanted her kids to know. Education buildings are the second-highest targeted places for an active shooter, according to the information provided at the class.

“It’s better to have something and not need it, than to need it and not have it,” she said. “I wanted to do it for him so he could be prepared for school, even though we’ve been here for 10 years and it’s been safe.”

Claire and Lenny Gemar of Coeur d’Alene have taken defensive firearm classes in the past, and were curious about how police want people to react in these situations, as opposed to an armed civilian standpoint.

“It never hurts to be more informed,” Claire said, a school bus driver in Post Falls. “It’s a good refresher, there’s probably a lot I’ve forgotten.”

The class focused heavily on the acronym ADD — Avoid, Deny and Defend.

First and foremost in the event of an active shooter situation, Shults said, avoid the shooter and get out of the building or area. That is the best thing someone can do to save their lives.

“An active shooter is hunting people,” Shults told the class. “If they see a person, they shoot them. That is why you cannot stay where you are and freeze, they’ll shoot you. If you’re not there, they can’t shoot you.”

If avoiding the shooter doesn’t work, Shults said, at least deny them access to where you are. This means barricading and locking doors, turning off lights and turning off cell phones.

As a last resort, Shults told the class to defend themselves, by whatever means necessary. He said it is key to have a mindset that you are going home, that you will survive. This, he said, is where carrying a firearm comes in.

“No matter who walks through that door, age, sex, doesn’t matter, you’re going to get business done,” he said. “If you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be carrying.”

After the class, everyone clapped and asked a few questions. Everyone seemed to appreciate what they had learned.

“I want them to start thinking about it,” Shults said. “It used to be as soon as something happens, it’s get under your desk and hide. We don’t want that, we want you to avoid them, deny them access if you get caught in a room or if you need to fight for your life, do it.”

To register for an upcoming class, call the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office or Gary Shults at (208) 446-1300.