Avoid, deny and defend are some steps people can take if they’re involved in a active shooter situation.

About 10 community members learned those tips during a class Thursday morning at Bonita Lakes Mall.

Avoid means to run, deny means to hide in a safe place and defend means to protect yourself and others, said Ward Calhoun, chief deputy of the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department, who led the class. 

Calhoun said there are three stages of disaster response: denial, deliberation and a decisive moment.

“You’ve got to go from denying that something’s going on, to deliberation, to some type of action,” Calhoun said. 

It takes about three minutes for a shooter to commit an act of violence, Calhoun said, but it can take a while for police to arrive.  He urged the audience to know what steps to take before police show up. 

Calhoun said if people see something out of the ordinary, they should act. 

“If something doesn’t look right, and if you can leave, leave,” he said.

Calhoun said people should be aware of exits and their surroundings, noting that people should avoid playing dead or hiding in an area visible to the shooter.  

Ken Parnell Jr., a deacon at The Firehouse Church, attended the event so his congregation would be prepared for dangerous situations.

“Things are going on, and we want to be prepared for it and to get as much information as we can,” he said.

Parnell said one thing he learned was to stay calm during a life-threatening event. 

“If you can learn it to the point where you can teach people, then you can always be prepared when you go in certain situations,” he said.

Parnell said churches have been become easy targets in shootings, so their congregations have to be more aware.

“I plan on going back and teaching them what I have learned,” he said.