Hartselle Church of Christ at 700 Sparkman St. will host “Run, Hide and Fight” active shooter training after their Super Sunday service Sept. 21 at 1:30 p.m.

Tuscumbia Police Officer Bradley Puckett will be conducting the class. Puckett is a certified Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) instructor and is retired from military intelligence. The Alabama Department of Homeland Security endorses this training.

This training is a part of a nationwide effort to have a unified response to an active shooter situation. ALERRT training allows officers from different departments be able to cooperatively help address these circumstances.

The “Run, Hide and Fight” program teaches individuals what to do if they find themselves in any active shooter situation. It stresses increasing chances of survival to each individuals involved.

Hartselle police officer and Hartselle Church of Christ deacon Justin Barley said this type of training essential in today’s society.

“An active shooter situation could happen anywhere,” Barley said. “These training sessions are important for schools, churches, malls, factories, theaters and anywhere else the public gathers. We stress fire and tornado safety in the schools, but this is something we need to be teaching our students as well. This kind of training, while unpleasant, is necessary.”

Darrell Sims, elder at Hartselle Church of Christ, said the question of public security had been debated over the past year.

“As concerned leaders of a large congregation in Hartselle, we felt it was our responsibility to take action to bring a lesson like this to the church and the community,” Sims said. “Security is a big part of our roles in this church, so a conversation about active shooter training is necessary for us to have. We started talking to Lieutenant Barley for his ideas and input and finally decided on the ALERRT training.”

Sims said the church is opening up this session to the entire community.

“We are sending out a special welcome to schools and churches in the area as well as the community as a whole,” Sims said. “Our auditorium will hold 800 people, and it would be wonderful if every pew was full. We know this would be beneficial to other local congregations and organizations, so we wanted to open this up to the entire community.”

The class is free and open to the public.