POST FALLS — Teachers only have 15 seconds or less to turn off lights, lock doors and ensure students are out of sight when schools are locked down in active shooter scenarios.

"They know their procedures, and they run drills specifically for them so that when that alarm goes off, that teacher knows things happen quickly," Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Deputy Doug Goodman said.

They have no time to second guess.

"When it goes off, they know what it is and they immediately take action," Goodman said during an active shooter training class Thursday at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls.

He listed four things that can help teachers, or anyone, in these life-or-death situations: Calm yourself, breathe, shift your emotions and stay fit.

Teachers are natural nurturers, but when the wolf is at the door, those nurturers have to snap into aggressor mode to protect their students. Goodman said emotion shifting requires moving from a victim perspective to the perspective of a person who is an active participant in the safety of those who need protecting.

"Your active shooter is going to violate those kids no different than a child molester would, in fact, worse because he's going to probably kill them," Goodman said. "When you think active shooter, don't think angel of death. Think chimo (child molester), and that should inform your response."

Active shooter training was one of 90 classes offered this week during the 15th annual Safety Fest of the Great Northwest: North Idaho at the NIC Workforce Training Center.

The three-day event, which continues today, provides free training across a number of fields, from health care and heavy equipment operating to electrical and construction. Classes offered today include "Reduce Workplace Stress and Burnout with a Self-Care Plan," "First Aid/CPR and AED (automated external defibrillator)" and "Remote Worker Safety and BackCountry Survival."

More than 600 people and over 100 different community businesses and companies participated in the 2023 Safety Fest as of Thursday, with more taking or teaching classes today. This year's Safety Fest is the first to return to normal following COVID-19 pandemic hybrid modifications, and one of the biggest.

"It's amazing to see the participation that's happening," Workforce Training Center Director Vicki Isakson said. "This is our largest crowd ever. We're excited to be back to how Safety Fest should be run, with everything happening in person."

The most-attended classes this year have been CPR, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), forklift and scissor lift training.

Greg Rodriguez, who works in safety for Ginno Construction, taught a first aid and CPR class during Safety Fest. He is also one of the founders of the event.

"I'm just excited to see it back in person, seeing familiar faces coming back and getting the training folks need out there to make sure they're safe and doing the right things for the job," Rodriguez said. "This helps educate them a little bit more on what kind of hazards they have out there that they're exposed to, and even some of the rights they have as an individual to say, 'I'm not going to do that because it's dangerous and I don't want to be put in that situation.'"