The Hawaii Capitol has never been the scene of a shooter running amok, although there have been incidents of white powder arriving in the mail (turned out to be sugar), suspicious bags left unattended and telephone threats.

But with reports on the mainland of gunmen firing indiscriminately in schools, movie theaters and other public places, state officials say it’s time to prepare for the worst.

The Honolulu Police Department is offering two sessions on “active shooter” preparedness this month for the hundreds of people who work at the Capitol.

It marks the first time such training has been offered for those in the heart of state government, according to Paulette Abe, chamber coordinator of the House Sergeant-at-Arms Office.

Police are planning to give anyone who frequents Hawaii’s Capitol Building, pictured here at night, training for the first time on what to do in an ‘active shooter’ scenario.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat

Hawaii is following a national trend of preparing for the unlikely event of an active shooter. With stories in recent years of lone gunmen walking into movie theaters, schools and other public places to kill people at random, there has been a wave of training offered throughout the country.

“We are fairly isolated but that doesn’t mean we aren’t susceptible to these types of attacks,” said state Sen. Will Espero, who chairs the Public Safety Committee.

“Considering the state of the world and the type of situation we’re in at the Capitol — for government officials and the public as well — we should be prepared and ready for any circumstance that can occur.”

No specific threat or incident prompted the upcoming presentations, according to HPD spokeswoman Michelle Yu. Officers have provided the same training — which does not include developing an action plan — to other organizations and groups, she said.

Police Lt. Thomas Santos and his team have prepared a PowerPoint that covers the characteristics of an active shooter, coping with an active shooter situation, instructions on how to respond and other life-saving tips, according to a memo from the Senate and House sergeants-at-arms announcing the Sept. 23 and Sept. 26 sessions at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Auditorium.

“This is all to help the building occupants, whether it’s the governor’s office, Senate, House or Legislative Reference Bureau,” Abe said. “A lot of people would like to know what to do. They see the news — they see everyone screaming and running.”

The point of the presentation is to build awareness for people who frequent the Capitol building, which is significantly more open and accessible than other state capitols, Abe said.

“When you see what’s going on with ISIS and the terrible things in the Middle East with terrorism, it’s possible that something like that could happen in our own homeland,” Espero said.

The presentation is based on the Homeland Security Department’s booklet on active shooters, available below.

The general training guidelines call for evacuating the premises as a first priority; hiding and, if possible, barricading yourself in a room with the lights off and your phone silenced as the second priority; and fighting the gunman as the last priority.