WACO, Texas – On Monday, employees at Waco’s Hippodrome Theater brushed up on safety skills in case disaster strikes.

“It’s exciting because it shows the importance that we value from ownership and management team that we want to train our staff properly in case there ever was an intruder in the building,” says Manager Will Campos.

In the past four months, there have been a slew of mass shootings in Texas, Ohio, and South Carolina. Employees say they would rather be safe than sorry.

“There’s so much now, so many active shooters and shootings, that we thought it was probably a good time to do it,” says Owner Kasey Turner.

Back in 2012, a gunman opened fire in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The suspect killed a dozen people during a screening of The Dark Knight.

“A lot of the film industry put theatres on alert just to take extra precautions to protect their patrons – just in case somebody wants to do a copycat or something like that,” says Training Expert Johnny Price.

Officials say some ways to prepare for an active shooter include making a plan, taking active shooter training courses, and being aware of your surroundings.