Responding to an Active Shooter

Introduction

Active Shooters are individuals who are actively engaged in killing or attempted killing of people in a confined populated area. These situations can occur in businesses, schools, hospitals, worship areas, military areas, homes, and other locations. They are unpredictable and evolve fast as individuals must deal with an active shooter before emergency responders arrive.

How to Prepare

Stay Informed. Ensure you sign up for emergency alerts and register your contact information to know what is going on. Follow all guidance in training and understand the situations when they arise. Receiving proper training is a necessary preparation for these situations. Understand that these situations can occur at any time, so you must be ready.

Know the Signs. Understand the people around you and pay attention to changes around you. Any changes to people around you, such as increased alcohol use, unexplained absences, severe mood swings, and unsolicited comments, please report and assist those individuals. You can bring them to counseling before they perform actions that will cause serious bodily harm. Everyone has a piece of the effort to prevent these situations before it occurs.

Take Threats Seriously. If something feels wrong in cases, report it to the authorities, friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and supervisors. If you see something, say something. Always be mindful of your surroundings and view possible dangers.

Plan. Be sure the current procedures and policies are up to date. If not, communicate appropriately. Knowing the plan will help you to stay safe. Be aware of your exits and have an escape plan in mind. It will enable you to select your options rapidly. You need to conduct drills and exercises at least quarterly to engage your population and maintain awareness. Training reduces the time to respond to the fear.

What to Do During

Run. You need to escape and get out of danger, if possible, during these shootings. Do not remain in the area and be a target. Surviving is the priority during these situations. Do not worry about your belongings, as that could slow you down. Try to help other people escape. If they do not want to, try your best but rapidly decide to leave. Be sure to warn other people about what will prevent them from entering the dangerous area.

Hide. If escape is not possible, then you need to hide and barricade yourself. Stay away from the shooter's view and remain quiet. Hiding and securing will allow you to conceal yourself and protect yourself from the attack that is going on. Silence all electronic devices and reduce vibration so that the attacker cannot notice them. When you are in a safe area, lock and block all doors, close blinders, and turn off lights. Hiding in groups is potentially more dangerous, so spread out. Communicate with each other and the emergency responders in ways that will allow you to provide information safely. Stay in the exact location so that you are out of view, and there is protection that could save your group and yourself.

Fight. The last resort that you need to do during these situations. You need to commit to your actions and act very aggressively with the shooter. You cannot shy away once you start. It now depends on your group and yourself to resolve the situation. Other people you recruit to ambush the shooter should use any makeshift weapons such as books, chairs, tables, fire extinguishers, scissors, or anything else. When this does happen, you may have to cause severe or fatal injuries to the shooter. Do anything to distract or disarm the shooter during the fight.

Seek Help. Immediately, when it is safe, call 911 to provide information for the dispatcher that will assist the emergency responders. Tell them your location, the location of the shooter, number of shooters, physical description, number and types of weapons, and number of potential victims in the area.

Seeking help is very important as you and your fellow survivors are the only ones who can provide precise descriptions of the shooter. Assist the police in avoiding more shootings. Active Shooters are there for the notoriety and do not want to be apprehended as it is a failure.

What to do After

You need to remain calm and visible to the authorities who arrive, move slowly, and show hands. Law enforcement who come will do everything in their power to keep you safe. However, you must understand that they are there to accomplish a task. The first law enforcement task is to find the shooter and neutralize the threat to protect any remaining people in the area. Do not attempt to assist them in anything they do. Do not make yourself a danger as you must comply with all directions given to you and your fellow people. If there are injured people, take care of them, and provide first aid. If you do not know first aid, it is a valuable skill that you need to learn. Once everything happens, you need to seek professional help for yourself both physically and mentally, as the situation is very traumatic.

Exercises and Drills. Exercises and drills can potentially trigger past trauma or trigger a significant reaction that scars individuals instead of better preparing them to respond to situations. If done irresponsibly, they have traumatized individuals or have led to bodily harm.

Students need training by giving them specific knowledge about the procedures of an intruder crisis drill through a brief training session. The lessons need to be experience-based on best practices in conducting school crisis drills. You need to incorporate techniques that will train students with emergency skills, as this will reduce anxiety in the students as they will be better prepared. Explaining what is going on instead of relying on props or dramatic actors will minimize confusion and trauma. Do not forget to tell your students, teachers, and parents about what is going on.

Case Studies

There are many cases regarding active shooter drills in the world that I can discuss with you. I have picked two situations with different outcomes. The first one was in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, when 17 people died. Many heroic individuals helped prevent deaths by providing leadership and guidance during this shooting, such as three Coaches who gave their lives during this situation. They showed bravery by providing the ultimate sacrifice to protect the lives of countless students by committing to fight the attacker. All three were honored by the ESPYs and the community.

The second study happened at Parkrose High School in 2019. This situation did not have any casualties or injuries. A heroic coach stopped the attack by placing both hands on the weapon. He disarmed the assailant and hugged the individual to prevent him from causing any injuries or deaths. As stated before, he used a tactic to identify the situation and found a way to solve the issue peacefully.

The reason I discussed two completely different situations is that every active shooter situation is different. However, the prevailing principle is that regular people became heroic in a dangerous situation. They did not back down and protected their students no matter the cost, be it their lives or bodies. All these individuals are heroes and showed that with the proper training and guidance, you could help other people survive.

Conclusion

Always remember to prepare for the event by staying informed, knowing the signs, taking threats seriously, and making plans. During the situation, you need to run, hide, fight, and seek help. You understand how to react to law enforcement before they arrive and even after they come on the scene. Finally, know what you need to do upon reaching a safe area. One of the best ways to prepare is to complete Active Shooter and Situational Awareness training, either online or in person. Knowledge is vital in these situations, and remember, if you see something, say something.