An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s), and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.
Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Typically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims.
Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes before law enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be mentally and physically prepared to deal with an active shooter situation.
How to respond when an active shooter is in your vicinity
Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life.
Remember that customers and clients are likely to follow the lead of employees and managers during an active shooter situation.
1. RUN
If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:
Have an escape route and plan in mind
Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
Leave your belongings behind
Help others escape, if possible
Prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be
Keep your hands visible
Follow the instructions of any police officers
Do not attempt to move wounded people
Call 911 when you are safe
2. HIDE
If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you. Your hiding place should:
Be out of the active shooter’s view
Provide protection if shots are fired in your direction (i.e., an office with a closed and locked door)
Not trap you or restrict your options for movement
To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:
Lock the door
Blockade the door with heavy furniture
If the active shooter is nearby:
Lock the door
Silence your cell phone and/or pager
Turn off any source of noise (i.e., radios, televisions)
Hide behind large items (i.e., cabinets, desks)
Remain quiet
If evacuation and hiding out are not possible:
Remain calm
Dial 911, if possible, to alert police to the active shooter’s location
If you cannot speak, leave the line open and allow the dispatcher to listen
3. FIGHT
As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:
Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her
Throwing items and improvising weapons
Yelling
Committing to your actions
Good practices for coping with an active shooter situation
Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers
Take note of the two nearest exits in any facility you visit
If you are in an office, stay there and secure the door
If you are in a hallway, get into a room and secure the door
As a last resort, attempt to take the active shooter down. When the shooter is at close range and you cannot flee, your chance of survival is much greater if you try to incapacitate him/her.
How to respond when law enforcement arrives
Law enforcement’s purpose is to stop the active shooter as soon as possible. Officers will proceed directly to the area in which the last shots were heard.
Officers usually arrive in teams of four (4)
Officers may wear regular patrol uniforms or external bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets and other tactical equipment
Officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns or handguns
Officers may use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation
Officers may shout commands and may push individuals to the ground for their safety
How to react when law enforcement arrives:
Remain calm and follow officers’ instructions
Put down any items in your hands (i.e., bags, jackets)
Immediately raise hands and spread fingers
Keep hands visible at all times
Avoid making quick movements toward officers, such as holding on to them for safety
Avoid pointing, screaming and/or yelling
Do not stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating; just proceed in the direction from which officers are entering the premises
Information to provide to law enforcement or 911 operator:
Location of the active shooter
Number of shooters, if more than one
Physical description of shooter/s
Number and type of weapons held by the shooter/s
Number of potential victims at the location
The first officers to arrive at the scene will not stop to help injured persons. Expect rescue teams comprised of additional officers and emergency medical personnel to follow the initial officers. These rescue teams will treat and remove any injured persons. They may also call upon able-bodied individuals to assist in removing the wounded from the premises.
Once you have reached a safe location or an assembly point, you will likely be held in that area by law enforcement until the situation is under control and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Do not leave until law enforcement authorities have instructed you to do so.
Training your staff for an active shooter situation
To best prepare your staff for an active shooter situation, create an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), and conduct training exercises. Together, the EAP and training exercises will prepare your staff to effectively respond and help minimize loss of life.
Components of an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
Create the EAP with input from several stakeholders, including your human resources department, your training department (if one exists), facility owners/operators, your property manager, and local law enforcement and/or emergency responders. An effective AP includes:
A preferred method for reporting fires and other emergencies
An evacuation policy and procedure
Emergency escape procedures and route assignments (i.e., floor plans, safe areas)
Contact information for and responsibilities of individuals to be contacted under the EAP
Information concerning local area hospitals (i.e., name, telephone number and distance from your location)
An emergency notification system to alert various parties of an emergency including:
Individuals at remote locations within premises
Local law enforcement
Local area hospitals
Components of training exercises
The most effective way to train your staff to respond to an active shooter situation is to conduct mock active shooter training exercises. Local law enforcement is an excellent resource in designing training exercises.
Recognizing the sound of gunshots
Reacting quickly when gunshots are heard and/or when a shooting is witnessed:
Run
Hide
Fight the shooter as a last resort
Calling 911
Reacting when law enforcement arrives
Adopting the survival mindset during times of crisis
Additional ways to prepare for and prevent an active shooter situation
Preparedness
Ensure that your facility has at least two evacuation routes
Post evacuation routes in conspicuous locations throughout your facility
Include local law enforcement and first responders during training exercises
Encourage law enforcement, emergency responders, SWAT teams, K-9 teams and bomb squads to train for an active shooter scenario at your location
Prevention
Foster a respectful workplace
Be aware of indications of workplace violence and take remedial actions accordingly
Preparing for an managing an active shooter situation
Your human resources department and facility managers should engage in planning for emergency situations, including an active shooter scenario. Planning for emergency situations will help to mitigate the likelihood of an incident by establishing the mechanisms described below.
Human Resources responsibilities
Conduct effective employee screening and background checks
Create a system for reporting signs of potentially violent behavior
Make counseling services available to employees
Develop an EAP which includes policies and procedures for dealing with an active shooter situation, as well as after action planning
Facility manager responsibilities
Institute access controls (i.e., keys, security system passcodes)
Distribute critical items to appropriate managers/employees, including:
Floor plans
Keys
Facility personnel lists and telephone numbers
Coordinate with the facility’s security department to ensure the physical security of the location
Assemble crisis kits containing:
Radios
Floor plans
Staff roster and staff emergency contact numbers
First aid kits
Flashlights
Place removable floor plans near entrances and exits for emergency responders
Activate the emergency notification system when an emergency situation occurs
Reactions of managers during an active shooter situation
Employees and customers are likely to follow the lead of managers during an emergency situation. During an emergency, managers should be familiar with their EAP and be prepared to:
Take immediate action
Remain calm
Lock and barricade doors
Evacuate staff and customers via a preplanned evacuation route to a safe area
Assisting individuals with special needs and/or disabilities
Ensure that EAPs, evacuation instructions and any other relevant information address individuals with special needs and/or disabilities
Your building should be handicap-accessible in compliance with ADA requirements.
Recognizing potential workplace violence
An active shooter in your workplace may be a current or former employee or an acquaintance of a current or former employee. Intuitive managers and coworkers may notice characteristics of potentially violent behavior in an employee. Alert your Human Resources Department if you believe an employee or coworker exhibits potentially violent behavior.
Indicators of potential violence by an employee
Employees typically do not just “snap,” but display indicators of potentially violent behavior over time. If these behaviors are recognized, they can often be managed and treated. Potentially violent behaviors by an employee may include one or more of the following (this list of behaviors is not comprehensive, nor is it intended as a mechanism for diagnosing violent tendencies):
Increased use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs
Unexplained increase in absenteeism; vague physical complaints
Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene
Depression/withdrawal
Resistance and overreaction to changes in policy and procedures
Repeated violations of company policies
Increased severe mood swings
Noticeably unstable, emotional responses
Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation
Suicidal; comments about “putting things in order”
Behavior which is suspect of paranoia, (“everybody is against me”)
Increasingly talks of problems at home
Escalation of domestic problems into the workplace; talk of severe financial problems
Talk of previous incidents of violence
Empathy with individuals committing violence
Increase in unsolicited comments about firearms, other dangerous weapons and violent crimes
Managing the consequences of an active shooter situation
After the active shooter has been incapacitated and is no longer a threat, human resources
and/or management should engage in post-event assessments and activities, including:
An accounting of all individuals at a designated assembly point to determine who, if anyone, is missing and potentially injured
Determining a method for notifying families of individuals affected by the active shooter, including notification of any casualties
Assessing the psychological state of individuals at the scene, and referring them to healthcare specialists accordingly
Identifying and filling any critical personnel or operational gaps left in the organization as a result of the active shooter
Lessons learned
To facilitate effective planning for future emergencies, it is important to analyze the recent active shooter situation and create an after-action report. The analysis and reporting contained in this report is useful for:
Serving as documentation for response activities
Identifying successes and failures that occurred during the event
Providing an analysis of the effectiveness of the existing EAP
Describing and defining a plan for making improvements to the EAP
Source: Homeland Security: www.dhs.gov
