Be prepared for an active shooter! Because it will happen in your neighborhood.
The horrific mass shooting that occurred at a night club in Orlando, Florida during the early morning hours of June 12, 2016 reminded all Americans that as a nation, we are far from safe. Of course, as we’ve come to expect from tragic events like this, mainstream media flooded its television and social outlets with ongoing breaking news from the scene and unfortunately, unnecessary political spin. Presidential candidates and political officials chimed in as well, laying blame on one group while pointing fingers at another.
The general message from our elected officials a tragic incident goes something like this:
“We must do whatever we can as a nation to address (insert situation that caused the event here), using the full resources of (some local, state, regional, or federal organization), and bring (whatever group is being blamed that day) to justice.”
What the American people aren’t getting from the media or any political official is a game plan for addressing the problem. As Americans, we cannot rely on policymakers to keep ourselves and our families safe. Moreover, we can’t expect public safety and law enforcement personnel to be present at every single event we attend. In the same way we’ve been asked by our government to prepare for the hours and days immediately following a natural disaster, we must also prepare ourselves and our families to respond to and ultimately survive an active shooter incident.
WeSeeHSE encourages you to review the following documents and videos as a means of educating yourself and your family on the steps necessary to survive an active shooter event.
By far one of the most watched Active Shooter Awareness videos on the internet today (approaching five millions views), Run--Hide-Fight was produced by the City of Houston, Texas and released in 2012. The video depicts a calm, casual day in a conventional office setting, with office workers going on about their daily activities. Moments before the active shooting situation begins, the narrator acknowledges the efforts of local authorities to protect all of us as well as our public spaces. The narrator follows that statement by saying “but sometimes bad people do bad things.” It is followed by a graphic depiction of an active shooter event.
This document, published by the United States Department of Homeland Security, doesn’t read like a lengthy government white paper. Instead, it provides critical information on active shooter situations, including shooter profiles, how you should respond during an active shooter event, and what to do once law enforcement arrives. The document also provides a number of recommendations for how to best train your staff for just such an emergency.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office produced this critical video that demonstrates what an active shooter situation might look like in three different but familiar settings: a commercial warehouse, a shopping mall food court area, and a college campus.
This independent study program made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) & Emergency Management Institute is FREE or charge; however, you will need to sign up for a FEMA Student Identification Number (which is also FREE) to be able to register for the class. The material included in this course has been updated on multiple occasions to ensure class participants are receiving the most up to date training on active shooter response. If you’re responsible for training personnel in your department, FEMA independent study programs like this provide a consistent and credible training curriculum, and participants receive a certificate at the end of their training after successfully completing an online exam. You can also use the content contained within the training program to spur additional conversation on the topic among your co-workers.
Published in 2013, Options for Consideration demonstrates possible actions to take if confronted with a active shooter scenario. The instructive video reviews the choices of evacuating, hiding, or, as an option of last resort, challenging the shooter. The video also shows how to assist authorities once law enforcement enters the scene.
This is an extremely small sampling of informative material that can be used to educate yourself, your family, and your co-workers about the importance of active shooter preparedness.
Unfortunately, we live in a world where bad things can and will happen to good people. Educating yourself on the appropriate measures to take during an active shooter incident will increase your odds of survival and may even help you save the life of a close friend or loved one.
Please be prepared. Educate yourself.
