It is critical for employees to be trained so they are prepared to react if they are confronted with an active shooter situation. As these situations evolve quickly, quick decisions could mean the difference between life and death. If you are in harm's way, you will need to decide quickly what the safest course of action is based on the scenario that is unfolding before you.
An active shooter incident is when an individual actively engages in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area using firearms.
According to a 2014 Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) study of active shooters, 160 active shooter incidents occurred in the United States between 2000 and 2013. Over 80% (132) of those incidents occurred at work.
The study found that 1,043 people were either killed or wounded in all 160 incidents, excluding the shooters.
Of the 132 worksite shootings, 73 incidents (45.6%) took place at businesses, 39 (24.4%) at schools, 16 (10%) at government sites, and four at health care facilities (2.5%).
Preparation involves knowing your resources, conducting comprehensive safety and security plans, practicing active shooter emergency drills, implementing workplace violence emergency protocols, and training employees on how to respond to a situation. Failure to address this issue is a risk not worth taking. Violent incidents are relatively rare, but they do occur, and lives can be lost.
Know What Resources are Available
Before a plan is developed, it is important to investigate your resources. Government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI offer training tools, materials and information to assist with formulating a plan. In addition, local and state law enforcement agencies have also started developing their own training guides and informational materials that can be used to aid you in your plan development. DHS has a comprehensive interactive online course titled, "Active Shooter: What You Can Do," which focuses on responding should the situation arise. In addition to this course, there is a handbook with the same title that offers similar information.
After reviewing available resources, reaching out to local law enforcement such as police, fire and emergency management services for assistance is the next step. Many local law enforcement agencies are willing to review your Emergency Action Plan (EAP), provide practical training, and even assist your organization with drills.
Develop a Plan
A formal EAP should outline the role and responsibility everyone will play in an emergency. How to respond to an active shooter situation will vary depending on where the shooter is located; for example, whether they are within the worksite or outside of the worksite.
If there is an active shooter within the surrounding area but not inside the facility, the facility should be placed on a tight lock down. This requires that all exterior doors are locked, customer and employees should be ushered to secure locations that are out of sight, and everyone should wait for direction from local law enforcement. In a situation where an active shooter has penetrated the worksite, the plan should lay out options for response. Many worksites have chosen to follow the Department of Homeland Security's RUN, HIDE, FIGHT action plan, but each organization should consider what plan will work best for them.
Once a plan is developed, ask key partners to review and make recommendations as appropriate. This may include having the local police department review the plan to ensure that it is in line with the department's own response plan. This helps ensure that all parties work cooperatively and efficiently in active-shooter event.
Provide Training
Training for all staff should begin with a review of the EAP. It should ensure everyone has a solid understanding of their role and it should address special characteristics that apply to your facility. The training may include presentations, review of written material, training videos, guided discussions, and role playing. After training is completed everyone should feel comfortable that they know the steps to follow as they are outlined in the EAP. Training should begin slow and build up to a mock active shooter training. In the early stages, training should consist of identifying the sound of gunshots, learning what the first steps of reaction should be, identifying who is in your building and providing them with knowledge about what direction to take, and finally moving on to providing an opportunity to demonstrate learning. It is critical for all employees, not just the management team, to understand that they have a role in responding to an active shooter, both in protecting themselves and customers, and that responsibility should be included in training.
Active shooters are unpredictable and often seek to cause the most damage before they are stopped. The shootings tend to occur where defenseless people gather, such as in theaters, schools, churches and the work environment. Shootings
usually are over before the police can arrive.
The more your organization can prepare, the more likely you are to minimize the damage. Research, plan, and train for the worst and hope that you never need the skills you have developed.
Links to Resources
Listed below are links to beneficial websites from the FBI, FEMA, and DHS that will aid you in developing a plan and training your employees.
