So what if a gunman were to enter your place of business? These steps below will provide a solid foundation to help you and your workforce survive such an incident.
1. Become Invisible
Once the shooting starts, or once you see a armed gunman, your first priority is to become invisible. Do your best not to be seen by the gunman, as this is your best change to remain invisible, safe and secure.
Previous events have demonstrated that a gunman will kill anyone who happens to be in their vision, even if they have another, specific target in mind. They may be doing it for a high body count, or may be angry at no one in particular.
Therefore, once an event begins:
Previous events have demonstrated that a gunman will kill anyone who happens to be in their vision, even if they have another, specific target in mind. They may be doing it for a high body count, or may be angry at no one in particular.
Therefore, once an event begins:
- Stay where you are
- Close the door
- Lock it
- Close the shades
- Turn off the lights
- Get underneath a desk/hide behind an object
As soon as you detect gunshots or see someone with a weapon, close and lock your office door. Unless they are already there, don't try to round up other employees into your office.
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2. Call 911
It always seems an odd juxtaposition to me that we are more than willing to activate our social media pages with updates on the status of our stomache ache or how our breakfast cereal came out, but not activate 911 when there is a critical situation. Statistics prove time and again that human beings during an emergency are cursed with a psychological assumption that "someone else" will call 911.
When I was training to be an EMT, I knew there might be a time in which I might be off-duty and witness an acute injury or illness that requires an ambulance. So one day, we did a training exercise with this scenario, and I remember when it was my turn. Instinctively, I went up the patient and began doing an assessment of injuries when my instructor stopped me. He told me that before I did anything, I needed to point to one of the bystanders and say the words "Call 911!".
That training came in handy. I witnessed a car accident once on a busy freeway, and I noticed that there were a number of people just standing around. There must have been 20 people there, and not a single one had called for an ambulance. They all figured that someone else would call.
Never make the assumption that "someone else" will do it. Instead, replace it with the better assumption that "no one" will call. Assume that you are the only one who can call, because an active shooter scene will require law enforcement intervention coupled with an ambulance and (possibly) fire suppression.
That training came in handy. I witnessed a car accident once on a busy freeway, and I noticed that there were a number of people just standing around. There must have been 20 people there, and not a single one had called for an ambulance. They all figured that someone else would call.
Never make the assumption that "someone else" will do it. Instead, replace it with the better assumption that "no one" will call. Assume that you are the only one who can call, because an active shooter scene will require law enforcement intervention coupled with an ambulance and (possibly) fire suppression.
3. Become Invisible Again
Once you have completed your call with 911, remain completely silent and still.
4. Do NOT Engage the Gunman - Remain Invisible
It still a fact in our culture that we glamourize those in the movies who do reckless and dangerous things during a shooting that put themselves and others at grave risk of injury or death. One of those is attempting to reason with an armed gunman.
It still a fact in our culture that we glamourize those in the movies who do reckless and dangerous things during a shooting that put themselves and others at grave risk of injury or death. One of those is attempting to reason with an armed gunman.
Don't do it.
Whatever you do, do NOT try to engage the gunman or try to reason with him. Even if the person is someone you know well, you aren't trained to handle it, and you could even be the target!
5. Become visible again only to law enforcement
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When I teach EMTs and paramedics about scene safety after a shooting, I teach them that only the police may authorize them to enter a scene to take care of patients. Even if critically injured individuals are screaming for help, they have to wait because attempting to treat those individuals may result in getting hit by gunfire or other injuries to the medical staff. So instead of having 4 victims, we would have 6 or 8 or 10!
Conclusion
Regardless of your position on gun control or weapon proliferation, the fact remains that an active shooter incident remains a possibility at any workplace, campus, or school. It is important to remember that you, your colleagues, and your co-workers, not objects or equipment, are the most important thing to any company. Don't risk your life during a shooting incident.
Be invisible, call 911, and wait for the police. It's a strategy that will help you survive a shooter, and once it is over, to Reverse Disaster.
Regardless of your position on gun control or weapon proliferation, the fact remains that an active shooter incident remains a possibility at any workplace, campus, or school. It is important to remember that you, your colleagues, and your co-workers, not objects or equipment, are the most important thing to any company. Don't risk your life during a shooting incident.
Be invisible, call 911, and wait for the police. It's a strategy that will help you survive a shooter, and once it is over, to Reverse Disaster.
phardy
Twitter: @hytropy
Facebook: Hytropy
http://www.hytropy.com
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