How to Survive an Active Shooting Encounter:
High anxiety is today's normal and public shootings are no longer unusual. We must constantly practice Situational Awareness and Pre-Attack Indicators (pay attention to what, and who, is going on around you). Learn to react properly (don't panic) to an Active Shooting Encounter. If this happens to you, Run or Hide or Fight. Read on for details and watch the video from DHS. This training video, from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), demonstrates possible actions to take if confronted with an 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 describes how to assist authorities once law enforcement enters the scene. VIDEO SYNOPSIS: How to Respond When an Active Shooter is in Your Vicinity: Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life: 1. Run (Evacuate). If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:
Devise an escape route and plan NOW. Wherever you go, be aware of Marked Exits
If possible, help others escape but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
Leave your belongings behind
Discourage individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be located
Do not attempt to move wounded people
Follow the instructions of police officers
Keep your hands visible and empty so police don't mistake you for the perpetrator
Call 911 when it is safe to do so
2. Hide. If evacuation is not possible, find a safe 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., a room with a closed and locked door)
Not trap you or restrict your options for movement. To hinder an active shooter from entering your hiding place: lock or blockade the door with heavy furniture.
If the active shooter is nearby:
Lock or barricade 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 and trace the call
3. Fight (Take action against the active shooter). 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 (keep in mind that this person has nothing to lose so fight as if your life depends on it)
Yelling, throwing items, and improvising weapons
Committing to your actions
OTHER RESOURCES: Personal Preparation to Stop a Mass Shooter Training to Stop an Active Shooter DHS Active Shooter Preparedness Resources and Companion Video Strategies to Escape an Active Shooter Typical Psychological Profile of a Terrorist (October 2023) [Video] Firearms Training for Personal Defense Building a Personal Defense Strategy Moral Decay (NOT Guns) = Increased Violence & Mass Shootings Bullet-Proof Clothing, Body Armor and Accessories School Safety Training for Our Children You Have the Right to Remain Silent [Author's Reference Link]
[11-Cs Basic Emergency Kit] [14-Point Emergency Preps Checklist] [Immediate Steps to Take When Disaster Strikes] [Learn to be More Self-Sufficient] [The Ultimate Preparation] [P4T Main Index]
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