There’s no one right answer. There are some best
practices shared below from different industries.
Each organization will have to find the mix that
works for their own culture and the acuity of staff
and residents. The common denominator of all
plans is to anticipate worst case scenarios and
have a set of communication and action protocols
in place, educate staff and residents/families and
practice.
Jerry DeLuca, executive director & CEO, NYS
Association of Fire Chiefs suggests the following:
“It’s really all about planning for the unexpected. The
most dangerous mindset is that ‘it can’t happen to
me.’ It’s not IF but WHEN something catastrophic
will affect your event, organization or residents/
members. From terrorism to domestic violence to
widespread power outages, there are forces that can
affect your people and operations and for which you
will need to have a plan.”
In terms of an active shooter on site, DeLuca
suggests that you really only have three options;
run, hide or fight.
Run!
A plan and escape routes should be thought out
and rehearsed well in advance of an event.
During an active shooter situation,
run only if you can safely identify the
shooter’s location and if you will be
able to exit away from that location.
Leave your belongings behind!
Help others escape but only
if it doesn’t put you in more
danger. Do not attempt to move
the seriously wounded. Once out, try
to prevent others from entering an area.
For your safety, when you exit, keep your
hands up and in plain sight. This will
help emergency responders distinguish a
victim from the perpetrator because they
otherwise assume that anyone exiting the
building could be perpetrator.
Hide!
If you can’t safely exit away from the shooter, hide out
of shooter’s view. Lock or block doors with whatever
you can move. Put something between you and
the shooter, for example hide under the desk. It is
very important that you silence your cell phone and
remember that even a vibration can pinpoint your
location to a shooter.
Fight!
Actively engaging a shooter
should be used only as a
last resort. You fight only
when your life is in
imminent danger!
You must seek to
incapacitate the
shooter and fight
with as much aggression
as possible. Improvise
weapons, throw heavy
objects at the shooter,
whatever you can find,
but the key is that
you commit to your
actions because your
life depends on it.
(Continued)
In terms of an active shooter on site, DeLuca
suggests that you really only have three options;
run, hide or fight.
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