AST Digital Magazine October 2017 Digital-Oct | Page 62

Volume 17
October 2017 Edition
• Locate where the shots are coming from and
move away to safety
• Time is of the essence, move quickly, stay
low and help those you can
• Individuals you can not help advise them to
remain quiet and that you are going to get
help
• This will probably be one of the hardest
decisions you will have to ever make
You also must realize when the police and tacti-
cal team members arrive, they are not there to
render first aid to the wounded, answer ques-
tions or personally escort you out of the building.
Despite Two-Thirds of Organizations Naming Active Shooter
as a Top Threat, 79 Percent Are Not Fully Prepared – and
More Than 60 Percent Run No Readiness Drills, Surveys Say
Preparation prior to an active shooter event
will rely on the following:
• Know how long it takes to move from your
work area to a pre-designated safe zone
• Know your physical level of fitness as it re-
gards to being able to run or crawl to safety
• Know areas of concealment vs areas of cover
• Areas of concealment will provide visual
shielding from a shooter but will not pro-
vide ballistic shielding.
• This means if you are behind a wooden
door, cubical partition, window with closed
blinds the shooter can shoot through
these barriers and kill you
• Areas of cover provide visual shielding
and partial to complete ballistic shielding
• Locate all windows that can be opened or bro-
ken to provide a means of escape
• Some large windows cannot be broken
from a direct center mass impact and
have to be broken from the lower corners
• Be familiar with all fire doors and fire escapes
• Know the areas inside your workplace where
you can and cannot receive cell phone recep-
tion
• If a shooting should begin – LEAVE your per-
sonal effects except your cell phone (turn your
phone to vibrate).
Their first and foremost duty is to stop
the shooter.
When you encounter them during your evacua-
tion (i.e. escape), keep your hands up and visible
and follow their directions.
CONCEAL
Conceal refers to hiding on location due to the
fact you can not safely leave the scene or be-
cause you are wounded.
Preparation for such and option requires some
of the following steps.
Know your work place by identifying:
• Areas of concealment and areas of cover you
can completely hide behind
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