Active Shooter

Responding To An Active Shooter On Campus

An active shooter is a person who is actively engaged in killing or attempting to
kill people in a confined and populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms
and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. These dynamic situations
evolve quickly and are usually over within ten to fifteen minutes. This demands immediate
deployment of law enforcement resources to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to
innocent victims. Faculty, staff, and students must be prepared both mentally and
physically to deal with the situation. Below are guidelines for those who may be caught
in an active shooter situation and a description of how to react and of what to expect
from responding officers.

Preparation:

Individual colleges, administrative offices, etc. should create an Emergency Action
Plan (EAP)

• The plan should include: listing of emergency numbers, a preferred method for reporting
  emergencies, emergency escape procedures and route assignments, and an evacuation
  procedure

When there is an active shooter incident and you can evacuate the building:

• When a threat is recognized, rapidly assess the threat level and immediately initiate
  a response. Your perception is your reality; there can be no second guessing the option
  you decide to react to the situation with:
• If you can evacuate, do it
• Run away from the building as quickly as possible
• Stop when you feel you are in a safe zone and contact 911

When there is an active shooter incident, you are unable to evacuate the building,
and your door opens to the inside / outside of the room:

•  When a threat is recognized, rapidly assess the threat level and immediately initiate
  a response. Your perception is your reality; there can be no second guessing the option
  you decide to react to the situation with:
• Take shelter in the nearest office, room, or closet
• Stay low to the ground. Maintain a position where a person in the hallway cannot see
  you through glass
• Lock and barricade the door with anything available in the room (chairs, desks, trashcans,
  etc.)
• If possible, tie down the door by attaching a belt to the door handle
• Look for alternate escape routes (windows, additional doors, etc.)
• Call 911 and provide detailed information. The phone line can remain “open” which
  helps the 911 operator in hearing what is happening
• Do not open the door for anyone. Responding law enforcement personnel will have access
  to all of the rooms in a building
• You may have to take the offensive if the shooter enters your area. There are numerous
  weapons in the room (chairs, trashcans, computers, etc.) Be prepared to utilize anything
  close at hand and prepare yourself for the physical encounter
• Position yourself in a location that will allow for the element of surprise if the
  shooter enters

When there is an active shooter incident and you must evacuate the area where the
shooter may be located:

• When a threat is recognized, rapidly assess the threat level and immediately initiate
  a response. Your perception is your reality; there can be no second guessing the option
  you decide to react to the situation with
• Run in a zig – zag pattern
• Do not stop running until you are well clear of the building
• Is escaping through a window an option?
• Consider the risk factor of falling from a window
• Make an improvised rope out of clothing, belts, or any other item that can be used
  to limit the distance you would fall
• Hang by your hands from the window ledge
• Attempt to fall into shrubs, mulch, grass, etc

When there is an active shooter, you cannot escape and the shooter is in your room:

• When a threat is recognized, rapidly assess the threat level and immediately initiate
  a response. Your perception is your reality; there can be no second guessing the option
  you decide to react to the situation with:
• Run
• Fight
• Throw anything at the shooter. Aim at the face to distract them.
• Attack in a group. Grab the shooter’s extremities and take them to the ground using
  body weight to secure them
• Fight Dirty!!! There is no unfair fighting when survival is the goal

When there is an active shooter incident and you have incapacitated the shooter:

• When a threat is recognized, rapidly assess the threat level and immediately initiate
  a response. Your perception is your reality; there can be no second guessing the option
  you decide to react to the situation with:
• Call 911 and advise law enforcement the shooter is down
• Provide your location and stay on the line
• Secure the suspect (body weight, belts, etc.)
• Move any weapons away from the suspect. Do Not Hold It!
• Do not run from the room. Help is on the way

What to expect from responding officers:

Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately
to the area in which the shots were last heard. Their purpose is to stop the shooting
as quickly as possible.

The first responding officers will normally be in teams of four. They may be dressed
in regular patrol uniforms, or they may be wearing external bullet proof vests, Kevlar
helmets and other tactical equipment. The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns,
or handguns and might be using pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.
Regardless of how they appear, remain calm, do as the officers tell you and do not
be afraid of them. Put down any bags or packages you may be carrying and keep your
hands visible at all times. If you know where the offender is, tell the officers.

The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people. Rescue teams composed
of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow behind the first officers
to treat and remove injured people.

Keep in mind that even once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area
is still a crime scene. Police personnel will usually not let anyone leave until the
situation is fully under control and all witnesses have been identified and questioned.
Until you are released, remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.