EMERGENCY ACTION PLANNING > Blog > Active Shooter > Active Shooter
Active Shooter
Sunday I was asked by a female friend of mine if she should buy a gun (I have been asked this question several times before). I asked her why she thought she needed one, she mentioned her apprehension about the seemingly daily violence in America.
I told her that I’ll ask her a simple question that needs a simple answer. Based on her answer I would tell her if she should further consider the acquisition of a fire arm for personal protection.
Copyright: Daniel Kilburn
Are you ready?
“Are you willing to draw a firearm at a moment’s notice and kill someone?”
I’ll ask that question again.
“Are you willing to draw a firearm at a moment’s notice and kill someone?”
“Owning a handgun doesn’t make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician.” – Jeff Cooper
If you are not, then you should not own a firearm for the purpose of self-defense, protecting your family and loved ones, or to enter into the defense of a stranger.
This cannot be stressed enough. Individuals with years of training and direct combat experience miss the target. An eight-hour firearms course, and a couple hundred rounds down range are not going to make you a Rambo.
So that bring us to the real question on her mind. What to do in the event of an Active Shooter scenario?
An Active Shooter scenario has three possible Courses of Action (CoA’s).
1) Evacuate If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:
• Have an escape route and plan in mind
• Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
• Leave your belongings behind
• Help others escape, if possible
• Prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be• Keep your hands visible• Follow the instructions of any police officers
• Do not attempt to move wounded people
• Call 911 when you are safe
2) Hide out
If evacuation is not possible, find a 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., an office with a closed and locked door)
• Not trap you or restrict your options for movement
To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:
• Lock the door
Blockade the door with heavy furniture
If the active shooter is nearby:
• Lock 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
3) 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
• Throwing items and improvising weapons
• Yelling
• Committing to your actions
(U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2015)
This is not an all-inclusive list of actions, but it is a good start.
An Active Shooter Drill should be included into your Emergency Action Plan.
Resources are freely available through DHS and FEMA. The FEMA Independent Study Course;
IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do is available here; https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-907
Take the course, you have nothing to lose.
Other resource material:
Till Next time
“Be Safe”