Staying safe: Responding to an active shooting event

Once again, tragedy has struck in the form of an active shooter situation. Following a mass shooting in Pittsburgh where 11 people were killed and seven were injured two weeks ago; 13 people were killed in a shooting yesterday at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California. These events bring the number of mass shootings for the year to 307. Several hundred patrons were in the bar for their “college country night,” so the fatality numbers could have been much higher.

Discussions about gun control aside, the question arises, “What can we do mentally or physically to survive these types of events?” Schools are already holding active shooter drills and increasing police presence on campuses. Businesses are implementing security protocols such as badging systems and passkey access; however, these steps will do little to protect employees or students if the threat comes from inside the building.

Consider the following. “During an event, someone is getting shot every 15 seconds,” explained Lt. Rich Hampton of Tactical Edge, a Florida-based consulting and training firm during a session at the Workers’ Compensation Education Conference this past August. “It can be even quicker with a high-powered assault rifle.”

If it takes someone two minutes to call 911, that means eight more casualties. One minute to get to the dispatcher translates to four more casualties. If officers respond in three minutes, there will be 12 more casualties, and if it takes an officer a minute to engage the threat, that means four more casualties. Given this scenario, there could be 28 casualties in the space of seven minutes. This should change how we consider reacting to an active shooter situation.

When seconds matter

According to an FBI study, there were 30 active shooter events in the U.S. during 2017, and there have been over 300 in 2018. The largest number occur in areas of commerce (42%) — particularly businesses and malls — while almost 21% occur in education settings, 14% in open space and 10% on government property.

Hampton shared that in most cases, shooters are looking for soft targets, areas where there may be a lack of physical security or situational awareness, and where there are a lot of distractions and pedestrians. He said that three factors affect the casualty rates: the assailant’s capabilities, the environment and the response. “The people in the situation are the first responders, not law enforcement,” he added. “Training can prevent or mitigate the number of casualties.”

Victim response in the first eight minutes of a shooting event affects the casualty rate. When law enforcement arrives onsite, their immediate responsibility is to respond to the gunfire and neutralize the shooter. Response from fire and EMS can take an additional 10-30 minutes.

In 2012, there was an active shooter incident in the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. In just seven minutes, 12 people were killed and another 70 were injured. A law enforcement officer was on the scene in 38 seconds, but became involved in rendering aid to victims instead of capturing the shooter, who was later apprehended in the theater parking lot. Recognizing that response time and subduing a shooter as quickly as possible saves lives, the priority for responding officers is to locate and stop the threat before clearing a scene. First responders’ focus on the shooter means that individuals in the immediate area are responsible for their own safety. So what can you do?

Taking action saves lives

There are several options when facing an active shooter situation: run, hide or fight. “Make the best decision you can as quickly as you can,” advised Sgt. Neal Bohannon of Tactical Edge. “You need to do something. Doing nothing is a surefire way to find yourself dead.”

If possible, Bohannon said to run, evacuate and avoid the shooter. “It’s much harder to hit a moving target. Getting your body moving increases your survival rate by 90%.”

He recommended knowing where the exits are in a location. “Do you know where they are and have you been through them? Under stress your body changes — noise sounds more muffled, you get tunnel vision and all of the blood rushes away from your extremities and towards your organs, causing you to lose fine motor skills, such as using a key to unlock a door in a shooting situation. Your mind starts looking for something it can relate to and you freeze and don’t move.”

If it isn’t possible to leave the area, taking cover and concealing yourself is the next option. Cover can save you from gunfire if it is something solid like steel or concrete. “If you put multiple textbooks together, you can stop a bullet,” shared Bohannon, “a single textbook won’t stop a bullet. Concealment hides you from the shooter’s view, but it won’t stop a bullet.”

Employees who have to take cover in a work environment have mere seconds to take action. Bohannon emphasized the importance of pre-planning. “Think about your work environment and space. Understand the capabilities of your space — does the door lock? Which way does it swing? Are there windows in the doors? (These can be covered.) Are there windows in the room? Do they open or can they be broken? If you’re on the first or second floor, you can escape out of them.”

He also advised identifying any dead space in a room — some place that may not be visible from outside of the door. In a classroom, one teacher could stand outside of the door while another teacher moves about the room to find the dead space. Bohannon said to place a mark on the floor to indicate the dead space spot.

Consider items that can be used to barricade the door — computer cords, rope, tables or a doorstop can hold the door if it opens to the inside. Shoestrings or lanyards can be used to tie a door shut. A belt over a scissor hinge or pull bar can also prevent it from opening.

If the last option is to engage the shooter, act as aggressively as possible against him or her. “If you are face-to-face with a shooter — you can voluntarily surrender your life or you can fight for it,” stressed Bohannon. He recommended throwing items, yelling at the shooter or using improvised weapons. “Fight with everything you have like your life depends on it, because it does.”

It will be necessary for someone to act first to attack the gunman. “If you do, chances are that others will follow you,” advised Bohannon.

Unfortunately, the key to improving your chances of survival in an active shooter situation involves taking immediate action. In public areas look for exits, possible places to hide or barriers that provide a measure of protection. Pay attention to your surroundings — your life depends on it.

For more coverage like this, explore our active shooters, workplace violence and insurance Instant Insights page.