MEDIA

Prepare and empower yourself to respond to Active Shootings with the RUN-HIDE-FIGHT principle.

The importance of security is at an all-time high. Active shootings continue to happen across the world at workplaces, schools, and churches. Too many lives are lost in these senseless acts of violence.

How can we best respond to the threats of active shootings? Being proactive in addressing security needs is crucial. Security is meant to anticipate and prevent crime– through building access control, camera monitoring, and visitor screenings, along with armed and unarmed officers at mobile or fixed posts. The single goal of active shooters is to claim as many lives as possible. High security can deter active shooters, as most do not have specialized training to bypass security.

Unfortunately, not all crime and active shootings can be prevented. Active means the incident is ongoing, and there is potential to respond and impact the outcome. Prepare and empower yourself to respond with the RUN-HIDE-FIGHT principle

RUN

Situational awareness is important. It means paying attention to exits, cover and people – even before incidents begin. Always think about “What if?” scenarios. What is the fastest path to exit a building? If that is blocked, where can you exit? It’s ideal to always have at least two evacuation routes.

When a shooting occurs, your natural response is to run. Follow that instinct but do it with forethought and situational awareness. Make your flight calculated to avoid more danger or turn yourself into a more visible target. Leave your belongings, stay low, and maintain cover as you flee. Visualize your path and consider each step away from the shooter a small victory. Help others as you can, but do not move the wounded.

HIDE

When you cannot run, seek cover. Hide in an area that is out of the shooter’s view. Choose a spot that you can block off. Lock and barricade doors with furniture and anything you can find. Avoid hallways and stay away from windows. Close windows, shades and blinds. Turn off the lights and silence your phones. When hiding with other people, spread out in the space to avoid becoming an easy target if the shooter enters.

If you are outdoors, find a place to hide that will protect you, such as a brick wall, large trees, or buildings. Wherever you hide, keep your options open for movement and make plans to fight if necessary.

FIGHT

Sometimes the only way out is to fight. To survive, you must take down the shooter no matter what. Being face-to-face with an active shooter will be one of the most unnerving moments of your life. But you must do whatever it takes to incapacitate the shooter. Be aggressive. Commit to your actions.

If possible, ambush the shooter. Make them go to the location you want, where you can hide, and pick your moment to attack. Use whatever you find as weapons: chairs, laptops, books, fire extinguishers, etc. Throw or hit them with what you find. Attack the shooter from the side or back, which keeps you out of their line of fire.

Band together with others if you can. Discuss a plan to strike the shooter from multiple positions simultaneously. Throw items, grab arms, and hit sensitive areas such as the groin, eyes, and gut. To inflict the most damage when striking, use your elbows and knees. Stay at pre-established set points outside the shooter’s line of fire.

A successful ambush ends with the shooter dead. But if they remain alive and incapacitated, bind and gag them, and move weapons away from them. Then call 911 and exit.

When the police arrive, follow their instructions carefully. Drop any objects and keep your hand visible. If able, provide the officers with details and the location of the shooter as you exit.

Most active shootings are over in 5 minutes, with a shot fired every 4-15 seconds. The national average response time for law enforcement is 3 minutes. There is no time to plan once an active shooting begins. Plan now and consider how Walden Security’s officers and technology can deter active shooters. Contact us today to learn more.

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Sources: Walden Security Training Academy Instructors, fbi.gov, alert.org, gunviolencearchive.org, CRASE