Fleeing During an Active Shooter Situation
No matter what the circumstances, if you decide to flee during an active shooting situation, make sure you have an escape route and plan in mind. Do not attempt to carry anything while fleeing. Move quickly, keep your hands visible, and follow the instructions of any police officers you may encounter. Do not attempt to remove injured people; instead, leave wounded victims where they are and notify authorities of their location as soon as possible. Do not try to drive off campus until you are advised it is safe to do so by police.
What to Report When Calling 911
- Your specific location, building name, and office/room number.
- Number of people at your specific location.
- Injuries, including the number injured and types of injuries.
- Shooter location(s), shooter identity (if known), number of suspects, race/gender, clothing description, physical features, type of weapon (long gun or handgun), backpack, explosions separate from gunfire, and any other details you know.
When Law Enforcement Arrives
When law enforcement arrives, follow their instructions exactly. Keep in mind they may not know who the shooter is.
- Remain calm and follow the officers' instructions.
- Put down any items in your hands (e.g., bags, jacket, etc.).
- Raise your hands and spread your fingers.
- Avoid making quick movements toward officers, such as attempting to hold on to them for safety.
- Avoid pointing, screaming, or yelling.
- Do not stop to ask officers for help or directions while evacuating.
Additional Guidance for Faculty, Staff, and Students
Hearing from a witness, seeing the shooter yourself, or hearing the sound of gunshots may be the only alert you receive. The sound of gunshots, unlike special effects in movies and television, may sound muffled and make a "pop, pop, pop" noise. It is reasonable to assume that a series of such noises are gunshots and you should begin to take necessary precautions.
Remember, the actions of faculty and staff will influence others. Students, visitors, and guests will follow your lead.
- If an active shooter is outside your building:
- Proceed to a room that can be locked, close and lock all the windows and doors, and turn off all the lights.
- If possible, get everyone down on the floor and ensure that no one is visible from outside the room.
- One person in the room should call 911, advise the dispatcher of what is taking place, and inform him/her of your location.
- Remain in place until the police give the "all clear."
- Unfamiliar voices may be the shooter attempting to lure victims from their safe space. Do not respond to any voice commands until you can verify with certainty that they are being issued by a police officer.
- If an active shooter is in the same building you are:
- Determine if the room you are in can be locked and if so, follow the same procedure described in the bullets above.
- If your room can't be locked, determine if there is a nearby location that can be reached safely and secured, or if you can safely exit the building.
- If you decide to move from your current location, be sure to follow the instructions outlined above for fleeing.
- If an active shooter enters your office or classroom:
- Try to remain calm.
- Dial 911, if possible, and alert police to the shooter's location; if you can't speak, leave the line open so the dispatcher can listen to what's taking place.
- If there is no opportunity for escape or hiding, it might be possible to negotiate with the shooter; attempting to overpower the shooter with force should be considered a very last resort, after all other options have been exhausted.
- If the shooter leaves the area, proceed immediately to a safer place and do not touch anything that was in the vicinity of the shooter.
Additional Things to Expect When Help Arrives
- Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately to the area in which shots were last heard; their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.
- The first responding officers will normally be in teams. They may be dressed in regular patrol uniforms, or they may be wearing external bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets, and other tactical equipment. The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, or handguns and might also 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.
- The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people. Rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow the first officers into secured areas to treat and remove injured persons.
- Keep in mind that even once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still a crime scene. Police 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.
Preparing for These Events
Consider the following, wherever you may be:
- Know your surroundings.
- Take note of the nearest exit.
- Can the door be locked?
- What would work as a barricade?
- Do the windows open?
- Where would you run?
FAQs
Get answers to questions about active shooter situations.
Try to overcome your sense of disbelief that this is happening. The time you take to process what is happening and react to it should be as brief as possible. Even seconds can save your life, as well as others’ lives.
Active Shooter Facts:
- In most cases there is no warning.
- The chances are you will encounter or hear an active shooter long before any kind of alert or warning goes out.
- Police, security, and property specific emergency response teams have little or no time to react and warn personnel before the shooting begins.
- These situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly.
- They demand immediate deployment of law enforcement resources to stop the shooter and mitigate harm to innocent victims.
- Call the police. Never assume others have called.
Maintain situational awareness wherever you are. Know your surroundings and what should and shouldn’t be there. Look at your environment through the lens of survival and have a plan. Mentally and physically practice your plan. Look for exits, pieces of furniture that could be pushed into place to barricade a door or hide behind, or items that could be used as a weapon. Identify an office or closet that locks from the inside which could be used as a safe room in an emergency. Be prepared to leave your belongings behind. Even as you approach a new location, take a moment to look around and make a plan.
The bottom line is you must take direct responsibility for your personal safety and security. Pre-planning and quick decisions can save lives. Don’t have an exaggerated fear of something happening, but be prepared and know how to survive until law enforcement arrives. Remember, every second counts.
No. Call 911 when it is safe to do so. Be prepared to provide specific information as to the location, whether there is more than one shooter, and a physical description, if possible. When gathering visual information for a description, start from the head down. If there is a vehicle involved, make note of the type and the license plate number, if possible. Warn others about the shooter and the location as you are exiting the building or attempting to hide. Your goal is to put as much time and distance between you and the shooter as possible, but do not pull the fire alarm. Doing so will encourage people inside to attempt to exit and depending on the shooter’s location, you may be driving people into a more dangerous situation.
If you think the noise is a gunshot, act accordingly. Do not wait for confirmation or rationalize what you’ve heard. If it’s different and not a normal sound, react to it. Remember that gunshots sound different than they do in the movies. It is always better to be safe than sorry. At the very least, do not dismiss it.
An active shooter in your workplace may be a current or former employee, or a current or former employee’s acquaintance. Intuitive coworkers may notice characteristics of potentially violent behavior in an individual. Alert your manager, human resources department, security/police or REACT if you believe an employee or coworker exhibits potentially violent behavior.
Individuals typically do not just “snap,” but display indicators of potentially violent behavior over time. These behaviors can often be managed and treated if they’re recognized.
Potentially violent behaviors may include one or more of the following:
- Increased alcohol and/or illegal drug use
- Unexplained increase in absenteeism; vague physical complaints
- Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene
- Depression / withdrawal
- Resistance and overreaction to changes in policy and procedures
- Repeated company policy violations
- Increased severe mood swings
- Noticeably unstable, emotional responses
- Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation
- Suicidal; comments about “putting things in order”
- Behavior, which is suspect of paranoia, (“everybody is against me”)
- Increased talks of problems at home
- Escalation of domestic problems into the workplace.
- Talk of severe financial problems
- Talk of previous violent incidents
- Empathy with individuals committing violence
- Increase in unsolicited comments about firearms, other dangerous weapons and, violent crimes
An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.
The FBI designated 229 active shooter incidents from 2019 to 2023. This represents an 89% increase in active shooter incidents (121) from the previous five-year period (2014–2018). The 229 active shooter incidents from 2019 to 2023 occurred in 44 states and the District of Columbia and represent seven location categories including commerce, open space, education, government, residence, health care, and house of worship.
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