Question
What is the Active Shooter - Active Threat Response Plan
Answer
Active Shooter - Active Threat Response Plan
RUN: Evacuate If Possible
- If there is considerable distance between you and the gunfire/armed person, quickly move away from the sound of the gunfire/armed person. If the gunfire/armed person is in your building and it is safe to do so, run out of the building and move far away until you are in a secure place to hide.
- Leave your belongings behind.
- Keep your hands visible to law enforcement.
- Take others with you, but do not stay behind because others will not go.
- Call 911 when it is safe to do so. Do not assume that someone else has reported the incident. The information that you are able to provide law enforcement may be critical, e.g. number of shooters, physical description and identification, number and type(s) of weapons, and location of the shooter.
HIDE: Hide/barricade in as safe a place as possible
- If the shooter is nearby and you cannot evacuate safely, hide in an area out of the armed person’s view.
- Choose a hiding place with thicker walls and fewer windows, if possible.
- Lock doors and barricade doors with furniture, or anything available that would make it harder for the shooter to enter the room.
- Turn off lights
- Silence phones and turn off other electronics.
- Close windows, shades, and blinds, and avoid being seen from outside the room, if possible.
- If you are outdoors and cannot RUN safely, find a place to hide that will protect you from gunfire such as a brick wall, large trees, or buildings.
- Remain in place until you receive an “all clear” from law enforcement or the University emergency notification system.
FIGHT: Take action to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter
- As a last resort, fight. Fight doesn’t have to mean “fight.” Fight can mean any action you take to save your life. You are fighting to stay alive, not necessarily fighting the assailant.
- Attempt to incapacitate or disrupt the actions of the shooter.
- Act with physical aggression toward the shooter.
- Use items in your area such as fire extinguishers or chairs.
- Throw items at the shooter if possible.
- Call 911 when it is safe to do so.
Police response:
- Police are trained to proceed immediately to the area in which shots or violence were last heard. Their purpose is to stop the shooting quickly.
- 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 will be armed with firearms. Regardless of how they appear, remain calm, do as the officers tell you, and do not be afraid of them.
- Put down anything you may be carrying and keep your hands visible at all times.
- The first officers will not stop to aid injured people. Other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow to remove injured persons.
- Keep in mind that after 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 or medically assessed.
Note:
- Be mindful that violent attacks can involve any type of weapon, not just a gun. Knives, blunt objects, physical force, or explosives can be just as deadly as a gun. The suggested actions provided here are applicable in any violent encounter.
- Plan ahead: Visualize possible escape routes, including physically accessible routes for students and staff with disabilities and others with limited mobility.
Please contact University Police if you need further assistance