How to Survive an Active Shooter
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About
The current national protocol for employees in an active shooter situation in the workplace is Run, Hide, Fight, which is highlighted in this video. Additional protocols do exist, and whether your entity chooses to adopt Run, Hide, Fight or another alternative, the importance is to assign a procedure and practice through drills and exercises.
Run Hide Fight® is a registered mark of City of Houston’s Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, a Department of Homeland Security Grant Funded Project.
Doing Some Good
In 2011, the State Office of Risk Management produced an Active Shooter Emergency Preparedness video advising office employees on addressing an active shooter event in the workplace. In light of recent events, the Office has released a new video to stress the importance of developing a procedure should an armed intruder enter your workplace.
The updated video includes footage from a recent active shooter drill conducted at the Office, with the assistance from the security team from the Texas Attorney General’s Office, and support from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The main guidelines every employer should be aware of are as follows:
- Establish a business-wide workplace violence prevention plan with procedures and policies that account for your specific industry and daily business activities.
- Provide safety education and training to employees for the purpose of (1) identifying suspicious behavior and (2) reacting to workplace violence or an active shooter scenario.
- Instruct employees not to enter locations that they feel are dangerous or unsafe.
- In dangerous situations or at night, establish a “buddy system” or provide an escort service or police assistance to deter potential workplace violence.
- Employees working in the field should always be equipped with a cellular phone and a hand-held alarm or noise device. Additionally, a detailed plan of your employee’s day should be crafted, allowing the employer to know the whereabouts of his/her employees at all times.
- During the late night or early morning (high-risk hours), if possible establishments should be closed.
- Establish identification badges, electronic keys, and security guards, to minimize non-employee access.
- High-risk areas should be made visible to more people.
- Install good external lighting, silent alarms, surveillance cameras, and bullet-proof barriers or enclosures.
- Depending upon your industry, minimize cash on hand.
- Increase the number of staff on duty.
- Have police or security check on workers routinely.
- Encourage employees to report and log all incidents and threats of workplace violence. These reports of violent incidents and threats should be brought before local police promptly.
To better understand and follow OSHA’s guidelines, learn more here.
“Stormfront” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License