When the Unthinkable Happens
Bratatat ... it ’ s the sound of an automatic weapon being discharged from inside your building . Run ? Hide ? Save yourself or those in your care ? You are paralyzed by fear and indecision . Your worst nightmare has become reality .
Unfortunately , many of these types of incidents have been highlighted in the media over the past few years . While it is an unthinkable scenario , advanced training and practice can make all the difference between mass panic and survival . A recent incident at a large shopping mall in the Albany , NY area clearly demonstrates the value of training and practice .
With foresight , the mall had invested time and resources in providing a training program for mall employees on how to handle an active shooter situation . Not very long after the training , gunfire erupted in the mall . Shoppers in various stores within the mall reported that employees took immediate control . Stores lowered their gates to the public hallways . Shoppers were brought to secure locations within stores and sheltered until further instruction was provided by public safety officials . While incredibly frightening and time consuming , as a direct result of the training , shoppers were kept safe even with a suspect on the run . Also important to note , there has only been positive social media chatter about the incident and the personnel ’ s very proactive and decisive direction and support . First-hand accounts from people who were onsite paint a picture of a calm , controlled response . In all , the incident portrays a best case scenario . Nobody was hurt , there was no mass panic and no negative publicity about the mall itself .
Is your organization prepared ? There are so many potential triggers that could easily lead to a confrontation on site . Does your staff know who is in charge ? What action they should take ? What is the evacuation plan ?
The majority , if not all , LeadingAge New York members have a physical disaster plan in place . In fact , many members have had to implement the plan . From hurricanes and floods to plane crashes and catastrophic acts of terrorism , members have experienced many emergency situations . But an active shooter situation doesn ’ t follow the typical emergency plan and needs special consideration .
Resources and consultants are available to help develop a plan but it is important to note that there is a difference between a standard office plan and a plan for an organization charged with the welfare of others . The standard office plan assumes people are mobile and cognitively capable of making their own escape and the decision on whether to run , hide or fight . For LeadingAge NY members who typically work with vulnerable populations , the protocols are very different . There are also different schools of thought among trainers . Should staff save themselves first as some policies suggest ? It is true that if staff are killed or seriously wounded , there will be no one to rescue those who can ’ t rescue themselves ? In many ways , providers of direct care , services and housing to frail elderly and other disabled populations face conditions more akin to schools . Teachers don ’ t abandon children and save their own lives and neither will many caretakers . So how do members craft rational policies ?
( Continued )
25 Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Fall 2016