Volume 9
Champions Edition
Events in San Bernardino , Paris and recently in Orlando , make me wonder if teaching the RUN- HIDE-FIGHT methodology might actually be adding to the injury and death count .
A view of the scene following the terrorist shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando , Florida , June 12 , 2016 . ( Image courtesy Univision )
Before , the idea was to wait until reinforcements could arrive to neutralize the threat . While still the case in some instances ; i . e ., San Bernardino and Orlando , police departments arm their patrols with higher powered weaponry and provide ballistic protection .
Today , some police departments are training their officers to intervene as quickly as possible , as soon a numerical superiority is achieved and not to wait on SWAT .
Another change in tactics , and widely-accepted , is the notion that a victim should use the RUN- HIDE-FIGHT approach . RUN if you can , HIDE if you can ’ t and FIGHT if you have to .
I know many police departments swear by it and a lot of training has been conducted , especially at school , college and university campuses across the nation . I ’ m not saying it was all in vain . What I am saying is maybe we need to take a look and think “ outside the box ” in how we deal with terrorist acts and specifically , active shooter events . Maybe we can and should be using building design to assist us in reducing the number of victims .
We know that designing neighborhoods and inhabited public spaces by incorporating Crime Prevention through Environmental Design ( CPT- ED ) principles developed in the early ‘ 90 ’ s , are effective in reducing crime .
Why can ’ t the same hold true for other building design and community strategies ?
Here ’ s my point , during a fire , the best protection for an individual in a building is to get out of the building as quickly as possible . In essence , get away from the threat – the fire .
In the security business we teach distance is the best defense . Get as far away as possible from the threat in order to protect yourself . ( RUN . HIDE . FIGHT .® Surviving an Active Shooter Event Courtesy of Ready Houston and YouTube )
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