AST March 2018 Magazine March 2018 Final -3.3.18 | Page 34

Volume 21
With seconds to spare, employees must be able to
March
2018 depend-
Edition
swiftly determine the correct course
of action
ing on the circumstances: escape, hide in a secure
location or physically engage with the perpetrator.
Escape
Active shooter incidents are sudden, and the first
thought should be to run from the threat.
If there is an escapable path, employees should exit the building
as quickly as possible.
Alerting people on your way out is okay, but individuals should
not stop.
Businesses should have a predetermined meeting point
outside the building with a predesignated supervisor to
perform a roll call to ensure everyone is present and safe.
Moreover, all employees should know who is in
charge of calling 911 to alert authorities and relay
pertinent details such as a physical description of the
perpetrator, their last known location, type of weap-
ons, etc.
If escaping is not possible, hiding is the next best
option to consider.
Hide
Find a secure location to hide where the active shoot-
er is unlikely to find you.
Encourage employees to consider which objects could pro-
vide the best protection.
There are four principles to remember when hiding
from an active shooter:
• Avoid hiding in a confined place
• Find a lockable room and then lock and blockade the door
• Turn out the lights, close the blinds, silence phones and be as
quiet as possible. If possible, call 911 and leave the line open
for the dispatcher
• Finally, keep low to the ground and do not group together
If there is no other option, neutralizing the attacker is
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the last thing to consider.