ACTIVE SHOOTERS
“DOES YOUR COMPANY
HAVE AN EMERGENCY
PLAN? HAS THE TOPIC
OF ACTIVE SHOOTERS
EVER COME UP? IF SO,
WHAT CAME OF IT?
HAVE ANY PROCEDURES
CHANGED AS A RESULT?”
BY: SCOTT MCINERNEY
STERLING INSURANCE GROUP
Handling The Unthinkable:
Active Shooters In The Workplace
A
nyone who has been following
the news for the last few years
has probably come to one
sad conclusion: the number
of active shooting situations
in the United States seems to be growing
exponentially. Whether it’s at a school,
the local Walmart, or even the YouTube
headquarters in California, it seems like
nowhere is entirely safe. It follows, then,
that business owners and employees
should have at least a little bit of training
and knowledge on hand to manage the
situation should it arise. A little bit of
knowledge goes a very long way.
The first step is to simply bring the topic
up and begin to talk about it with your
employees. From there, you can begin
formal training, which can and should
include some of the following: recognizing
the sounds of gunshots, assisting law
enforcement, the “survival mindset,” and
how to react to gunshots or shootings.
Training should not be limited in scope,
meaning everyone from the ground up
should be getting individualized training
sessions. Employees in Human Resources
will have different concerns than public-
facing employees, and both will have
different concerns than mid-level and
upper management.
Next, recognize the fact that many active
shooters, unfortunately, are often either
current or former employees or are known
acquaintances of employees. It is essential
for managers and coworkers to be able
to recognize common characteristics of
potential violent behavior in the workplace.
It should be noted, however, that these
characteristics are in no way definitive, and
thus, should be treated as what they are:
potential signs of violence and nothing more.
Here are some common indicators to look
for:
• Increased use of alcohol and/or drugs
• Unexplained absenteeism
• Depression/withdrawal
• Unstable emotions
• Severe mood swings
• Domestic violence
• Previous incidence of violence
• Antisocial behavior, especially relating to
comments about weapons or violence
Of course, there are basic emergency
preparations that you should already be
implementing. Safety standards, having
evacuation plans and facility maps posted,
and ensuring everyone knows the local
emergency numbers are the basics, but you
can easily branch out from there. When
it comes down to it, most emergencies are
going to follow the same basic steps. Do
active shooters bring new concerns to the
table? Of course. With that being said, you
can’t build a castle on a foundation of sand.
Review your basics and make sure they are
in order as well.
Does your company have an emergency
plan? Has the topic of active shooters ever
come up? If so, what came of it? Have any
procedures changed as a result? If you
are interested in learning more about
preparing for active shooter situations or
have other emergency planning concerns,
we’d love to hear from you. Contact
me at 586-685-0134 or smcinerney@
sterlingagency.com for more information. +
Scott McInerney has been in the insurance
industry for more than 15 years. His primary focus
is on providing Risk Management strategies to
clients within the manufacturing, construction,
human services and marina sectors. Scott is a
Certified Risk Architect as well as a Certified
Authority on Workers Compensation. Scott loves
working with clients to improve their Risk Profiles
while providing the proper coverage to protect all
aspects of their business. Contact Scott at 586-685-
0134 or [email protected] today.
29