The FBI reports active shooter incidents are increasing and the majority of them occur in local places of business and organizations. The active shooter response training will help you, your place of business or organization be prepared for these types of life-threatening situations. Active shooter incidents are known to be unpredictable and to escalate quickly. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has a goal to increase community-wide preparedness in order to help detour the incident if possible and minimize loss of lives from an active shooter event.
How Training is Helpful
The active shooter response training is designed to help civilians respond and participate in their own survival. Historically, the response to an active shooter was for the organization to go into lockdown. This method of locking everyone in the building has shown not to be the most effective response, and lives were lost that may have been saved. Due to this, the DHS created a more practical approach to help save more people. This training can be used for business, an individual, or an organization to help improve management of these life-threatening events and save lives.
Topics Covered
The materials were created to help individuals, businesses, and organizations prepare to respond to an active shooter situation. The topics to be covered include:
- The history of active shooters, timelines associated with those events, and what was learned from them.
- Early warning signs and notification procedures.
- Effective communication skills to use when under extreme stress.
- Teaching a survival mindset as a way to the mental preparation necessary to effectively manage a shooter situation.
- The new DHS procedures to Run, Hide, Barricade, or Fight as options to take during an active shooter event.
- How to coordinate a mass movement within the organization or business.
Some Facts
There are several different ways to be prepared for a violent event, and the choices will depend on where you are located at the time of the event. For example, there will be different responses if you are located in a shopping mall, grocery store, a place of business, school, or in an open area. Often, the violent event has ended by the time law enforcement is able to arrive on the scene. This means that every second during the event matters. The actions citizens take can make a significant difference in the number of survivors and wounded.
These events are scary and not something anyone wants to encounter. Often, there is no warning, it escalates quickly, and people have to act without thinking, which means they need to be prepared. Just like training for a fire or CPR and First Aid training, learning how to respond saves lives. Specialized active shooter response training will help prepare you, your business, or your organization for the worst possible violent event with the best outcome.