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ACTIVE SHOOTER RESPONSE

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Active Shooter Situations

An active shooter is an individual that is actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people by targeting a confined and populated space or area. In most situations, active shooters use firearm(s) to commit their crime, and there is no pattern of method to their selection of victims.

Active shooter situations evolve quickly, and typically only last 10 to 15 minutes before law enforcement has arrived on the scene. This means it is critically important for individuals to be aware of their surroundings, and be both physically and mentally prepared to act in an active shooter situation.

Effective measures for active shooter preparedness encompass a range of proactive strategies that are aimed at safeguarding individuals and minimizing potential harm in an active shooter situation. These strategies include, but are not limited to:

  • Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers, including immediately reporting individuals engaging in suspicious activity
  • If you are a student or employee in an office or academic building, be aware of the closest exits. This may be a door, emergency exits, or even windows
  • If you are a student or employee in a building with glass doors and windows, consider the best way to arrange your space in the event of an active shooter. This may include placing bookshelves or other heavy furniture near doors and windows to act as a barricade in a worse case scenario

Run, Hide, Fight

In an active shooter event, there are three basic options: run, hide, or fight. It is important to take into account where the active shooter may be located when determining how you respond, and that as the situation develops, you may have to use more than one strategy to keep yourself safe. You will have to rely on your own judgment and discretion in deciding which option will best protect your life.

Run

  • If safe to do so, leave the building or area as quickly and safely as possible; do not run in a straight line - use a zigzag pattern.
    • Be sure to have an escape route and plan in mind
    • In some situations, the nearest exit may be an emergency exit, normal exit, or an office or classroom window
    • Evacuate whether or not others agree to follow you
    • Leave your belongings behind
  • Actively warn individuals to leave the building immediately. Help others escape, if possible.
  • Do not attempt to move any wounded individuals while evacuating.
  • Once safe, notify authorities of where any wounded individuals may be
  • If you are unable to leave, go to a room that can be closed, locked, or barricaded by using available material.
  • If you cannot reach a securable room, look for a nearby location that you can reach safely that provides cover.

Hide

  • If you are unable to run, go to a room that can be closed, locked, or barricaded by using any available materials
  • Close the window blinds and/or cover all interior windows to prevent a view into the room. Turn off the lights and get everyone down on the floor so that no one is visible from outside the room.
  • Spread out and seek concealment behind walls, desks, file cabinets, etc.
  • Protect Yourself and Others
    • Silence cell phones and calm all occupants so that no noise comes from your room.
    • Do not respond to unfamiliar voices, which may be the shooter attempting to lure victims from their safe space. The shooter may bang on the door and yell for help to entice you to open the door. Do not respond.
    • If you are in a safe place, do not leave until you are personally satisfied that the person giving you directions to leave is actually a police officer or unless you are certain you have a clear path to safety.
    • Attempts to rescue other people should only be made if that can be done without further endangering the persons inside a secured area. Remember the safety of the masses versus the safety of a few.
    • Look for anything that may act as a potential weapon, should the active shooter enter the room you are hiding in
    • Remember: the shooter will not stop until his/her objectives have been met, unless engaged by law enforcement. His/her intention is not to escape but to kill and injure.

Fight

  • If the active shooter enters your office or classroom, there are no set procedures. The decision to flee or seek shelter inside the room can only be made by you and is dependent upon the circumstances.
  • If there is absolutely no opportunity of escape or concealment and your life is in imminent danger, as a last resort you should try to fight and overpower the attacker
    • Improvise weapons, including using desks/chairs to throw or hit them with.
    • If you are in close range to the shooter, try to disarm them
    • Act aggressively, including yelling to distract the intruder
    • If you decide to fight an active shooter, you must commit to your actions
  • If someone other than yourself acts to overpower the hostile intruder/active shooter it is recommended that you assist, as this will increase the chances of success and survival. Again, only you can decide if this is something you should do. If the shooter has fired on victims and you are faced with a life or death situation, only you can consider your next course of action. After all other options have been exhausted, you may be faced with the decision to overpower the shooter with force by whatever means necessary. Attempting to overpower the shooter has a much higher probability of success if everyone within the room participates; a one-on-one confrontation is not likely to end well.

Once You Reach Safety

  • Call the Police
    • Call 911.
    • When you reach the dispatcher, describe the situation and give your name and location.
  • Call Fuller Campus Safety
    • Dial 626-584-5444 from a cell or other phone.
    • Repeat the same information you gave to the Police.
  • If you know where the shooter is located, tell the Police.
  • Remain at the designated assembly point until you have been released.
  • Do not drive off campus until told it is safe to do so by police.
  • Do not try to move any injured people; leave them where they are and notify authorities of their location as soon as possible

What Should You Expect From Law Enforcement

  • Responding police officers are trained to proceed immediately to the area where the shots were last heard; their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.
  • The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured victims; rescue teams composed of additional officers will follow the first team into secured areas and remove injured persons.
  • Do as the officers tell you and do not be afraid of them.

Do expect the responding officers to initially assume that everyone is a potential perpetrator. Keep your hands visible at all times, no fast moves, and follow all the officers instructions exactly.