Active Shooter Survival Tips
Introduction
An active shooter is a person who appears to be actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. In most cases active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. These situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly, demanding immediate deployment of law enforcement resources to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to innocent victims. This document provides guidance to faculty, staff and students who may be caught in an active shooter situation and describes what to expect from responding police officers.
- Survival Tips
- Secure or barricade yourself in a room.
- Close and lock all windows and doors & turn off the lights.
- If possible, get everyone down on the floor and ensure that no one is visible from outside the room.
- Hide.
- Someone should call the public safety office and advise the dispatcher of what is taking place and inform him/her of your location and the shooter’s location. Inform the dispatcher of the assailant’s location, clothing description, race, gender and type of weapons used etc.
- Remain in place until the police give the “all clear”.
- Do not respond to any voice commands until you can verify with certainty that they are being issued by a police officer.
- If the room that you are in can not be locked, determine if there is a nearby location that can be reached safely and secured or if you can safely exit the building.
- If you decide to flee during an active shooting situation, make sure that you have an escape route and plan in mind. Do not attempt to carry anything while fleeing; move quickly, keep your hands visible and follow the instructions of any police officers you may encounter.
- Do not attempt to remove injured people; instead, leave wounded victims where they are and notify authorities of their location as soon as possible.
- Place or keep cell phones on vibrate.
- Turn off radios and computers.
Note: Dialing 911 on the campus phone system puts you in contact with the Public Safety Office. Dialing 911 on your cell phone puts you in contact with the Northampton County Dispatching Center.
2. Public Safety Goals
- Quickly contain and control the threat while gathering as much intelligence on the attacker or attackers as possible.
- Quickly notify the Easton Police Department and the State Police Swat Team for assistance.
3. What to Expect from Responding Police Officers:
Campus police and other police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately to the area in which shots were last heard. Their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.
The first responding officers will normally be in teams of four. They may be dressed in regular patrol uniforms or they may be wearing external bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets and other tactical equipment.
The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns or handguns and might be using pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.
Regardless of how they appear, remain calm, do as the officers tell you and do not be afraid of them. Put down any bags or packages you may be carrying and keep your hands visible at all times. If you know where the shooter is, tell the officers. The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people; rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow the first officers into secured areas to treat and remove injured persons.
Keep in mind that even once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still a crime scene; police will usually not let anyone leave until the situation is fully under control and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Until you are released,
remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.
