From the June 2017 print issue of Professional Security magazine, Steve Collins of trainers PS5.
Active shooter is a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress. The ‘Active Shooter’ is a person or persons who actively engage in killing or attempting to kill people, more often than not, in a confined and populated area. In the majority of cases the ‘Active Shooter’ will use firearms, hence the name, writes Steve Collins, pictured, of training company PS5.
Anywhere, any time
Usually, these situations develop extremely quickly and are completely unpredictable and frequently over in less than ten minutes or so. Seldom is there any apparent pattern or method behind the choice of victims. Most of us will never be involved in an incident such as this, but ‘active shooters’ can strike anywhere, at any time, so preparation is paramount to making the right decisions if it were to happen. The horrific consequences of an ‘active shooter’ have been weighing heavy on the minds of the authorities for decades, but current ‘active shooter’ incidents and attacks in shopping malls, on city streets, in military or government properties, hospitals, cafes, concert halls, schools, business premises and even places of worship. This has motivated and augmented efforts and investment in risk mitigation and training in how to react appropriately in a worst case scenario.
More creative
Make no mistake, to inflict the maximum irrevocable damage in just a few minutes, the terrorists and sociopaths who commit these monstrously heinous crimes are becoming more and more creative in their planning and advance reconnaissance of vulnerable locations and soft targets. The majority of ‘active shooter’ incidents are over well before any law enforcement arrives, so the choices that are made in the first few seconds are critical to the chances of survival. The FBI estimate that an average of 20 incidents will occur every year in the USA, and with the increase of ‘active shooter’ incidents around the world, understanding how to react appropriately in these situations is becoming more essential.
Response
To ensure an effective civilian response to an ‘active shooter’, proactive training and education is required. It is for this reason that we should all invest in an ‘active shooter’ training and response programme, in addition to any personal safety and work place violence programme that may already be in place. Even if law enforcement are present and able to respond within minutes, civilians will be faced with having to make life and death decisions, and therefore, should be engaged in training and discussions on the decisions they may face.
Guidelines
It is for this reason that I have written a new book in my ‘RULES’ series (featured in the February 2017 issue of Professional Security). ‘Rules for dealing with an Active Shooter’ is a 16-page set of simple guidelines that have been designed to raise situational awareness, provide guidance on how to identify potential attackers and explain how best to react if an attack occurs. Many law-enforcement-based training programmes are driven by the simplistic ‘Run, Hide, Fight’ mantra, and of course this works well. However, I have added a slightly different twist, and emphasise ‘Five Rules’ although, of course, the goals are the same. There is a need to train civilians in not only how to mitigate risk but also how to cope with the massive stress and anxiety of an actual attack and its aftermath, so that they can react rationally, despite the bedlam and chaos around them. If you don’t have training and an organised plan, you don’t have anything.
