Category Archives: active shooter

The Active Shooter Threat – What’s the Right Response? Run Out or Lock Down?

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I got to sit in on a security group discussion yesterday.  It includes both security directors and local law enforcement and It was interesting to see how both groups approached the active shooter scenario differently.   Which way is the best?  Is there a best?
For law enforcement officers at both the state, city and county level, they want all doors to be unlocked so that all the occupants of a facility, or a hospital, can get out and run for safety as quickly as possible.   They say that means more people will survive, not get shot, and it works with the natural human reaction to run away from danger.

Some of the active shooter experts in the room said that active shooter situations should be treated like fire drills, because people are used to fire drills, and they know what to do, because they practice fire drills more frequently than active shooter drills.

For the Security Directors, especially of hospitals, they wanted to be able to lock down if there was an active shooter call in their facility.  They felt that there were problems in evacuating quickly, and some were concerned about leaving bed-ridden patients behind while the clinical staff run out of the building.  So they advocated locking down all doors instantly.

While the heated discussion continued for almost three hours – at the end there was no
“BEST” solution.  Each Security Director or Manager will have to decide for themselves which approach is right for their organization.  The important thing is to think it through in advance, prepare people in advance, and take advantage of the great materials that are available to help organizations prepared.

Get more information including videos, training materials, on line courses and more at
http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness.

 

 

 

NRA Promotes Guns as Retail Therapy…

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Have you ever seen someone who just ordered a new gun over the web?  I did recently, and it reminded me of how I act when I get a new sweater from Amazon delivered to my house.

They carefully, even reverently, unwrap the new gun, they touch the barrel, inspect the handle for scratches, and read the info that came with it… then they put it away in their idea of a safe place, to be brought out and enjoyed almost like an object of art.

Many of these people never shoot, only hunt in the meat aisle of the local Giant store, and would never shoot anyone, but the NRA has done a great job of SELLING GUNS, and like me having too many sweaters, these people have too many guns.

These are the guns that kill the little boys playing in daddy’s bedroom.  These are the guns that the one little girl accidentally fires and shoots her brother in the leg.  These are the guns found by criminals during a robbery and uses them to rob a 7-11 store.

These are the guns that Adam Lanza collected with his mommy and used to kill the little children at Sandy Hook elementary school.

And this idea of gun ‘collecting’ and gun ‘worship’ is something the NRA has created, promoted and continues to encourage – hence the fear of any kinds of limits on their ‘collections’.

Can’t we get these people to collect actual ART, cashmere sweaters, fancy belt buckles or anything else instead of these lethal weapons disguised as ‘collectables”?

 

Why Everyone Needs Active Shooter Training – after Big Bear!

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Active Shooter is not a technical term, it basically means anyone with a gun who is actively) shooting at you!

They can be shooting randomly, getting ready to shoot themselves, shooting from a freeway overpass, or shooting in a populated area – if they havea gun, AND they’re shooting – then they’re an Active Shooter!

The sad story of cop Christopher Dorner and his shooting frenzy affected me personally, because I lived in the high mountains of Forest Falls, one town east of Big Bear, for years, and one of my sons attended tiny Fallsvale elementary school, which was locked down at the height of the craziness.

This shooter targeted his victims in some cases, and others were shot randomly.  All the victims had no idea of what was coming at them.

The Department of Homeland Security has really stepped up its program to train people to deal with the Active Shooter scenario, and, after Dorner, and Newtown, and Aurora, and Fort Hood, that maybe everyone should have active shooter training. Just in the last year alone, there have been 15 prominent active shooter incidents.

You can start at DHS and get videos, powerpoints, active shooter reference cards – for carrying in wallets, purses and book bags, as well as posters and training manuals.  Here’s the link:  http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness.

Why not train our school children, like we used to train for bomb drills, by jumping under the desks and covering our heads?   Why not have mandatory training for all teachers?  What about mandatory training for all healthcare workers?  And all IRS agents?  And threater goers? 

If you’re reading this – you can get ready yourself, become situationally aware, and pass on the favor!

 

Assessing School Security Takes on New Dimensions after Sandy Hook Tragedy

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After 30 years of security risk assessment experience and working with hundreds of schools, hospitals, facilities, I have to say that schools have not taken school security seriously.

Obviously there are the social pressures including mental health screening, proposed assault weapons bans, gun owner screening, etc., but these are the thing that won’t change overnight.  EVEN IF THEY ARE LEGISLATED, it takes time to implement, and
implementation may not be perfect.

TODAY IS THE DAY TO DO A SCHOOL VIOLENCE ASSESSMENT – not tomorrow, not after new gun laws, not after the holidays — TODAY.

There are indicators you can look for to see if your school is at risk of an active shooter incident.  And ways to be prepared if the unthinkable happens and an active shooter comes to your school.

Strong, simple access control is the most effective solution, and yes, this may mean that
a plain glass front door or window is not enough.  Glass is easily broken, and yes, it means that all staff must be a little more accountable, and it probably means a red phone or connection to the local police.

There is a simple school risk assessment program that will give guidance on what you need to do TODAY, what controls you need to implement, what threats are most likely to occur.  These can be accessed on the www.riskandsecurityllc.com website.

Some things are preventable, some aren’t.  But lockdown drills, alarm systems, and active monitoring of cameras are just a few of the 60 controls every school should have in place to protect our precious children.

And this comes from the grandmother who’s 3-year old twins turned 3 yesterday!