Emergency Response – Active Shooter

What to do if you are exposed to the immediate threat of an armed hostile intruder: 
You must decide the best course of action for your own immediate safety.  Be aware of your surroundings. Figure out what’s happening and what you can do to protect yourself.
If you think you can safely escape from the threat area, then run.  If you cannot safely escape from the threat area, then hide.
Alert Police at 911 as soon as possible and provide as much information as possible on your location, if there are injured, and any details on the situation or description of the threat and its location.

If you decide to run (evacuate):
Leave personal items behind.
Do not run in a straight line. Use cover, if possible. Try to keep objects between you and the hostile person.
Once you have escaped and if you have direct knowledge of the intruder’s description and location, call Police at 911 and give that information to the operator.

If you decide to hide (shelter-in-place):
Secure (lock and/or barricade) your office, classroom or other place of refuge, if possible. Block the doorway using whatever is available (e.g., desks, chairs, table, cabinets, books).
Keep the room dark and silent: turn off the lights, turn off any equipment that makes noise or light (e.g., projectors, radios, computers and monitors), silence cell phones and close any window treatments.
Stay quiet and out of sight. Locate yourself and others with you where there are solid walls or objects to hide behind.
Do not leave the room until told to do so by police or emergency services personnel.
If you can do so without placing yourself in further danger, call Police at 911 and tell the operator where you are and what’s happening.

If you are in an open area:
Seek protection.
Consider trying to escape if you know where the intruder is, and you think you have an escape route available.
If you don’t think you can escape, hide. Find the safest place available and secure it the best way you can. If possible, do not put yourself in a room with no alternate means of escape or method of securing the door.
If you are caught by the intruder or are near the intruder, you must decide if you are going to fight back or not.

If you are not going to fight back: 
Obey all the intruder’s commands and avoid eye contact with the intruder.
Be patient and avoid drastic action.
Follow instructions and be alert.
Wait for law enforcement to resolve the situation.

If you choose to fight back:
Do whatever is necessary to defeat the intruder.
If you are with others: spread out; plan; act as a team; and take action.

What to do when the police arrive:
Do not expect officers to assist you immediately. Responding officers’ primary job is to locate the hostile intruder and to neutralize the threat. Medical assistance will follow once the threat is neutralized.
Law enforcement personnel must assume everyone is a threat to their safety. When they enter your area, do not present a threat to them.

• Do not point at them or the shooter, make quick movements or run towards them or attempt to hug them.
  Do not scream or yell and do not have anything in your hands.
• You should be quiet and compliant and do exactly as the officers say. Remember that officers have no way of immediately knowing if you are one of the shooters.

Evacuation from the area:
Remain in secure areas until instructed otherwise by law enforcement personnel. Know that evacuation may be time consuming. You may be escorted out of the building, and you may be taken to a staging or holding area for medical care, interviewing, counseling, etc. Once you have been evacuated, you will not be permitted to retrieve items or access the area until law enforcement personnel release the crime scene.