Active Shooter Situations Flashcards
What are some key reminders about an Active Shooter situation?
Everyone should be ready for the possibility of an active shooter event.
Shootings have taken place in offices, schools, shopping centers, government buildings, theaters, places of worship, and on city streets.
Anywhere people gather is a potential target for an active shooter.
Active shooter events are unpredictable, evolve quickly, and are usually over in a matter of minutes.
As professional responders, we must plan for the unexpected.
An active shooter could be anyone. Recognizing potentially violent behavior may be the difference between life or death of yourself and others around you.
If you see something out of the ordinary that concerns you, say something.
How can you can keep yourself safe and be prepared to help others?
You can keep yourself safe and be prepared to help others by doing some of the following things before anything happens:
o Take note of the two nearest exits in any facility you visit. Know your exit strategy so you can get away as quickly as possible.
o Be aware of your environment. Look for anything out of the ordinary and continue to monitor the situation you can act quickly if necessary.
o Use your senses to help you figure out what is happening.
▪ Sight – Look for anything out of the ordinary
▪ Hearing – Listen for unusual noises and the direction they are coming from
▪ Smell – Identify any strange odors and what the source might be
After quickly assessing an active shooter situation, what are your three options for action?
After quickly assessing the situation, you have three options for action – run, hide, or fight. These actions are not sequential, decide to act based on how close you are to the shooter.
How could you immediately use your senses to help you decide what to do next?
o Sight – You could observe the distance to the danger and the availability of exits so you can plan an evacuation route.
o Hearing – You could listen for the direction the gunshots or screams are coming from to help you determine the best course of action.
o Smell – You could determine the proximity of danger by whether the smells are strong or weak.
If you choose the option RUN, what are some key reminders?
RUN
Observe your situation to see if you can run. If safe, evacuate the building immediately and get to somewhere safe.
The ideal path should provide cover to protect you from bullets or concealment to keep hidden from the shooter’s view as you run. If the path you cannot find a path that offers this, run in a zigzag or random pattern so that it is more difficult for the shooter to hit you. Use your senses to help you plan your evacuation route. Choose a path that allows you to navigate quickly.
If law enforcement is NOT on-site, call 911 when you are in a safe area and provide them with as many details as possible.
Do no stay behind to convince others to come with you. Evacuate if you can, regardless of whether others agree to follow but help others if possible.
If you choose the option HIDE, what are some key reminders?
HIDE
If running is not a safe option, hide in the safest place possible. Hiding places should offer both cover (protection from gunfire) and concealment (hidden from the view of the shooter). If you cannot find a secure hiding place, do NOT restrict or limit your options for future movement.
If you are in a location that can be secured, do whatever you can to deny the shooter access.
o Lock the doors and If possible, barricade them.
o Close blinds and cover windows.
o Make sure the shooters won’t be able to hear you if they pass by.
o Hide along walls closest to the exit to allow for possible escape if the shooter enters the room.
o Hide behind large items that might provide extra protection.
o Look for possible ways to escape and defend against the shooters should they find you.
As long you are safe, stay hiding where you are until law enforcement arrives and provides an all clear.
If you choose the option FIGHT, what are some key reminders?
FIGHT
If escape or hiding are not safe options, as a last resort, you should adopt a survival mindset. Be prepared to do whatever is necessary.
Remember, even though taking action to survive is an individual choice, research has proven that there is strength in numbers. If you are with others, work together. If facing imminent danger, a group may consider the following:
o Act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
o Do anything that will disrupt, disorient or distract the shooter. The more disruption or interference you can cause the better. This can buy you precious time.
o If the shooter is at close range and you CANNOT flee, your chance of survival is much greater if you can incapacitate the shooter with improvised weapons or by throwing things.
What things could you do to disrupt the shooter?
o Make loud noises
o Yell or scream
o Throw anything you have available
o Make erratic movements so you aren’t an easy target
During an active shooter or tactical situation, what are the three zones?
During an active shooter or tactical situation, there are three zones…
HOT ZONE: The area where a direct and immediate threat to you and/or others exist.
o Care in the Hot Zone would be limited to stopping life-threating bleeding.
o If possible, injured individuals in the hot zone should move or be moved to a safer position.
WARM ZONE: An area where a potential threat exists but there is no immediate threat to you and/or others.
o Care in the warm zone could include airway management, bleeding control, and caring for shock. Patients should be cared for using triage methods learned in this course.
COLD ZONE: An area where no significant threat to you and/or others exist. Additional resources and transportation would be staged in this area.
During an active shooter situation there are both tactical and rescue operations. What are the priorities of each?
Tactical Operations—Law Enforcement
o Their priority is to mitigate the threat and may have a contact team and a rescue team.
Rescue Operations—Law Enforcement/EMS/Fire
o The priority is to provide life-saving interventions to injured parties o The may form a Rescue Task Force (RTF) and set up Casualty Collection Points (CCP)
When it is safe to do so, call 911 to inform authorities of the situation. What details should you provide them with?
Provide them with as many of these details as you can such as:
o Your phone number
o Your location o Location of the active shooters and the direction they are moving
o Number of shooters
o Physical description of shooters
o Number of weapons, including type and description
o Number of potential victims
Some other key reminders…
Before law enforcement and emergency medical responders arrives, you may have the opportunity to provide immediate care that could save lives.
Once you have taken care of yourself, if the wounded are in immediate danger and if you it is safe for you, help them get to safety. Remember, an active shooter event is an active crime scene. Do not touch anything unless it involves providing aid.
Once you have taken care of yourself and BOTH you and the wounded are SAFE, it is critical that you take steps to stop severe, life threatening bleeding.
