Protecting yourself from an active shooter is not something we ever want to think about but we need to know what to do if it happens. No one guessed a health department building in San Bernardino would be the site of a shooting but it was. The majority of active shootings aren’t terrorist-related.
Most shootings are carried out by white males 18-late ’20s who have anger issues. The shooters at the San Bernardino attack were an exception in that they were Muslim and one was female. However, almost all mass shootings in the U.S. are domestic.
I attended an event with a speaker Capt. Stacy Gerlich, of the Los Angeles Fire Department. Her topic was how to deal with an active shooter as they’ve become more commonplace these days. No one is immune and it’s critical to know what to do if you are ever in that situation.
The first thing Capt. Gerlich asked us is if we knew how many exits were in our meeting room. The room was silent. There were 80 women sitting in the banquet hall of a plush country club and none of us thought to look.
- Whenever you enter a room or building, mentally take note of all the exit doors, stairways, and other means of escape.
Did you know that a Costco store only has 2 main exits? One to go in and one to go out. There are exit doors with alarms throughout the building. Don’t be afraid to use them if you feel threatened even if you know the alarm will go off.
When someone starts shooting you have three options:
- Escape – if there’s a way to get away, don’t hesitate, and run for it.
- Hide – if you can’t get away find a place to hide. In Costco, you might want to run behind the butcher counter. It will give you access to weapons (knives, slicers) if needed. Try to find a place that will give you more time.
- Fight – as a last resort, fight back. Throw things if you have to. Grab a fire extinguisher if it’s is in sight and try to blind the shooter. Once he’s disabled, people can pile on top and disarm him. Kick him in the groin and knock him down if you can.
Turn off your smartphone
You may be tempted to alert 911, call your loved ones or shoot a video that will go viral on the news. Resist the urge. If your phone rings or the shooter hears your voice, he will shoot you. If you aren’t near the shooter and you call 911 DON’T TALK. The dispatcher will trace the call.
The important thing is to know where you are in relation to the shooter. (a commenter below mentioned that your phone may sound an alarm in response to the shooting. – one person was shot in a shooting because her phone sounded an alarm.) Turn your phone off completely.
Listen to law enforcement.
If an officer tells you to run out the door, DO IT IMMEDIATELY. You’ll be asked to raise your hands and spread your fingers. Don’t resist. They need you to do this to make sure you’re not the shooter. Most of them look exactly like everyone else. This isn’t the time to reach for your phone to tweet or update your Facebook status.
Playing dead
How long can you hold your breath?
One woman at our event knew a victim of the San Bernardino shooting who survived because she played dead. She was hurt and the shooter kicked her around, but he thought she was gone and she survived. She was close to the shooter and didn’t have another choice. Sadly, she was critically hurt and had a long recovery ahead but it was better than being shot.
If you have any chance to escape DO THAT FIRST. It is important to have a sense of what is happening and react accordingly.
Helping a disabled person
If there is someone capable of getting a wheelchair-bound person out, and there are stairs, it’s best to pick them up and carry them. (Adrenaline can do wonders when it comes to strength) Most large office buildings have floor wardens who are there to make sure a disabled person can escape in an emergency.
How to deal with an active shooter in a high rise
If you are in a multi-story building check the elevator to check for evacuation information. Know where all the stairways and fire escapes are located.
Barricading a door
If you’re hiding behind a door put everything you can in front of it so it will be hard for the shooter to get in. Shut off the lights. Move objects in the room to create obstacles. Pick up tables and stand them up on end, move chairs and objects so they’re in the way. (A commenter below mentioned that you shouldn’t let anyone in who says they’re with law enforcement because it may be the shooter. Rescuers will find you after the shooter is caught or killed.)
It’s all about body count
The objective of a mass shooter is the body count. They want to take out as many people as they can. The shooter in Norway killed 67 people. Shooters are out to beat the highest number. They fantasize about getting out alive, practice, and plan, but don’t expect to survive. It’s sick, but that’s the reality.
Where most shootings happen
The highest percentage of shootings take place in schools. Ever since Columbine, schools have implemented active shooter training. It’s real and it’s going to continue to happen. In the case of San Bernardino, the shooter was a health inspector. He had access to the building blueprints in his car.
Who are the first responders?
The police and fire department will usually be on the scene within 5 minutes. However, the people who are in the midst of the shooting are the first responders. Do what you can but stay safe until they arrive.
Shootings in confined spaces
If you’re on an airplane, subway, or bus, with a shooter or terrorist, your only option is to FIGHT. Try to sit in or near the exit aisle. Carry a pen you can use to stab someone in the ceratoid artery.
Protecting yourself in other situations
Be aware of unattended bags. SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. If you spot a suspicious bag or package move away from it immediately. Don’t stand over it as you call 911 saying “Yes, I’m looking into the package right now.” (Believe it or not, people do this all the time.)
If a person is following you in a car DO NOT drive home. Go straight to a police or fire station. It’s a good idea not to rely on Google Maps or WASE. Carry an old-fashioned paper map that has police, fire stations and hospitals circled in red. If you aren’t near a station go to a busy and well-lit area like a supermarket.
Be prepared at home and on the road for any emergency
Carry an emergency preparedness kit in your car that includes water and comfortable shoes in case you need to walk or run. Put your car kit in a backpack so it’s easy to carry.
Please watch this active shooter video
I hope you’ll never have to deal with an active shooter situation but know what to do just in case. Hopefully, the government will institute reasonable gun reform to avoid these situations.
Be prepared for any situation. Carry pepper spray in your purse, (not at airports) or a stun gun.
Do you have any tips to add? Please leave a comment below.
My SO just went through active shooter training for his work. Another hint he mentioned was that if you have got yourself barricaded in a room, and somebody knocks on the door and says it’s the police, or someone who’s looking for shelter too – don’t open the door & don’t answer them, it might be the shooter. Wait for rescuers to come find you, they will be doing a thorough search of the building after the shooter has been caught or shot.
Would be very hard to turn away someone looking for help but this seems like the first rule of first aid – your first job is to make sure you do not become a victim too.
TQ’s instructor also had a vivid story about the turning a cell phone off – can’t remember the exact details but basically, somebody who was well hidden and might have survived, but was given away by a cell phone alert that was ironically related to the very situation that they were in.
Sad we have to worry about stuff like this but better to be aware and have some ideas of what to do. Thank you for passing this information along.
Thanks so much Bonnie. What excellent insights. Scary about the cell phone because when you’re in a panic you may not remember to turn it off. Even vibrate can be heard. Also not opening the door that’s barricaded. That’s so very true.
Not my son, my Significant Other! A pox upon thee, Autocorrect! 😛
Actually, that was my bad. I thought it was a typo. LOL. I’ll fix it.
Ha! Thanks!
I should’ve said S.O., that would’ve been clearer. I just feel so stupid using “boyfriend” when we’re both 48 years old and are coming up on 10 years as an item in May.
I know the feeling. I’m 62 and have a boyfriend. I call him the guy I live with. “Boyfriend” sounds too weird. LOL
This is great information that hopefully none of us will ever have to use. How sad that we need to teach this to our children.
It truly is sad but happens in the most ordinary places so it’s best to be prepared.
Self-defense training is a great thing. It helps you feel confident – and project confidence – in scary situations. Would that the world was a happier place, without having to worry about shooters and other killers. That being said, we’re still safer now than we ever have been in human history. We don’t have to worry about a lot of diseases. Building methods have been developed to keep buildings up. And believe it or not, violence is way down compared to even a hundred years ago. We hear a lot more about it, but it’s not the murder a day that used to happen in Los Angeles. It’s scary to think about active shooter situations, but it’s getting around about how to survive the situation and that we should fight back. Remember when they used to tell us girls to take it if we were raped because we weren’t supposed to make the rapist angry enough to kill us? Nowadays, we teach our girls to fight and I think that’s wonderful.
Thanks so much Anne Louise. It would be nice if we never had to think about things like active shooters. And, you’re absolutely right about the world being safer. I love the way Los Angeles has improved especially Downtown and in Hollywood. It’s just that random wacko who has either been watching too many video games or has a mental problem who can wreak havoc for no apparent reason. We focus more on terrorists than on people who need mental health. It’s sad.
Good tips and the video is very well done. I think we understandably let down our guard in day-to-day situations, but situational awareness is critical. While we may decry the need for self-defense information and training, dealing with what “is” is just as important as dealing with what “should be.”
Wow, Betsy, You can say that againI We have to be aware of what’s happening around us. It’s even more challenging when we constantly have our nose in our phones. A woman with a ponytail walking in the street looking at her phone is a perfect victim for a criminal. He can grab her by the hair and she won’t be aware he’s there because she’s too busy checking out her Instagram photos.
This course is very telling of the times we live in. It’s a great idea of course and something everyone should be educated about if they work outside the home. All great tips for sure. Thanks much for sharing this!
Thanks, Carolann,
When I heard the lecture I knew it was important to share. Let’s hope we never have to use any of the tips. It could happen anywhere. In a mall, school, rally or festival. It’s not that people should be paranoid. They need to enjoy their lives.
Although I was tempted not to read this article because I had that “it could never happen to me” feeling, I’m glad I did. The time to think about it is not as it is happening. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Lois. I know what you mean. It isn’t the type of content I typically post but I thought it was important after listening to Stacy.. We all need to know just in case.
Sadly, there continues to be a need for these types of reminders. I’ve always been one to look for exits but I think that stems from a fear I’ve always had of fires. My mother lost friends in the Hartford Circus Fire in 1944 and knowing that always makes me look for exits. I also run scenarios, like if everyone is running to that exit…what do I do? It’s something I always think about in a theater but I don’t think about it in stores or malls and I should.
It’s good that you do that, Jennifer. Most of us don’t think about it when we’re in a room or store but we really have to. Just in case.
Excellent advice Rebecca. Awareness and taking the right actions can save a lot of people. The fact that we have to think about these situations and plan for them is a terrible commentary on life today in the US.
Thanks, Meryl. I agree that it’s awful we even have to think about things like that.
It all breaks my heart. What is this country turning into? Growing up, we never had these events. Now they’re weekly. Thanks for the tips. They’re becoming heartbreakingly pertinent.
I know what you mean, Laurie. We move on to the next one way too fast. It’s insane!
Well, this is all good advice. How sad that we need it.
It’s is so sad, Carol. It needs to stop.
I used to worry about this when I went on campus at our community college . . . because a lot of shootings seemed to take place at colleges. But now it’s everywhere, So sad. But good advice.
I can imagine, Tom. I hate that they target schools. It’s awful!