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Defending Against an Active Shooter. 9th Annual Child Center Conference April 24 - 26, 2013. Introduction. Goals: To reduce the fear associated with active shooter situations To present life-saving options for surviving active shooter incidents. Awareness. Awareness.
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Defending Against an Active Shooter 9th Annual Child Center ConferenceApril 24-26, 2013
Introduction Goals: To reduce the fear associated with active shooter situations To present life-saving options for surviving active shooter incidents
Awareness • Lack of awareness leads to: • Panic • Instinctive, often counterproductive responses • Increased awareness enables you to: • Avoid many dangers • Identify danger early; more time to escape or take other defensive action • Think more clearly
Awareness • What to be aware of: • People who seem out of place or odd in appearance or behavior • Your environment and position • Sound of gunfire: May sound like breaking glass, door being kicked, falling cans, pops, etc
Planning • Two levels of planning • General: What would I do if I ever found myself in an active shooter situation? • Reduces fear • Exercises your brain • Make a “game” of it
Planning • Two levels of planning • Situational: What would I do if an active shooter came into this building while I’m here? • Besides allowing you to customize your planning, situational planning: • Further reduces fear • Speeds up reaction time when confronted with danger
Planning • Do not expect the police to arrive quickly • Average length of time between the start of anincident and notification of police is SIX Minutes. • Does NOT include the time it takes for individual officers to arrive
Run, Hide, Fight Run, Hide, Fight Video Run. Hide. Fight: Surviving an Active Shooter Even
Run (Escape)! • Plan ahead, even if just visiting • Identify and assess escape routes • Is escape a viable option in this case, or would it be better to hide?
Run (Escape)! • Escaping • Leave valuables behind • Help others only if they are willing to leave
Run (Escape)! • Escaping • Do NOT attempt to move the wounded unless they are able to walk on their own • Moving the seriously wounded may aggravate their wounds • It is unlikely the active shooter will return to cause them more harm
Run (Escape)! • While escaping: • Be aware of your surrounding: be ready to take another route, hide or fight back if escape route is blocked • Avoid moving toward the shooter’s location if possible • Move away from building and/or take cover
Run (Escape)! • Watch for arriving officers; be ready to handle yourself accordingly : • Remain calm • Keep hands visible, fingers spread at all times • Follow instructions promptly and exactly • Avoid pointing, yelling or interfering • Know that help for the injured is on its way; officers’ job is to neutralize the shooter ASAP, not tend to the injured
Hide! • Plan ahead • Identify hiding places even if it appears you could escape easily • Cover vs. concealment: • Cover: anything solid enough to stop bullets • Concealment: only protects you from being seen
Hide! • Plan ahead • The value of darkness • Shooter may think room is empty • Makes it harder for him to see anything else inside the room • Meanwhile, your eyes adjust to the dark, which gives you a tactical advantage if you must fight
Hide! • Plan ahead • Locking door is preferable to blocking it; blocked doors let shooter know someone is probably inside • Avoid locations with only one avenue of escape
Fight! • Confrontation should be avoided if at all possible. • Unfortunately, there are times when confrontation is unavoidable; very important to plan just in case • Regardless of your options for escaping or hiding, you should plan what to do if you must fight
Fight! • When planning, it is helpful to understand that: • Gunshot wounds are NOT as dangerous as we think • 98% of all gunshot victims recover, and the great majority can continue to function at a high level after being shot.
Fight! • Remember: • Even an unarmed person can success-fully defeat an armed assailant if he/she: • Has a plan • Is committed to the attack • Acts decisively and with maximum aggressiveness and force • Chances of success significantly increased when able to act at a time and in a manner that surprises the shooter
Fight! • Advantages of fighting back: • Aggressive, unexpected attacks at maximum force usually catch assailants off guard, which gives the intended victim a significant tactical advantage • Tactical advantage can be extended by continuing to the attack with aggressive follow up action:
Fight! • Advantages of fighting back: • When the event occurs indoors, as they usually do, defenders will can often hide around corners or just inside doorways. • Allows them to catch the shooter by surprise as he rounds the corner or comes through the doorway
Fight! • Advantages of fighting back: • Hiding around corners or just inside doorways: • Creates the advantage of being able deflect or grab the weapon and then immediately counterattack • Especially true if shooter is armed with a long gun, as long guns are harder to maneuver at close range and easier to deflect
Fight! • Fear: • A powerful motivator when coupled with knowledge about what to do • Motivates you to do things you never realized you could do.
Fight! • Fear: • Use it to your advantage by: • Staying focused on how important it is for you to succeed, not just for your but for: • Those who love you • Other potential victims. • Accepting your fear and recognizing it as a friend that empowers your to do what-ever it takes to go home to your loved ones
Fight! • Weapons: • Improvised weapons: • Available in almost any environment • Includes scissors, pens, lamps, chairs, paper weights, etc. • Make a habit of identifying these wherever you are
Fight! • Weapons: • Empty hands: target vital areas: eyes, throat, temples, groin, etc. • Dry fire extinguishers: Blind, instantly take oxygen out of the air, and very effectively impact weapons • Do something!
Fight! • If you must fight: • Let him come to you; then attack as soon as he is close enough • Try to distract him first: • Throw something into or past his face • Have someone else make a noise, etc. • Keep at it until he is no longer a threat.
Fight! • After disarming/disabling the shooter: • Watch for other shooters • Do Notpick up the weapon • Holding it may make the police think you are the shooter. • Move it well out of the shooter’s reach and keep others away from it