Religious Workplace Active Shooter Protection Info Released
13 August 2019 | Recently updated policies on responding to active shooters and violence in the workplace have been shared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and The Department of Homeland Security.
The guidance is specifically aimed at religious institutions and includes information on gun violence. A long-standing strategy that is emphasized to respond to such situations is — run, hide, fight.
According to an August 7 article about the updated information on the Loma Linda University Health website, the information says that the run, hide, fight steps are not linear and what you do when depends on the situation.
For the “run” step it is emphasized that despite the urge to stay to help victims, evacuating a scene of violence is the best thing to do if you have the opportunity. This also gives you the chance to get help.
If taking the “hide” step, silence is important, staying out of the attacker’s view. Turn your phone to silent or turn it off. Alert people by text message or social media, being sure to tag your location so emergency services can know where you are.
For the fight step, the information says to use anything at your disposal, whether a chair, fire extinguisher or anything else available. The LLUH piece stresses that, “You’re not fighting fair, you’re fighting to win and save your life.”
Run, hide, fight is a simple response framework. It is designed to help prevent people from freezing in emergency situations.
More information is available here.