Be Informed

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• Sign up for an active shooter training.

• If you see something, say something to an authority right away.

• Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and register your work and personal contact information with any work sponsored alert system.

• Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers.

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Make a Plan

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• Make a plan with your family, and ensure everyone knows what they would do, if confronted with an active shooter.

• Look for the two nearest exits anywhere you go, and have an escape path in mind & identify places you could hide.

• Understand the plans for individuals with disabilities or other access and functional needs.

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During

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RUN and escape, if possible.

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• Get away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority.

• Leave your belongings behind and get away.

• Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.

• Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.

• Call 911 when you are safe, and describe shooter, location, and weapons.

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HIDE, if escape is not possible.

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• Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet.

• Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.

• Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off lights.

• Don’t hide in groups- spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter.

• Try to communicate with police silently through text message or social media- so they know geo-tagged location, or by putting a sign in a window.

• Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear.

• Your hiding place should be out of the shooter's view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.

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FIGHT as an absolute last resort.

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• Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against him/her.

• Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc. to distract and disarm the shooter.

• Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.

• Throw items and improvise weapons.

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After

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• Keep hands visible and empty

• Know that law enforcement’s first task is to end the incident, and they may have to pass injured along the way.

• Follow law enforcement instructions and evacuate in the direction they come from.

• Officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, and/or handguns and may use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.

• Officers will shout commands and may push individuals to the ground for their safety.

• Consider seeking professional help for you and your family to cope with the long-term effects of the trauma. 

 

Helping the Wounded

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• Take care of yourself first, and then you may be able to help the wounded before first responders arrive:

• If the injured are in immediate danger, help get them to safety.

• While you wait for first responder to arrive, provide first aid- apply direct pressure to wounded and use tourniquets if you have been trained to do so.

• Gather an AED and be prepared to use it according to the guidance of the device and your level of training.

• Turn wounded people onto their sides if they are unconscious and keep them warm.

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Shareables

• RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.® Surviving an Active Shooter Event - English (video)

• How to Prepare for an Active Shooter Incident (PDF)

• Active Shooter Booklet (PDF)

• Active Shooter Pamphlet (PDF)

• Active Shooter Poster (PDF)

• Active Shooter Poster (Spanish) (PDF)

• Active Shooter Pocket Card (PDF)

• Active Shooter Pocket Card (Spanish) (PDF)

• Planning and Response to an Active Shooter: An Interagency Security Committee Policy and Best Practices Guide (PDF)

• FEMA’s Independent Study course: What you can do (link)

• Department of Homeland Security Active Shooter Preparedness (link)

• Active Shooter Training provided by Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) (link)

• Conducting Security Assessments: A Guide for Schools and Houses of Worship Webinar (link)

• Ready Navy active shooter(link)