Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events
- Disaster Response – How do people respond to disasters and high stress events.
- There are three stages
- Denial
- You must move past this stage very quickly.
- Deliberation
- Process information and decide what to do.
- Having a prior plan will help.
- Mental script and practice
- Having a prior plan will help.
- Try to stay calm.
- Willpower
- Combat breathing
- Shift your emotion
- Stay fit
- Process information and decide what to do.
- Decisive Moment
- You must act quickly!
- Denial
- There are three stages
- Active Shooter Events
- Active shooter as defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an individual actively engaged in killing, or the attempt to kill, people in a confined and populated area.
- The “Shooter”
- No set profile
- Typically an avenger mindset
- Some broadcast of event
- Approximately a 50% chance they are connected to the place the event occurs.
- Location
- Occur at places of commerce over 50% of the time.
- Schools represent about 25%, even though these events are often thought of as a school-based event.
- Number of Deaths
- Two driving factors
- How quickly do police respond and confront the attacker.
- On average it will take law enforcement at least 3 minutes to respond.
- How quickly can the attacker locate and target potential victims.
- Crowded room vs. empty room
- How quickly do police respond and confront the attacker.
- Two driving factors
- Civilian Response
- Move past Denial to Deliberation as quickly as possible.
- Don’t deny that what you’re hearing may be gunshots.
- Do not “Hide & Hope” or play dead, these are not effective strategies.
- Deliberation
- Avoid the situation ASAP
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Know your exit options
- Call 911
- Deny access to your location
- Lock the door and barricade it.
- The heavier the better, doorstops, etc.
- Turn out the lights.
- Get out of sight.
- Lock the door and barricade it.
- Defend yourself if necessary
- You have a legal right to defend yourself when someone is trying to hurt or kill you.
- Fight hard, your and other’s lives will depend on it.
- If possible, position yourself where you can surprise the attacker.
- If you have a weapon use it. If not, grab the attacker’s weapon or hands.
- Hands are dangerous
- You are not helpless!
- What you do matters!
- Avoid the situation ASAP
- Move past Denial to Deliberation as quickly as possible.
- When the Police arrive
- Follow commands.
- Show your empty hands.
- Do not move until told to do so.
Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC)
Why is this training needed? During and immediately after every mass-trauma event the civilian population regularly brings up two items:
- Those that want to help don’t have the training to help.
- Those that have the training to help don’t have the equipment to help.
Class Agenda
Until Help Arrives:
- You Make a Difference
- Steps you can take when responding to a life-threatening situation
- Different reactions you may have in a stressful situation
- Importance of practice and rehearsal to improve your response to a life-threatening situation
Stop the bleeding:
- Recognize life-threatening bleeding
- Steps to control bleeding
- Apply steady pressure
- Tourniquets
- Chest seals
- Wound packing
Bleeding Control/Mass Trauma Kits
If you find a USB stick on the floor or in a parking lot, don’t plug it in. A new study has found that most people who pick up a USB stick they found will plug it into a computer.
