Location
- Responsibilities: Understanding your responsibilities to help others, such as persons with special needs, is a vital factor when determining response.
- Securable Location: A location that can provide a degree of protection from an attacker. This includes rooms with doors that may be secured and has minimal interior windows from the hallway to the room. A securable location may be conducive to a HIDE or lockdown response. .
- Non-securable Location: A location that offers no protection from an attacker. This includes hallways or common spaces that do not have doors that could be secured. A non-securable location does not deny access and is not conducive to a Hide.
Survival Options
RUN: Initiate a running evacuation when:
- You have direct contact with the attacker, and/or
- You cannot lock the attacker out of your location, and/or
- You have a clear path of escape.
HIDE: Barricade or secure your area to delay the attacker if:
- You have indirect contact with the attacker; and
- You can secure the area to prevent the attacker from entering.
FIGHT: As a last resort, when lives are in immediate danger, FIGHT if:
- You have direct contact; and
- You CANNOT RUN; and
- You have fear for loss of life or serious injury
Educators and response agencies must prepare for a new level of response to confront a terrorist takeover situation. The dynamic nature and commitment of the terrorists requires enhanced plans and training.
RELATED: Schools Must Be Better Prepared for Terrorism
Counter-terrorism experts recognize that terrorists will strike the U.S. again and that our schools are a viable target. Education and public safety leaders have to learn from previous attacks to prepare for a 9-11 type attack in our schools. These leaders are faced with these decision-making possibilities:
- Do nothing and hope nothing happens.
- Do nothing and it does happen.
- Do something and nothing happens.
- Do something and it happens.
Brad Spicer is the founder of SafePlans, a leading provider of all-hazards preparedness solutions including a DHS designated anti-terrorism technology and national active shooter prevention and survival program.
Note: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety magazine.
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