Workplace and school training in the event of an active shooter is more a norm than not these days, with participants in the training sessions learning steps they should take to keep themselves safe. But what should youth and adults do if they are out in public, enjoying the day or evening, and they find themselves in an active shooter situation?
Local, state and national law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Homeland Security, recommend three steps, summed up as “run, hide, fight.”
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Running involves removing oneself from the danger and finding a safe place away from the site, and hide involves finding a safe place to wait, with doors locked and lights off, should running not be an option, says Lt. Randy Jemerson, a St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department primary training officer for active shooter situations. Citizens fighting an assailant, including shooting their concealed guns, is a third alternative should individuals find themselves in such close proximity that not fighting or firing their gun could mean losing their and others’ lives, Jemerson says.
“Don’t call 9-1-1 until you are away from the situation and in a safe location,” Jemerson stresses, adding that when talking with the dispatcher, “try to give as much information as you can.” A person unable to leave a building or area, for whatever reason, and carrying a gun, should tell the dispatcher what they’re wearing in order to prevent the police from thinking the individual is the active shooter, says Jemerson, adding those individuals, upon seeing the police, should communicate who they are and follow the officers’ commands.
When hiding in a room, lock the doors, turn off the lights, barricade doors, remain quiet, silence cell phones, and move away from windows, Jemerson says.
Monte Chambers, spokesperson for the St. Louis Department of Public Safety, says the department wants the public to enjoy Halloween trick-or-treating and various other public activities but “be aware of your surroundings.”
He and Jemerson note that being aware means taking stock of your surroundings, including where exits are—outdoors or indoors—and alerting authorities if you see something or someone appearing suspicious.
“Overall, it comes down to situational awareness. We don’t want people to live in fear, but we don’t want them to be nonchalant, either,” Jemerson says.
