ACTIVE SHOOTER AWARENESS Classroom Information Guide

Transcription

1 ACTIVE SHOOTER AWARENESS Classrm Infrmatin Guide Active Shter incidents are becming mre frequent in ur cuntry and n ur cllege and university campuses. Shuld such an incident ccur, the instructr is asked t assist in keeping ur students safe. There will be panic and cnfusin during such an incident. Hwever, it is imprtant t remain calm and fllw the listed guidelines belw. These guidelines can be cmpleted in any rder r by any designee assisting faculty in securing the classrm. GET OUT IF YOU DECIDE TO FLEE, MAKE SURE YOU CAN DO IT SAFELY AND HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE AND PLAN IN MIND. USE THE PLAN YOU CREATED IN YOUR CLASSROOM SAFETY BROCHURE. CALL OUT CALL PUBLIC SAFETY AT AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AT 911. HIDE OUT GET EVERYONE TO LIE DOWN AWAY FROM WINDOWS OR FIELDS OF FIRE SILENCE CELL PHONES, CLOSE BLINDS, TURN OFF LIGHTS, STAY ON FLOOR, AND DO NOT PEEK OUT DOORS OR WINDOWS. SPREAD OUT. HUDDLING TOGETHER MAKES FOR A BETTER TARGET. IF IN A HALLWAY, LOOK FOR AN UNLOCKED ROOM TO HIDE IN. KEEP OUT LOCK CLASSROOM DOORS IF POSSIBLE, BARRICADE WITH DESKS OR TABLES. DO NOT PULL FIRE ALARMS OR EVACUATE ROOMS OR BUILDINGS UNLESS DIRECTED BY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL. ONCE SECURE, DO NOT OPEN DOOR UNTIL ALL CLEAR IS GIVEN BY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL OR CATAWBALERTS. FOLLOW DIRECTIONS FROM CATAWBALERTS. TAKE OUT CONFRONTING SHOOTER SHOULD BE CONSIDERED THE VERY LAST RESORT. IF THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR ESCAPE OR SURVIVAL. YOU MUST BE COMMITTED TO THIS ACTION. Additinal infrmatin n Active Shter Respnse can be fund at

2 There is a Firearms/Shting Incident Prcedure fr Campus Active Shter NOTE: An individual must use his/her wn discretin during an active shter event as t whether he/she chses t run t safety r remain in place. Hwever, best practices fr an active shter event are listed belw. The ptential fr a schl shting exists n every campus thrughut the United States. Althugh the pssessin f firearms n r arund the campus is prhibited, previus natinal shtings dictate the imprtance and need fr a respnse plan. In the event yu bserve an individual with any type f weapn n the campus, immediately cntact Public Safety at ext r (704) Yu may als call Salisbury Plice by dialing 911. Remember if yu dial 911 frm a Catawba Cllege landline yu must dial DEVELOP A SURVIVAL MINDSET Awareness and Preparatin: Take time t understand yur surrundings and envirnment befre an emergency ccurs. Ask yurself, What if? questins and develp a plan. IN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER EMERGENCY Make a decisin, trusting yur instincts, t take actin t prtect yurself t survive the situatin. Yu generally will have three ptins: Get away: Can yu safely escape? Hide: Is there a gd place t hide? Cnfrnt: Will yu take ut the shter? GETTING OUT If yu can and yu deem it safe, get ut and get t a safe place. Yu will have t rely partially n instinct. Leave belngings behind, but take yur cell phne if it is handy. HIDING IN A SAFE PLACE Find a hidden lcatin. Find prtectin behind furniture if pssible. Find a rm that lcks if yu can. If pssible, clse and lck the utside dr t the rm. Blckade the dr with furniture r ther heavy bjects. D nt use yur bdy t barricade the dr. Clse the blinds, turn ff the lights, remain quiet, silence cell phnes, spread ut away frm ther individuals, and mve behind available cver. Stay n the flr, away frm drs r windws, and d nt peek ut t see what may be happening. D nt respnd t peple kncking n the dr after it has been secured. The individual culd be the shter r the shter may have taken that persn hstage. Make a plan with thers in the rm abut what yu will d if the shter enters. Make a ttal cmmitment t actin and act as a team with thers. D whatever is necessary t survive the situatin. If pssible and safe t d s, reprt the lcatin f the assailant. 7

3 IF OUTSIDE WHEN A SHOOTING OCCURS Drp t the grund immediately, face dwn as flat as pssible. If within feet f a safe place r cver, duck and run t it. Mve r crawl away frm gunfire, trying t utilize any bstructins between yu and the gunfire. Remember that many bjects f cver may cnceal yu frm sight, but may nt be bulletprf. When yu reach a place f relative safety, stay dwn and d nt mve. D nt peek r raise yur head in an effrt t see what may be happening. Wait and listen fr directins frm Public Safety and/law enfrcement persnnel. IF SUSPECT AN ACTIVE SHOOTER ENTERS YOUR OFFICE OR CLASSROOM Try t remain calm. Dial 911; leave the line pen s the dispatcher can listen t what is taking place. If there is n pprtunity fr escape r hiding, it may be pssible t negtiate with the shter. Attempting t verpwer the shter with frce shuld be cnsidered the last resrt. HELP OUT Warn thers. Help thers escape. Keep thers away frm the danger area. Help the injured. Help thers stay calm CALLING FOR HELP If safe t d s, call the apprpriate authrities. D nt assume that smene else has reprted the incident. On Campus: call the Office f Public Safety at (704) Or Dial 911. Be persistent; phnes may be jammed. Calmly identify yurself and yur exact lcatin. Remain calm and answer the dispatcher s questins. The dispatcher is trained t btain the necessary and required infrmatin fr an apprpriate emergency respnse. If safe t d s, stp and take time t get a gd descriptin f the criminal. Nte height, weight, sex, race, apprximate age, clthing, methd and directin f travel, and his/her name, if knwn. If the suspect is entering a vehicle, nte the license plate number, make and mdel, clr, and utstanding characteristics. All f this takes nly a few secnds and is f the utmst help t the respnding fficers. Althugh yu are nt expected t knw all f the answers, answer them t the best f yur ability. Even thugh yu may think the questining is wasting valuable time, the infrmatin yu prvide will enable Public Safety dispatchers t dispatch fficers and ther emergency persnnel safely and effectively. During yur call t authrities, yu will be asked questins, such as: What exactly is happening and hw d yu knw? Is it still happening? Where is the suspect nw? What was his/her last knwn directin f travel? Are there any wunded and hw many? What is the specific lcatin f ccurrence? What types f weapns were used? Describe the weapn/s r ther dangerus bject/s if pssible, and any visible ammunitin: Rifle 8

4 Shtgun Handgun: revlver r autmatic Ammunitin: Describe type, amunt and type f cntainer (metal bx, cardbard bx, backpack pckets and thers) Knife r ther dangerus weapns. Explsive device: Give specific descriptin. Were any shts fired? Describe the sund and the number f shts fired. D yu knw wh the suspect/s is? If yes, identify them and prvide any backgrund knwledge yu may have. WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRIVES When law enfrcement reaches yu, d nt run at them r make sudden mvements. The pririty f the first respnders will be t identify the shter. Law enfrcement will need t ensure that yu are nt the shter. D nt scream, yell, pint, r wave yur arms. D nt hld anything in yur hands that culd be mistaken fr a weapn (including cell phnes). Be quiet and cmpliant. Shw the fficers yur empty hands and fllw their instructins. Give the number f shters. Give the lcatin and physical descriptin f the shter. Give the number and types f weapns. When it is safe t d s, yu will be given instructins as t hw t safely exit yur lcatin. IN THE EVENT THAT THERE ARE HOSTAGES Call Public Safety r 911 and be prepared t give the fllwing infrmatin: Identify hstage lcatin in building r area Number f assailants, if knwn Number f hstages, if knwn Identity f assailants, if knwn Any descriptin f assailants and weapns Any demands made by the assailant/s If yu are at a distance, mve away frm the lcatin t a safer area. If yu can d s safely, evacuate area t a safer lcatin. If pssible prvide the abve infrmatin t a Public Safety r Law Enfrcement fficer nce yu are in a secure lcatin. 9

5 Preplanning: Reprng an emergency Calling 911 r in an emergency r under stress will be difficult. Preprgram yur phne fr ne-tuch dialing. Receiving Emergency Nficans (CatawbAlerts) Faculty member has the nly cell phne n in class. Selected individuals have their cell phnes n in class. The enre class have their cell phnes n. Keep aendance fr each class In an emergency yur aendance sheets may be the used t idenfy wh was in the building fr accuntability purpses wh is accunted fr, wh is missing? Evacuan: Have and evacuan rute planned Psted evacuan plans are n each flr f a building. Becme familiar with these rutes. Evacuate t the nearest exit. Knw yur desnan Idenfy tw buildings/safe areas yu can flee t that are at least 500 yards away frm the danger zne. Dn t take persnal prperty Leave persnal prperty behind as carrying items with yu can slw yu dwn. D nt stp An evacuan takes secnds if yu d nt stp. As yu evacuate, tell thers that yu encunter t evacuate but d nt engage in discussin r prlng the me it takes t exit away frm the danger. Cnsider the windws If yu cannt make it t an exit, cnsider ging thrugh a windw. D the windws pen? What flr are yu n? Are there bushes r mulch that can break yur fall? Stay tgether Keep yur grup tgether unl dismissed by emergency persnnel. Special Cnsiderans D nt use the fire alarm t evacuate D nt pull the fire alarm in an aempt t have peple evacuate the building. Sheltering in place: Lcking the dr Des the dr have a lck? Is the lck funcnal? D yu need a key t acvate the lck? D yu have that key? Des the dr pen in r ut? Drs that pen int the classrm can be barricaded with heavy bjects inside the rm. Drs that pen ut int the hallway cannt be barricaded. Recnsider evacuan r mve t anther rm. If nt pssible, aempt t e the dr clsed with an extensin crd, belt, r anything that can be wrapped abut the dr handle. Barricade the dr If the dr des nt have a lck, place heavy items inside f the rm in frnt f the dr. If there are n heavy bjects, cnsider wedging the dr r ging t anther lcan. D nt stand in frnt f the dr r windws Stand ut f sight and d nt stand in frnt f drs r windws. Avid huddling tgether in a mass. Use the walls and heavy bjects such as desks, tables, and filing cabinets t hide behind. Stay Quiet Turn ff lights, silence cell phnes, turn ff cmputers, etc. Call fr help Have ne persnal call 911 and advise them f yur lcan and the number f peple in the rm. Unsecuring yur lcan: NEVER pen the dr Once yu are secure, yu shuld never pen the dr fr any reasn. Respnding emergency persnnel will pen the dr fr yu. Preplanning: My Plan I have prgrammed my cell phne t dial 911 and I have implemented a plan t receive CatawbAlerts while I am in class. I have advised my class that I have an emergency plan and that they are t fllw my instrucns shuld an emergency ccur. Ntes Evacuan: I have reviewed the building evacuan plans. I have idenfied my clsest and next clsest exits, and I runely check the rute t these exits fr bstrucns. I have idenfied tw lcans that I will take my class away frm the danger area. They are and. Ntes Sheltering in place: I knw if the rms where I teach can lck and if I have the means t lck them. I have idenfied a way t barricade, e, r secure the dr in absence f lcks. I will nt pen the dr nce it is secured. I knw where the blind spts are frm the windw in my classrm dr. I knw where a safe rm is clse t my classrm ne that lcks, has n windws in the dr, and is incnspicuus. This frequently asked quesns (FAQ) brchure has been develped t prvide the Catawba Cllege faculty with necessary infrman n emergency planning and classrm safety. It is ur hpe that these answers will help yu begin yur individual emergency planning. Shuld yu wish t parcipate in emergency training, please cntact the Emergency Respnse Grup. Pub- Classrm Safety FAQ and Planning Cnsiderans Mr. David Najarian Directr f Public Safety and Chair, Emergency Respnse Grup dnajaria@catawba.edu Catawba Cllege Public Safety lic

6 Acve Shter FAQ What steps is Catawba Cllege taking t prvide safe classrms? While n instun can guarantee abslute safety in the classrm r n campus grunds, Catawba Cllege has taken the issue seriusly and wrks cnnuusly t imprve the safety f the Cllege s camps and classrms. The guidelines in the FAQ are just ne step tward a safer educanal envirnment. Acns the Cllege has taken include: 1. Use f an emergency telephne and text messaging system knwn as CatawbAlerts. 2. Use f the Catawba Cllege website t nfy the campus f an emergency. 3. Ability t ulize if apprpriate, the lcal media fr nfican purpses. 4. Regular tesng f CatawbAlerts and the call bx system n campus. 5. Crean f a Threat Assessment Team (TAT) t cllect infrman abut pssible threats and t recmmend acns based n the determined threat. 6. Training f the Public Safety fficers and the Emergency Respnse Grup members n hw t respnd t an acve shter incident. In the event f an emergency, what is my respnsibility? Many experts in this field believe that, alng with campus fficials, faculty are imprtant partners in prviding fr the safety f their classrm students in the event f an emergency, just as they versee student safety during classrm and labratry acvies. All faculty shuld an- cipate and plan hw they wuld ensure the safety f their students in the event f an acve shter in the building. While ancipang every detail f an emergency is impssible, by planning ahead, faculty can greatly imprve their students and their wn dds f surviving the emergency. N maer hw thrugh yur plan, all emergencies require clse bservan f events, analysis f the situan, and yur best judgment given what yu knw at the mment. In the event f gunfire in my classrm building, shuld I evacuate my class, r shuld we stay where we are and barricade the dr? Stascally, the mre distance yu place between yurself and smene firing a weapn, the higher the prbability that yu will escape injury. There, if yu hear gunfire, yur first curse f acn shuld be t evacuate yurself and yur students away frm the danger if yu can safely d s. Yu shuld nly cnsider sheltering in place r elsewhere within the building if evacuan is nt pssible. Wuld lcking all classrms during classes deter a shter? 1. Catawba Cllege classrms have lcking drs. If yu wish t engage the lck while teaching yur class, yu shuld d s, but relying slely n lcks fr safety has tw fundamental prblems: Mst classrm drs have a glass windw, and many mdern firearms are pwerful enugh t sht thrugh even tempered r safety glass. A shter culd then easily unlck the dr r reach vicms thrugh the glass. What shuld I cnsider in making my emergency plan? 1. Idenfy the type f emergency fr which yu are planning. This FAQ is designed t help yu plan fr an acve shter emergency. 2. Fr an acve shter situan, select and becme familiar with an area r buckling where yu culd mst likely evacuate yur class. Yur evacuan site shuld be apprximately 500 yards (five ftball fields) away frm the incident. Ensure that the site will be pen, available, and accessible during yur class hurs. Als select at least ne alternave site and becme familiar with it t. 3. Becme familiar with all f the emergency exits rutes in yur classrm building. Determine at least tw rutes that yu culd take t evacuate yurself and yur class frm the building. Remain aware day t day f what is happening n these rutes. Fre example, maintenance wrk culd temprarily hinder access t a rute. 4. Althugh sheltering in place shuld be yur last recurse, als plan fr the pssibility that yu and yur class may nt be able t leave yur building. Select a shelter area in the building that will affrd yu the best cncealment and cver. If yu select yur classrm, idenfy heavy items in the rm that culd be used t barricade the dr. Cnsider whether the barricade wuld be visible thrugh a windw in the dr and therefre indicate t an acve shter that pssible vicms are just beynd the dr Is there an interir rm withut windws but with a lck int which yu cld mve yur class and pssibly g unnced by an acve shter? What ther steps shuld I take t prepare in advance fr an emergency? 1. Yu are encuraged t take rll at the start f each class. Prepare t take the aendance list with yu in the event f an evacuan. Yur aendance recrd will aid rescue persnnel in determining wh may sll be in the building. 2. Prgram yur cell phne t speed dial 911 fr Salisbury Plice and fr campus Public Safety. 3. Rehearse what yu will need t tell an emergency dispatcher, including yur name, what is happening, yur lcan, whether injured persns are with yu, and what yu bserved 4. Once yu have develped yur emergency classrm plan, advise yur students that in the event f an emergency, yu have a plan. If there is an emergency, yu will direct them what t d. Leng yur students knw that yu have planned fr an emergency will give them cnfidence in yu and increase the likelihd that they will fllw yur direcns. 5. Cnsider leaving yur wn persnal cell phne n during class in rder t receive texts r calls alerng yu t an emergency by the CatawbAlert system. 6. Walk yur evacuan rute peridically t make sure yu are up t date n yur safety pns. I sll d nt feel cmfrtable; what is my next step t receive mre infrman? Faculty are encuraged t cntact the Directr f Public Safety r the Emergency Respnse Grup if they wuld like addinal infrman r wuld like t discuss emergency planning. Key Acns 1. Evacuate away frm the danger and remain calm: Fllw the instrucns f a faculty/staff member r emergency persnnel. Evacuate t the nearest exit. Nfy anyne yu may encunter t exit the building immediately. Evacuate t an area at least 500 yards frm the danger. Stay tgether. We need t get a head cunt. Once yu reach an area f safety, call 911 r Nfy the plice/public safety fficer f yur grup size and lcan and a cntact number. Remain in the reprted lcan unl yur are released by emergency persnnel. 2. If yu cannt evacuate, remain calm and: Lck f barricade the dr place anything heavy in frnt f it. If the dr pens ut and cannt be barricaded, evacuate r mve t anther rm. Stay ut f sight away frm windws and drs. Turn ff the lights. Remain quiet. Once secure, never pen the dr. Have ne persn call 911 r Place a large nte r arcle f clthing ut r n the windw t let emergency persnnel knw yu are there. D nt idenfy that the rms is ccupied fr anyne inside the building. 3. If the shter enters yur rm: Be prepared t aempt t vertake the individual with greater numbers If the individual is vertaken, hld that persn dwn. Call 911 r and reprt the situan.