What can you do in an active shooter situation?
On Sunday night, more than 50 people were killed and 500 injured in Las Vegas in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
These events are tragic with a staggering loss of life. Government, the public, and law enforcement seek ways to predict and prevent these tragedies from occurring.
The number of mass killings in the U.S. has continued to increase. While there are commonalities in cases of mass killings, FBI studies have shown that the shooters come from a variety of genders, backgrounds, ethnicities, and religious and political affiliations, making a definitive “profile” hard to pinpoint. According to an FBI study of more than 160 active shooter incidents, around 40 percent of the attackers commit suicide.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated a study of active shooter incidents, with the goal to provide federal, state, and local law enforcement data to better understand how to prevent, prepare, respond, and recover from those incidents.
An active shooter is a term used by law enforcement to describe “a situation in which a shooting is in progress and law enforcement and citizens have the potential to affect the outcome of the event based upon their responses,” according to the FBI Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013. The consensus definition of active shooter is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.”
The FBI clarified this particular study did not pertain only to mass killings or mass shootings, but was a study of a specific type of shooting situation law enforcement and the public may face, though mass shooting incidents would be included.
According to FBI data, 160 active shooter incidents occurred in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013. A total of 486 people were killed and 557 wounded in the incidents, not including the shooters. The study also established that there is an increasing frequency of incidents every year.
Seventy percent of the shootings happened in either a commerce/business or educational environment and occurred in 40 of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Shootings occur in small and large towns, urban and rural areas, on city streets, military and other government properties, private residences, health care facilities, and houses of worship. Sixty percent of incidents ended before police arrived.
It takes an average of three minutes for local law enforcement to respond, perhaps quicker in areas like Pell City, according to Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin when he was instructing a Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events workshop held at the Pell City Library last week.
The findings from the FBI study showed that significant damage can occur in a short amount of time. In the 63 cases studied where the duration of the incident could be found, 69.8 percent ended in five minutes or less, with 23 of the incidents ending in two minutes or less.
“Even when law enforcement was present or able to respond within minutes, civilians often had to make life and death decisions, and, therefore, should be engaged in training and discussions on decisions they may face,” the FBI study stated.
Part of that training is the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) program that Pell City Police Chief Paul Irwin presented in a free class open to the public at the Pell City Library last week.
“It can happen anywhere,” Chief Irwin said. “It just takes one person to make that decision.”
The training course is based on the “Avoid, Deny, Defend” (ADD) strategy and can be used in any civilian group including schools, businesses, churches, and civic organizations.
Background science categorizes how people behave in high stress events such as natural disasters, fires, and violent incidents. The three stages are denial, deliberation, and decisive moment. When in denial, many have a “diffusion of responsibility” and wait on someone else to do something.
“If you see something happening, you need to have a plan and react,” Irwin said.
Steps in deliberation are calming yourself, shifting your emotions, and having a plan, because “having a plan saves lives,” stated Irwin. Implementing that plan of action is your decisive moment, and that is where the ADD strategy comes in.
“Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD)” are the suggested reactions to an active shooter situation. First: “Avoid,” which includes leaving the scene as soon and safely as possible, knowing your exits and secondary exits, and calling 911 when you are in a place of safety.
If you are unable to leave the scene, “Deny” is the second recommended action, including locking yourself and others in a room, barricading the door, turning out lights, and being out of sight of the shooter. Denying access takes a quick response time and has been proven to save lives, such as in the Virginia Tech mass shooting where 32 people were killed and 25 were wounded.
The last resort is to defend. If an armed law enforcement officer or civilian is not available or able to disarm the shooter, other measures to defend are suggested, such as positioning to attack the shooter unaware, grabbing the gun away from the shooter, and fighting with anything that may be available in the surrounding area. “Defend” is seen as a last resort method, as the individual or individuals are putting their lives in danger to potentially save the lives of others. It is important to be aware of your surroundings, exits, safe spaces, anyone that may have medical knowledge such as CPR, and if police or security are present.
In the FBI study, 13.1 percent of the incidents reported ended after unarmed citizens safely and successfully restrained the shooter. In 3.1 percent, the shooting ended after armed civilians exchanged gunfire with shooters, leading to the death or injury of the shooter. In 1.3 percent, armed off-duty police officers were able to neutralize the shooter.
“You are not helpless,” Irwin said. “What you do matters.”
The Pell City Police Department will be conducting another Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) training course on Friday, Oct. 6 at 5-6:30 p.m. at the Pell City Library. This is not a child-friendly class, but is intended to assist adults in saving lives through education and preparedness.
For more information, contact the Pell City Police Department at 205-884-3334.