ACTIVE SHOOTER HOW TO RESPOND

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 cfsteam@hq.dhs.gov
http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness
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ACTIVE SHOOTER ACTIVE SHOOTER situation law enforcement Emergency potential violent behavior manager
<p>ACTIVE SHOOTER
HOW TO RESPOND
Emergency Numbers
EMERGENCY SERVICES: 
9 -1 -1 
LOCAL EMERGENCY INFORMATION LINE:  
LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENT:  
LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT:  
LOCAL HOSPITAL:  
LOCAL FBI FIELD OFFICE:  
FACILITY SECURITY:  
FACILITY ADDRESS: 
FLOOR: 
 SUITE/ROOM:  
OFFICE #:  
   EXT. 
PROFILE OF AN ACTIVE SHOOTER
An Active Shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in 
a conﬁned and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use ﬁrearms(s) and there is no 
pattern or method to their selection of victims.  
Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.  Typically, the immediate 
deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims. 
Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes, before law 
enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically 
to deal with an active shooter situation.
Good practices for coping with an 
active shooter situation
• Be aware of your environment and any
possible dangers
• Take note of the two nearest exits in any
facility you visit
• If you are in an ofﬁce, stay there and
secure the door
• If you are in a hallway, get into a room
and secure the door
• As a last resort, attempt to take the active
shooter down.  When the shooter is at
close range and you cannot ﬂee, your
chance of survival is much greater if you
try to incapacitate him/her.
CALL 911 
WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO!
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HOW TO RESPOND WHEN AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IS IN YOUR 
VICINITY 
Quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life.  Remember that 
customers and clients are likely to follow the lead of employees and managers during an 
active shooter situation.
1. RUN
If there is an accessible escape path,  attempt to evacuate the premises.  Be sure to:
• Have an escape route and plan in mind
• Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
• Leave your belongings behind
• Help others escape, if possible
• Prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be
• Keep your hands visible
• Follow the instructions of any police ofﬁcers
• Do not attempt to move wounded people
• Call 911 when you are safe
2. HIDE
If evacuation is not possible,  ﬁnd a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely 
to ﬁnd you.
Your hiding place should:
• Be out of the active shooter’s view
• Provide protection if shots are ﬁred in your direction   (i.e., an ofﬁce with a closed
and locked door)
• Not trap you or restrict your options for movement
To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:
• Lock the door
• Blockade the door with heavy furniture
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If the active shooter is nearby:
• Lock the door
• Silence your cell phone and/or pager
• Turn off any source of noise (i.e., radios, televisions)
• Hide behind large items (i.e., cabinets, desks)
• Remain quiet
If evacuation and hiding out are not possible:
• Remain calm
• Dial 911, if possible, to alert police to the active shooter’s location
• If you cannot speak, leave the line open and allow the dispatcher to listen
3. FIGHT
As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to 
disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:
• Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her
• Throwing items and improvising weapons
• Yelling
• Committing to your actions
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HOW TO RESPOND WHEN LAW ENFORCEMENT ARRIVES
Law enforcement’s purpose is to stop the active shooter as soon as possible.  Ofﬁcers will 
proceed directly to the area in which the last shots were heard. 
• Ofﬁcers usually arrive in teams of four (4)
• Ofﬁcers may wear regular patrol uniforms or external bulletproof vests, Kevlar helmets,
and other tactical equipment
• Ofﬁcers may be armed with riﬂes, shotguns, handguns
• Ofﬁcers may use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation
• Ofﬁcers may shout commands, and may push individuals to the ground for their safety
How to react when law enforcement arrives:
• Remain calm, and follow ofﬁcers’ instructions
• Put down any items in your hands (i.e., bags, jackets)
• Immediately raise hands and spread ﬁngers
• Keep hands visible at all times
• Avoid making quick movements toward ofﬁcers such as holding on to them for safety
• Avoid pointing, screaming and/or yelling
• Do not stop to ask ofﬁcers for help or direction when evacuating, just proceed in the
direction from which ofﬁcers are entering the premises
Information to provide to law enforcement or 911 operator:
• Location of the active shooter
• Number of shooters, if more than one
• Physical description of shooter/s
• Number and type of weapons held by the shooter/s
• Number of potential victims at the location
The ﬁrst ofﬁcers to arrive to the scene will not stop to help injured persons.  Expect rescue 
teams comprised of additional ofﬁcers and emergency medical personnel to follow the initial 
ofﬁcers.  These rescue teams will treat and remove any injured persons.  They may also call 
upon able-bodied individuals to assist in removing the wounded from the premises.
Once you have reached a safe location or an assembly point, you will likely be held in that area 
by law enforcement until the situation is under control, and all witnesses have been identiﬁed 
and questioned.  Do not leave until law enforcement authorities have instructed you to do so.
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TRAINING YOUR STAFF FOR AN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION
To best prepare your staff for an active shooter situation, create an Emergency Action Plan 
(EAP), and conduct training exercises.  Together, the EAP and training exercises will prepare 
your staff to effectively respond and help minimize loss of life.   
Components of an Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
Create the EAP with input from several stakeholders including your human resources 
department, your training department (if one exists), facility owners / operators, your 
property manager, and local law enforcement and/or emergency responders.  An effective 
EAP includes:
• A preferred method for reporting ﬁres and other emergencies
• An evacuation policy and procedure
• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments (i.e., ﬂoor plans, safe areas)
• Contact information for, and responsibilities of individuals to be contacted under the
EAP
•
Information concerning local area hospitals (i.e., name, telephone number, and
distance from your location)
• An emergency notiﬁcation system to alert various parties of an emergency including:
- Individuals at remote locations within premises
- Local law enforcement
- Local area hospitals
Components of Training Exercises 
The most effective way to train your staff to respond to an active shooter situation is to 
conduct mock active shooter training exercises.  Local law enforcement is an excellent 
resource in designing training exercises.  
• Recognizing the sound of gunshots
• Reacting quickly when gunshots are heard and/or when a shooting is witnessed:
- Run 
- Hide
- Fight the shooter as a last resort
• Calling 911
• Reacting when law enforcement arrives
• Adopting the survival mind set during times of crisis
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Additional Ways to  Prepare For and Prevent an Active Shooter Situation
• Preparedness
- Ensure that your facility has at least two evacuation routes
- Post evacuation routes in conspicuous locations throughout your facility
- Include local law enforcement and ﬁrst responders during training exercises
- Encourage  law enforcement, emergency responders, SWAT teams, K-9 teams,
and bomb squads to train for an active shooter scenario at your location
• Prevention
- Foster a respectful workplace
- Be aware of indications of workplace violence and take remedial
actions accordingly
For more information on creating an EAP  contact the U.S. Department of 
Labor, Occupational Health and Safety Administration, www.osha.gov. 
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PREPARING FOR AND MANAGING AN ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATION 
Your human resources department and facility managers should engage in planning for 
emergency situations, including an active shooter scenario.  Planning for emergency situations 
will help to mitigate the likelihood of an incident by establishing the mechanisms described 
below.
Human Resources’ Responsibilities
• Conduct effective employee screening and background checks
• Create a system for reporting signs of potentially violent behavior
• Make counseling services available to employees
• Develop an EAP which includes policies and procedures for dealing with an active
shooter situation, as well as after action planning
Facility Manager Responsibilities
•
Institute access controls (i.e., keys, security system pass codes)
• Distribute critical items to appropriate managers / employees, including:
- Floor plans
- Keys
- Facility personnel lists and telephone numbers
• Coordinate with the facility’s security department to ensure the physical security of the
location
• Assemble crisis kits containing:
- radios
- ﬂoor plans
- staff roster, and staff emergency contact numbers
- ﬁrst aid kits
- ﬂashlights
• Place removable ﬂoor plans near entrances and exits for emergency responders
• Activate the emergency notiﬁcation system when an emergency situation occurs
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Reactions of Managers During an Active Shooter Situation 
Employees and customers are likely to follow the lead of managers during an 
emergency situation.  During an emergency, managers should be familiar with their 
EAP, and be prepared to:
• Take immediate action
• Remain calm
• Lock and barricade doors
• Evacuate staff and customers via a preplanned evacuation route to a safe area
Assisting Individuals with Special Needs and/or Disabilities
• Ensure that EAPs, evacuation instructions and any other relevant information
address to individuals with special needs and/or disabilities
• Your building should be handicap-accessible, in compliance with ADA 
requirements.
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RECOGNIZING POTENTIAL WORKPLACE VIOLENCE
An active shooter in your workplace may be a current or former employee, or an 
acquaintance of a current or former employee.  Intuitive managers and coworkers may 
notice characteristics of potentially violent behavior in an employee.  Alert your Human 
Resources Department if you believe an employee or coworker exhibits potentially violent 
behavior.
Indicators of Potential Violence by an Employee 
Employees typically do not just “snap,” but display indicators of potentially violent 
behavior over time.  If these behaviors are recognized, they can often be managed and 
treated.  Potentially violent behaviors by an employee may include one or more of the 
following (this list of behaviors is not comprehensive, nor is it intended as a mechanism 
for diagnosing violent tendencies):
•
Increased use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs
• Unexplained increase in absenteeism; vague physical complaints
• Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene
• Depression / withdrawal
• Resistance and overreaction to changes in policy and procedures
• Repeated violations of company policies
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Increased severe mood swings
• Noticeably unstable, emotional responses
• Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation
• Suicidal; comments about “putting things in order”
• Behavior which is suspect of paranoia, (“everybody is against me”)
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Increasingly talks of problems at home
• Escalation of domestic problems into the workplace; talk of severe ﬁnancial
problems
• Talk of previous incidents of violence
• Empathy with individuals committing violence
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Increase in unsolicited comments about ﬁrearms, other dangerous weapons and
violent crimes
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MANAGING THE CONSEQUENCES OF AN ACTIVE SHOOTER 
SITUATION 
After the active shooter has been incapacitated and is no longer a threat, human resources 
and/or management should engage in post-event assessments and activities, including: 
• An accounting of all individuals at a designated assembly point to determine who, if
anyone, is missing and potentially injured
• Determining a method for notifying families of individuals affected by the active
shooter, including notiﬁcation of any casualties
• Assessing the psychological state of individuals at the scene, and referring them to
health care specialists accordingly
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Identifying and ﬁlling any critical personnel or operational gaps left in the
organization as a result of the active shooter
LESSONS LEARNED
To facilitate effective planning for future emergencies, it is important to analyze the recent 
active shooter situation and create an after action report.  The analysis and reporting 
contained in this report is useful for: 
•
Serving as documentation for response activities
•
Identifying successes and failures that occurred during the event
• Providing an analysis of the effectiveness of the existing EAP
• Describing and deﬁning a plan for making improvements to the EAP
References
Safety Guidelines for Armed Subjects, Active Shooter Situations, Indiana University Police 
Department, April 2007.
Safety Tips & Guidelines Regarding Potential “Active Shooter” Incidents Occurring on 
Campus, University of California Police.
Shots Fired, When Lightning Strikes (DVD), Center for Personal Protection and Safety, 2007.
Workplace Violence Desk Reference, Security Management Group International, 
www.SMGICorp.com
How to Plan for Workplace Emergencies and Evacuations, U.S. Department of Labor, 
Occupational Health and Safety Administration, OSHA 3088, 2001.
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
Washington, DC  20528
cfsteam@hq.dhs.gov    
http://www.dhs.gov/active-shooter-preparedness
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