Active Shooter/Active Threat
If you receive a NY-Alert message or suspect a potential active shooter situation is occurring, you must quickly determine the most reasonable way to protect your own life. Remember: Run, Hide, Fight.
If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises.
- Have an escape route and plan in mind
- Leave belongings behind
- Help others if possible, but run regardless if others will follow
- Warn others not to enter active shooter area
- Leave wounded behind
- Keep your hands visible
- Follow instructions of police if on scene.
- Call 911 when it's safe to do so
If you can't run and an evacuation is not possible, you should find a place to hide and lock down. Use cover and concealment to your advantage.
- Be out of view (Concealment)
- Provide protection from gun shots (Cover)
- Try not to restrict options for movement
- Lock the door
- Barricade the door (Cover)
- Move away and stay away from windows (Concealment)
- Silence your cell phone and other electronic devices (Concealment)
- Stay quiet and keep calm
As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, you should attempt to incapacitate the shooter by acting with physical aggression and throwing items at the active shooter.
- Act as aggressive as possible
- Use improvised weapons
- Yell
- Commit to actions
- Do not stop until the threat is over
Cover:
Cover is anything that creates a protective barrier between you and the active shooter. Cover is typically best found using large, solid, dense material that will mitigate bullets or shrapnel. Examples of cover may be a cinder block wall, thick furniture, or a large tree. Cover protects you.
Concealment:
Concealment is anything that creates a visual barrier between you and the active shooter. Concealment is typically best found using anything that will provide the most material to hide with. Examples of concealment may be a curtain, thin furniture, or a bush/shrubbery. Concealment hides you.