Active Shooter Response

By way of my fellow Shooter Self Care faculty EMS Artifact, I discovered an article on EMS1 by my colleague Nicholas Miller on active shooter response.

In it, Nick highlights the common elements of active shooter incidents:

Active shooter incidents have taught us some sobering truths:

• Despite the advice to run, shoot, fight; there are little to no options for victims to run or hide.
• The shooter does not stop killing until he is engaged with force.
• The longer it takes to engage the shooter, the more people are shot and killed.
• Many people are shot and killed before police arrive, even when the response is only one or two minutes.
• Most victims die before paramedics arrive.

Despite all of our EMS resources, training and capabilities, the incident is essentially over and decided before the police and paramedics arrive.

We need a proactive, citizen-based approach to mass shootings that is comparable to the training and equipment we utilize to address a variety of other emergency situations.

(Emphasis mine). Read the whole thing, because it’s excellent advice.

Survival in such incidents will be dependent upon self care and layperson care, not EMS or law enforcement response.

Prepare and train accordingly.