In today's column we will talk about an issue of great importance to corporations in terms of their security program. I mean how corporations must confront the threat of an active shooter.
by Héctor R. Torres, PhD, MBA, CPP, CFE, CHS*
A fraternal greeting from Puerto Rico to all colleagues and readers of this column. It is a pleasure to share again with you.
Imagine that you arrive at your office on a Monday morning after having a good weekend. It's nine o'clock in the morning when they call his phone indicating that there is an individual on a floor of his building shooting at employees.
He is informed that the individual is moving from floor to floor shooting and killing everyone who meets him. What do we do? How can we deal with this situation? Today this issue has a lot of relevance because of the rise of cases such as the school in Columbine and very recently in Aurora, Colorado, where individuals entered a school and a theater and using firearms proceeded to kill innocent people without any warning, motive or reason.
The impressive thing about these two cases is that history repeats itself because many thought it could not happen. Many organizations are not prepared to face this type of contingency because they have never contemplated what can happen in their facilities. They are in denial. If such a contingency were to happen, they would not be prepared to deal with it and many employees could be killed or seriously injured.
Those of us who work in corporate security are known as the eternal pessimists because we are always thinking about the worst-case scenario. I have always reiterated that a pessimist is a well-informed optimist and therefore prepared for these contingencies. We are definitely not in denial. This is part of being and what sets us apart as a security professional.
Definitions
To examine the contingency of an active shooter, one must first enter into the definitions of rigor. An active shooter is defined as a person whose aggressive and lethal behavior is causing death or serious bodily harm to people where immediate intervention is required to prevent loss of life.
A shooter contingency can be categorized as a dynamic, static, or a combination of both. A dynamic situation is defined as the evolution of a situation where the active shooter is moving from place to place within a facility. A static situation is defined as a situation where the active shooter is taking or has already taken hostages and remains behind a barricade in one place.
The combination of both situations occurs when the active shooter begins to move from place to place until confronted and he looks for a fixed place to establish a barricade. Finally, the preventive and reactive measures taken to deal with an active shooter within a corporation's facilities are known as the Corporate Response to an Active Shooter Situation. These measures are based on LACE's basic doctrine for dealing with an active shooter situation. LACE stands for:
Locate - the active shooter at all times to know your intentions.
Isolate - separate the active shooter from other potential victims by removing employees from the scene.
Contain - the active shooter in such a way that he cannot move to another place.
Confront - with violence as a last resort.
Corporate response for an active shooter situation:
Passive measures
Passive measures are defined as the preventive measures we take to prevent or mitigate the effects of an active shooter situation. Many of the organizations already have some measures as part of the physical security program of their facilities. Some passive measures may include:
1.Install cameras with digital recorder to locate and identify the active shooter.
2. Install access control system to be able to contain the active shooter in a specific area.
3. Install loudspeaker system to warn and help in the eviction of the facilities.
4. Obtain a copy of the plans of the facilities and have them at hand to be able to provide them to the police/military authorities that respond to the situation.
5. Establish a Security Command Center in a safe and controlled place to coordinate security efforts.
6. Develop an Emergency Eviction plan and practice the eviction of the facilities at least once a year.
7. Develop Active Shooter Response Plan.
8. Develop an official and alternative communication system of the company using social communication networks.
9. Use all means of communication to report on an active shooter and order an emergency eviction.
10. Provide training to employees of the actions to be followed in case of an active shooter.
Active measures
Active measures are put in place as soon as the attack by an active shooter is detected. The active shooter usually doesn't care about being identified nor does his intention necessarily get out of the situation alive.
His primary intention is to cause as much harm as possible by killing and injuring everyone he encounters. This is because the active shooter in his mind has an irrational rage that is only satisfied by doing harm to others.
The further responsibility of dealing with the active shooter lies with the police who will have to confront him with violence but this takes time to pass. Therefore, active measures have to be implemented if it delays. The more time passes, the greater the risk of more deaths and injuries. Active measures include:
1. Immediately call the Police, Fire, Medical Emergencies.
2. Provide the Police with the following information:
* Location of the shooter or shooters
* Physical description of the shooter(s)
* Number and type of weapons
* Number of victims
3. Evict employees from the facilities.
4. Continuously monitor the location of the shooter or shooters.
5. Establish an area to provide first aid to the wounded evicted in a safe place.
6. Liaise with police, fire and emergency medical units in a safe place.
7. Provide the plans of the facilities to the Police and coordinate the necessary support.
8. Maintain access control to facilities during the attack.
9. Keep the news media away from the facilities so that the intentions and location of the police officers are not reported.
In conclusion
As security professionals our primary purpose is to protect lives and property. You have to take into consideration that this risk exists every day! Through good planning this situation can be avoided. If it happens, we can decrease the risks and the number of victims with a good plan. As the saying goes, prevention is better than having to regret.
I invite you to continue to share your ideas and concerns from the world and security management.
A hug and see you next time.
* If you wish you can write to the author of this article by email: [email protected]
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