With 64 recorded school shootings throughout the country in 2015 and 31 cases so far this year, University Police are taking action to prepare both students and faculty with “Run, Hide, Fight,” a video survival guide in the event of an active shooter incident.
Thankfully, the UPD is not alone.
Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation for Students “identifies, discusses, investigates, evaluates and monitors student behavior which poses a concern, potential threat or actual threat to self or others,” according to the website.
Keith Caires, crime prevention sergeant, said he recognizes CARES for their involvement and contribution.
“Behavioral intervention teams are proving very successful across the nation in preventing potential active shooter events,” Caires said.
“Active shooter events, while trending upward, still remain low frequency, yet high impact events,” Caires said as he mentioned the campus shooting at Isla Vista near UC Santa Barbara in 2014.
In the case of an active shooter, there are a few simple things people can do to greatly increase their odds of survival, beginning with knowing the fundamentals of the Run, Hide, Fight response model.
A student’s immediate reaction should be to run and call 911.
If leaving the scene is not an option, a student’s next response should be to hide, out of the shooter’s view and in a place that does not restrict one’s own movements.
“We have seen several events involving successful bystander intervention wherein lives have been saved and the shooter’s plans have been thwarted. The public should try to resist feeling helpless,” Caires said.
Lastly, if running or hiding are no longer a feasible option, fight. Act with physical aggression and commit to incapacitating the shooter.[sidebar title=”If you experience a live shooter situation…” align=”right” background=”on” border=”all” shadow=”on”]
- RUN
- Have an escape route and plan in mind • Leave your belongings behind
- Keep your hands visible
- HIDE
- Hide in an area out of the shooter’s view
- Block entry to your hiding place and lock the doors
- Silence your cell phone and/or pager
- FIGHT
- As a last resort and only when your life is in imminent danger
- Attempt to incapacitate the shooter
- Act with physical aggression and throw items at the active shooter
Source: Department of Homeland Security
[/sidebar]
In providing this accessible video, as well as on campus presentations, the UPD hopes to increase the odds of survival for campus community members and achieve a community response that follows best practices in the case that a shooter comes to CSULB.
Run, Hide, Fight is a model of survival provided by the University Police Departments and can be found on their web page.
“It would be inappropriate not to have any guidelines in place,” Caires said. Being able to respond quickly and efficiently is key to ensuring the safety of the Long Beach community.
Caires gives presentations at the locations of the departments, professors, or student groups who host him. Each October during Health & Safety Week, Caires gives pre-arranged presentations that anyone can attend. These presentations have been demonstrated in various locations, such as the USU, Engineering, and Health Center Conference Room.
Caires typically leaves the CSULB student body with the secret to surviving, affirming, “The keys to coping with any life safety crisis are mental preparation, avoidance of denial, stress control, and commitment to action within established best practices for a given situation.”