Hi, I'm Shawn Harrison, director of public safety and emergency management at Montgomery
College.
You're about to watch an educational video about a very disturbing, yet very real, subject:
Responding to an active shooter.
The likelihood of you ever facing an active shooter is very rare.
So why are we asking you to view this video?
The answer is simple: We think it encourages you to ask yourself, "do I know what to do
in an emergency such as an active shooter?"
Being prepared could be the first step in saving your life.
An active shooter is a person who appears to be actively engaged in killing or attempting
to kill people, most often in heavily populated areas.
In most cases active shooters use firearms and display no pattern or method for selection
of their victims.
If an active shooter situation develops, Montgomery College will implement its emergency response
plan and alerts will be sent out via MC alert text message, MC urgent email and social media.
Montgomery College and local law enforcement will respond and manage the incident.
If you find yourself in an active shooter situation, try to remain calm and dial 911
or call the Office of Public Safety as soon as possible.
Program these campus security numbers into your phone:
You may or may not receive advance warning of a shooter.
A witness, personal observation or the sound of gunshots may be the only alert you receive.
The sound of gunshots, unlike special effects in movies and television, may sound muffled
and make a "pop, pop, pop" noise.
It is reasonable to assume that a series of such noises are gunshots and you should begin
to take necessary precautions.
The traditional response to this type of incident has been to shelter-in-place and wait for
the police to arrive.
While this type of response is not completely wrong, studies have shown that using only
this response has resulted in an increase in casualties.
Montgomery College uses the ALICE plan as a method to remember what to do in case of
an active shooter event.
Each letter keys an easy to remember response.
A stands for ALERT.
An alert is when you first become aware of a threat.
The purpose is to inform as many people as possible that a potentially life threatening
situation exists.
You can use many different methods including text, email and speaking directly.
Alerts should be accepted, taken seriously, and should help you make survival decisions.
L stands for LOCKDOWN.
If an active shooter is outside your building or inside the building you are in, you should
take immediate action: Remain calm.
Encourage others to take immediate shelter.
Proceed to a room that can be locked or barricaded.
Lock and barricade doors or windows.
Silence any device that can emit sound.
Turn off lights.
Close blinds.
And keep yourself out of sight, stay away from windows and take adequate cover behind
concrete walls, thick desks, filing cabinets.
Lockdown is an important response in the event of an active shooter because it creates a
semi-secure starting point from which survival decisions should be made.
Use your time in lockdown to prepare to use other strategies that might come into play
should the active shooter gain entrance.
I is for INFORM.
Inform is to use any means necessary to convey information if it's safe to do so.
Have one person call 911: "This is Montgomery College (give your location), we have an active
shooter on campus, gunshots fired."
Try to give a thorough description of the suspect or suspects, and their Identity - if
known.
If you saw any victims, give a description of the location and number of victims.
Unfamiliar voices may be an active shooter trying to lure you from safety; do not respond
until you can verify with certainty that they are being issued by a police officer or a
College public safety officer.
Rescuing people should only be attempted if it can be accomplished without further endangering
the persons inside a lockdown area.
Active shooters work alone 98% of the time.
If the shooter is known to be in an isolated section of a building, occupants in other
areas can safely evacuate while those in direct danger can lock down and prepare to counter.
C is for COUNTER.
ALICE training does not believe that actively confronting a violent intruder is the best
method for ensuring the safety of all involved.
Counter is a last-ditch and worst-case option.
This is if an active shooter enters your office or classroom.
Counter is about survival and anything a person can do to gain control is acceptable; a belt
tightened around a door closer, for example, could slow or prevent the shooter from entering.
Counter means create noise, movement, distance and distraction with the intent of reducing
the shooter's ability to shoot accurately.
Counter is not fighting.
Throw things at the shooter's head to disrupt their aim.
Anything can be a weapon.
Attack in a group.
Grab the shooters limbs and head and take them to the ground and hold them there.
Use any means necessary: bite, kick, scratch, gouge eyes, do anything to provide the precious
seconds needed in order to evacuate.
E is for EVACUATE.
When it is safe to do so, remove yourself as far away as possible from the danger area.
Police officers responding to an active shooter are trained to proceed immediately to the
area in which shots were last heard in order to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.
The first responding officers may be in teams; they may be dressed in normal patrol uniforms,
or they may be wearing external ballistic vests and Kevlar helmets or other tactical
gear.
The officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns or handguns.
Do exactly as the officers instruct.
The first responding officers will be focused on stopping the active shooter and creating
a safe environment for medical assistance.
Keep in mind that even once you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still
a crime scene; police will usually not let anyone leave until the situation is fully
under control.
Until you are released remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.
Let's review: A.L.I.C.E.
An active shooter is something we all need to be prepared for.
First, take time to get to know your surroundings.
Know at least two exits out of the room and the building.
Take different routes into and out of your building to become familiar with every possible
escape route.
Look around the room you are in right now and find areas you can hide or items you can
use as weapons.
Being prepared can help save your life and the lives of your classmates and coworkers.
Thank you for watching this video.
We want this information to be of use to you in case of a real emergency.
Montgomery College is committed to providing you with a safe learning environment.