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Dealing With An Active Shooter by Derek Smith

In Perspective

Well, we have yet another school shooting to deal with in America. The massacre on Valentine’s Day, where a 19-year-old expelled student killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida is yet another true American tragedy of epic proportions. And as you know, events such as these seem to be happening more and more often.

Let me begin by giving my condolences to the many families that had to go through this terrible tragedy. It seems that there is no clear way to stop this type of threat as we have no idea where the next one will occur.In this day and age, how can you not fear the unthinkable? What would you do if you were ever at a shopping mall, concert, sporting event, school, etc. and some moron started shooting with a gun. It is sad to say, but you need to be prepared.

School Officers

When I grew up in Chicago, I attended four different schools, two elementary schools, and two high schools. Each of these schools had an armed Chicago police officer stationed there. Now, I will admit that these guys were usually old, overweight and probably close to retirement and maybe could not handle the streets anymore.

But we feared that these were the guys you should not mess with because they were probably not going to wrestle with you, they would just shoot you. That’s what they said and what we thought anyway. When I did a cursory check, I did not see many inner-city schools having mass shootings, and that is probably because many of them already have a police presence, metal detectors, and searches.

Recommendations

With this in mind, my first recommendation would be for these measures to be implemented in all schools. I know this is an extreme and costly measure, but it may save lives. Now I want to introduce measures that can be used to deal with an active shooter at the workplace or in a school. These are recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security, and I have added comments where warranted.

An active shooter can strike any place, at any time. They’ve struck restaurants, post offices, schools, theaters shopping malls, concerts, and just about any place you can imagine.

Their modes of operation are quite simple, basically, the active shooter tries to trap as many people as possible in a contained area. The shooter’s goal is to get a high body count, and this is what makes these types of events so absolutely horrific.

On the surface, it might seem that it’s impossible to survive an active shooter event, but realize that even with the horror of these events there is a chance to survive and I want to help you increase your survival rate right now! You absolutely must know how to identify, react and give yourself and family the best chances to survive during an active shooter incident.

Active Shooter – Active Threat

An active shooter is defined as an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. While the majority of incidents involve the use of firearms, the term “active shooter” may also apply to an individual armed with any type of weapon (e.g., firearm, knife, explosives).

Some warning signs of potential violence

As I examine some of the shootings that have taken place, including this most recent one at, there always seem to be signs that the person was not quite right. I know it is easy to back seat quarterback these things, and I won’t do that, but hopefully, people will take some of these signs more serious.

Here are some of the warning signs you need to look out for from employees or former employees and even students and former students:

Resistance and overreaction to changes in policy and procedures
  • Repeated violations of policies
  • Increased severe mood swings
  • Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation
  • Increasingly talks of problems at home or at work
  • Talks of previous incidents of violence
  • Increase in unsolicited comments about weapons and violent crimes
  • Suicidal; comments about “putting things in order.”
External individuals:
  • Someone approaching your facility in a long overcoat in summer
  • Someone is approaching your facility with what one might consider a larger than a normal backpack, book or tote bag, etc.
  • Possessing any items that appear out of the norm
  • Disgruntled spouse of employee, employee, or student approaching your facility

Responding during an active shooter situation: RUN-HIDE-FIGHT

HIDE

The formula for dealing with the active shooter is simple to remember. The FIRST thing you need to do is run away; if you cannot escape, then you need to hide. As a last resort, you may have to fight for your life. Let’s explore each of these further.

RUN: (Evacuate The Area Immediately)

If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises as quickly, but efficiently/orderly as possible. Chaos can cause many injuries.

  • Have an escape route and plan in mind and drill them if possible
  • Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
  • Leave your belongings behind (cell phone, purses, etc. are NOT important at this point)
  • Help others escape, if possible
  • Prevent individuals from entering the area where the active shooter may be
  • Keep your hands visible
  • Follow the instructions of any law enforcement officers.
  • Do not attempt to move wounded people
  • Call 911 after you are safe

If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you.
Your hiding place should:

  • Be out of the shooter’s view
  • Provide protection if shots are fired in your direction (i.e., an office with a closed and locked door)
  • Not trap you or restrict your options for movement

To prevent the active shooter from entering your hiding place:

  • Blockade the door with heavy furniture
  • Turn off the lights and close the window shades
  • Mute or turn off cell phone, including the vibrate feature

FIGHT: (Take Action)

As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, you have to fight. Your main goal is to attempt to disrupt or incapacitate the active shooter. Here at Fightfast, there are many self-defense fighting techniques taught, and you have to make sure that you get the courses that interest and work best for you, learn the techniques and be ready to fight.

Some DHS recommendations are to:

  • Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her
  • Throwing items and improvising weapons
  • Yelling
  • Committing to your actions

What to do when law enforcement arrives:


Photo Credited to: D. Keating
  • Remain calm, and follow officers’ instructions
  • Put down any items in your hands (i.e., bags, jackets)
  • Immediately raise hands and spread fingers
  • Keep hands visible at all times
  • Avoid making quick movements toward officers such as holding on to them for safety
  • Avoid pointing, screaming or yelling

Do not stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating, just go in the direction from which officers are entering the premises.

An active shooter attack is a bad situation to be in, and I hope it NEVER happens to you. But unfortunately, today we have to think about and be prepared for such a situation to occur because it can happen to anyone, anytime, and in any place. I hope these tips give you peace of mind and preparedness.

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50 thoughts on “Dealing With An Active Shooter by Derek Smith”

  4. We can make this happen quickly. We don’t need to wait for the liberals to finally give up after months of plots, lies, strategies, resisting and fighting us and the President. Call your local Superintendent of Schools. Insist that an immediate ACTION meeting be called to get organized to develop a definite plan to put in place a first line of defense to protect your children. Insist that this be given priority. Call the local newspaper and ask them to serve as a hub for community information, to contact the Superintendent of Schools for information about pending plans and meetings, to call on the community businesses to establish a fund to cover the initial costs of defense, to promote a local citizen’s fund raising project, and to sustain a weekly progress report to citizens. Call local radio and TV and ask for their support and involvement. Each school should first assess their property for the best way to restrict access (Self-closing/locking doors, guards during student access periods, controlled access fences, install metal detection and trained access guard, assure functioning PA system to all class environments, develop and communicate emergency procedures for dealing with this type of emergency. Call entire staff together for meeting to determine available personnel to serve as interior armed protectors. Coordinate with local police and sheriff department for advice, planning, training and procedure support. Consult local attorneys and district attorney office for counsel and support.

    Israel did this nationally rather quickly over forty years ago and have had only two school shooting since that time. Ask yourself in what country is there most likely to be Islam instigated terror shootings in schools? That is how effective guarding our children can be. NO MORE gun free zones to encourage terrorists. NO MORE talk about not equipping our population to protect ourselves. NO MORE relying upon police departments to be the only defense when they can’t even get there before its too late. NO MORE allowing teenagers to impact our responsibilities and decisions about protecting our children. NO MORE! This one step protects our children against all of the potential sources of this danger. First things First!

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  7. WOW… This is Great info… Thanks.. Now it’s time to practice, finding exits, being more aware of the people around, and most of all, just watch and learn about the people and actions around me.. again… Thank You Very much… Don

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  10. I thought it was ugly the last week school in this affluent high school in southern California in the seventies. The worst was raw eggs, but guns…. Don’t know what happen between then and now, but….. Wow… I knew how to fire a weapon, to clean one and care. Never thought to bring it to school. Never thought to shoot people with it really. Well maybe one or two. Not joking. But to school no. Need more God.

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  11. Excellent advice. I will also add that responsibly armed Americans have a duty to protect those that cannot protect themselves. As a member of the OathKeepers, we are mobilizing to protect the schools in our communities. If you’re interested in another line of thought, visit our web site and see what we’re doing to protect our children/grandchildren in school. Derek mentions remembering armed officers in the schools he went to but unfortunately, that is not the norm. Ignorant laws have rendered our kids fair game for any idiot that wishes to do harm without fear of being confronted before the body count adds up. Have a look and if you’re up for it, join us.

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  12. I get really upset when guns and now the NRA are blamed for these nut cases by useful idiots. Behind the gun blamers is an evil force that will not stop until America’s guns are totally banned. Almost Every mass shooter has been under the influence of Legal psychotropic drugs for depression and anxiety. At least 36 individuals who became mass murderers became violent or suicidal as a direct result of taking theses pharmaceutical poisons. But no one dares to expose them because they bring in billions of dollars for their greedy industry. It has been estimated that more than 200 Million unarmed subjects were slaughtered by their own governments during the 20th century. It will happen again in the 21st. We are American citizens, not subjects. The shadow government behind these attacks on our liberty and safety must be outed and removed. Now, before they disarm and slaughter us.

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  13. I think I know what to do. Recon patrol leader 1969, Vietnam 4/21st Americal Divison, I Corp Vietnam. I have had lots of experience with active shooters and many of them. The boy that killed 17 was seriously disturbed and if confronted by an armed officer might have surrendeded. However no officers stood their ground or entertained the option to stop him. I now live in the country, own a farm, hunt, and I carry. I did not look at the video. I might be 68, but I am a very young 68. I would not bring a knief to a gun fight, but if I had to I would. Plan the attack and try to get seconds of a diversion. I am sure that child has never or I would say most people have never been charged by someone screaming and fully intent on taking their life. All one needs is a few seconds to close. However, I would just reach for my 1911, and end the situation if I could. Thanks for your work. Bill

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  14. That’s all great. But in my opinion these school
    Shootings are becoming more frequent because the media makes a huge deal out of them for a very long time. Which in the shooters eyes makes him or her famous. That’s what most of these kids are after that do huge acts of violence, they seek fame, to be known, or to be a mark in history. They want the whole world to know them or how angry they are and they have seen how much exposure someone gets that goes on a mass shooting and lets face it it don’t take a genious to know that a school shooting will get them more attention then anywhere else other then maybe a church. I understand that people should be made aware when something like that happens. But then drop it and shut up about it. Don’t give the crazies the gratification of blowing it up on the news for weeks on end. Make the crazy bastards have to dream up a new way to get that kinda attention. At least that will keep them occupied for a while. Let’s face it they aren’t that sharp of an idividual in the first place if they are going to do such a horrific thing just to get attention. They do it cuz they saw someone else get all kinds of tv time for doing it. Don’t give them all of the attention and most of them would never consider shooting up a school.
    Other thing that would stop most school shootings from happening is if all of the faculty was carrying. Or at least 60 or 70% of them. Just a damn good thought to ponder.
    But anyways I think this article was a great one and gives excellent advice. I’m just a firm believer that if almost everyone carried there would be very little crime. If a thug has to ponder whether a person is carrying heat or not they are far less likely to want to find out.

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  16. Really good advice. It would appear that we are learning that it is probably better to take action against attacker with full commitment rather than remaining passive and just hoping that nothing is going to happen to you or your loved ones/friends.
    BY learning these self defense techniques from sites such as your own, will hopefully, go a long way to reducing tradgedies such as this latest senseless action.
    Heartfelt condolences to all families and friends of those who died.
    From across the pond ( Scotland).

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  17. Learn how to use concealed weapons legally and safely. Frontsight, Nevada is one of the best training locations nationwide. An armed Society is a polite Society. Here in Arizona I feel safer when I see individuals who are armed, as Arizona has “Open Carry” laws. An “active shooter” would not live long anywhere – except in “gun free zones”. The Texas church shooter was taken down by a bare footed man responding with an AR-15, who hit his body armored target twice, one time in the side of the torso and once in the leg, Then, with the help of a willing bystander chased him down at 90 mph for over 10 minutes into the next county, where the bad guy committed suicide. It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun – usually a policeman, but not always, not in Texas.

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  18. We need to address the fact most school shooters are on psychiatric medication,they need to stop pushing drugs on our children,that would be a big help to prevent some of the problems in society.thanks for info.

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  19. Compulsory government school attendance laws should be eliminated. That would cut down on much of the school violence.

    Also, note: government schools have two things common with prisons:

    1. Both subject the inmates to watched all the time.
    2, Both subject the inmates to to searches at any time without a warrant.

    The real evil is the government schools themselves that are magnets for active shooters.

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  20. As a high school teacher, I have a vested interest in this discussion and I am not sure it is being taken as seriously as it needs to be. My question is; how to we aggressively address this problem so that schools are no longer seen as the first choice for those who want to express their personal demons with violence? The advice above is good, and in keeping with what law enforcement professionals are saying all over the country, but it is only a part of the answer. If we genuinely care about our youth, then this issue deserves our full attention. Unfortunately, the media and many politicians are focused solely on gun control, which is only a small part of the problem. I long for reasonable voices who. like me, want to squash this with the force and intensity it deserves.

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  21. Every school should have a armed officer trained enough to Deal with the situation. Metal detectors in all the schools. Like president trump say teachers should have a Carrier’s permit Especially in today’s world. I also think that if more responsible Citizens Started training for a pistol permit We can all help and stop this madness. Just think about it if someone had a pistol in any of these situations it could have been stopped Like for instance the shooting in the church in Texas when that gunmen ran out of the church another citizen shot him down. Hey listen that’s just my take on it. Some people my disagree with me But I’ll tell you one thing I will protect my family

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  22. In Australia, one potential victim of Ivan Milat had been in the Navy. His training taught him to dodge unpredictably from side to side while running away, and it worked for him. Ivan Milat found it difficult to aim at the moving target.

    Also I heard somewhere that hand-guns (relatively) aren’t very powerful, so you could shield yourself with a restaurant table or trash-can lid. Maybe somebody with more knowledge can comment on this?

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  23. These are awesome tips! I am sharing these with my adult children and their families. I am encouraging them to share with everyone they know.
    I have learned so much from you and when I go anywhere my head is on a swivel not looking down and being very aware of my surroundings.
    Thank you, this is an awesome thing you are doing for us average / aging folks.

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  29. Fifty years ago if I received at paddling at school then there was one or more waiting for me at home.
    Over the past twenty years I have witnessed the end of discipline in the schools, with a corresponding rise in violence and danger to both children and adults that work there.
    The psychiatric profession has failed our children and the schools discipline is only a symptom of the problem.

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  32. I had my teenagers read this, to better prepare themselves mentally for any possible situation. There was a situation in a Lab setting where there was smoke enveloping the Classroom. My teenager grabbed some paper towels, wet them under the faucet, and covered his nose and mouth, so not to breath in the smoke, while other students choked and gagged on the smoke, while being evacuated from the Classroom. I taught him this, but he retained the information, and put it to good use.

    This is why I carry handkerchiefs in my pockets. There was smoke filling up the Bus I was on, once, and while the other passengers gagged on the smoke, I pulled out two handkerchiefs and covered my nose and mouth, not to inhale the smoke, until it stopped, and we existed it at the stop.

    Your training videos helps people to learn how to think on their feet, and react to different situations that confront them. Bob, Derek, and Jim your training videos, articles, and equipment have enabled me to better provide for my personal defense, all while giving the same tools to my family and friends. You and your Company have helped many Americans do the same. Thank you.

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  34. Thanks for the tips. Fortunately, Ireland hasn’t suffered school shootings, but the spread of International terrorism could result in such attacks happening here mainly in shopping malls etc. Always best to be prepared. The tips provided do just that.

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  35. I worked as a teacher with Columbine students after the shooting, so I know it can happen anywhere.
    Currently, there was a possible shooter in my small town in Western New York. The school is literally in the middle of a potato field and the potential shooter posted on social media, so law enforcement arrested him.
    I believe in calling on the name of Jesus and you will be saved! I’m thankful for these tips if I ever needed to react to such a situation…

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  37. Iain Baxter thank you. Let’s hope you never have to deal with this type of thing in Ireland, but yes, our job here at Fightfast is to help you be a little more prepared to handle ANY situation.

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  39. Mr. Invisible I loved reading your comments. This is why we do what we do. It does my heart good to know that the advice we give really help people…and tell you kids I said “good job.”

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  41. Sam W. when I was in school they were allowed to spank/discipline us as well. I don’t necessarily agree with it now that I have 3 girls of my own. However, I do believe that parents are failing at home. It is not the schools job, just tell me what happened and believe me I will light those asses up when I get home.

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  42. Jon Adlai Shipp Sr, Gordon Finney, Ed, Jodey, John, Kevin, Kurt, and the rest, thank you for taking the time to read my blogs, and even more so for taking the time to comment. It is much appreciated.

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  44. Frank Mitchell a table MAY stop a bullet, but a trash can lid won’t. We are taught to not use a car door for cover as a bullet will go right through it. This is pretty much the case for a trash can lid. Instead we are taught to get behind the engine block. HOWEVER, ANY cover is better than none at all.

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  45. Hiram Daoud I don’t totally disagree with you. But, I don’t think I want my children in a classroom where a teacher is carrying a gun. Using it is a big decision and sometimes trained law enforcement don’t make the right one, so I definitely don’t see a teacher making the right decision. BUT, on the other side, if my kid was trapped in a classroom and an armed teacher saved her life, I would be glad that teacher had been armed, so again, I see your point.

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  46. Mr. Reed I agree with you 100%. You are correct, gun control is probably the SMALLEST part of the problem. See gun control and gun laws are only for law abiding citizens. If bad guys want to be bad…they will get the gun by any means necessary. Gun control will only stop good citizens from getting them in my opinion. It is also not the schools or teachers problem either…that is not why you became a teacher is it? It starts at home, understanding what’s going on with our children. It starts with knowing who is getting bullied at school and is force to retaliate in the wrong way. It starts with many things. This is not a simple problem. It has many facets to it.

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  47. Brett I agree. “They” are quick to put kids on mood altering drugs and not necessarily address the underlying issue. When I grew up kids were not on Ritalin, etc. I am from Chicago, they (we) did things because we were just bad ass kids….and when our parents found out…they handled it…not drugged us…and look how my five brothers and I turned out…no drugs, no kids out of wed lock, no prison…it worked.

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  48. Apache Bob I lived in Las Vegas for 10 years and being from Chicago, I had to get used to people carrying guns openly. However, like you stated, there were not many shootings going on. I would be in clubs or grocery stores and people would be wearing shoulder holsters. Despite the big shooting they recently had, you almost never had this type of problem.

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  49. Darik I do agree with you that movies, news, and video games do perpetuate some of this violence. I truly believe that kids today think it is all glamorous and that’s a shame. They want to be like Scarface, or that dude in the video game (whoever that due is), or get 15 minutes of fame. Unfortunately, the media is not going away, so WE have to be ready to deal with the consequences.

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