Keeping You Safe: Surviving an active shooter
HAS BECOME ALL TOO COMMON IN OUR NATION NOW. AN ACTIVE SHOOTER TERRORIZED A MALL, A CELEBRATION, A MOVIE THEATER. IT CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE. BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW TO RESPOND? NANCY ALVAREZ SPOKE WITH A SECURITY EXPERT AND A LOCAL MOM CAUGHT UP IN A RECENT SHOOTING. IT’S BEEN THREE MONTHS SINCE MICHELLE ZELENSKYY WAS CAUGHT UP IN THIS. WHAT IS IT? SHE WAS IN KANSAS CITY WITH HER BEST FRIEND, CELEBRATING THEIR BELOVED CHIEFS SUPER BOWL WIN, WHEN SUDDENLY. WE HEARD POP, POP, POP AND I’M LIKE, OH, THAT’S THE FIREWORKS! OR THE LAST, UM, CONFETTI. YEAH, THE CONFETTI POP. IT WAS ACTUALLY GUNFIRE. AND WHAT MICHELLE SAW IN THE CHAOS THAT FOLLOWED HAS WEIGHED HEAVILY ON HER MIND. WE SAW THE GUY DROP AND HE JUST HUDDLED WITH HIS KIDS AND DROPPED TO THE GROUND. I SAW A GIRL JUST JUST DROP IN THE MIDDLE OF EVERYONE AND. AND, LIKE, YOU KNOW, CURL UP, YOU KNOW, KNOW YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING. YOU HAVE TO KEEP MOVING. THESE WERE YOUNG PEOPLE, THE DAD, THEY WERE TWO YOUNG KIDS. HE HAD MICHELLE HAS TWO DAUGHTERS WHO’VE GROWN UP WITH ROUTINE ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS IN SCHOOL, AND SHE’S WORRIED THOSE LESSONS ARE SO INGRAINED IN KIDS THEY MAY NOT RESPOND PROPERLY IN OTHER SCENARIOS. IT MADE ME THINK THIS. THAT’S NOT THE ONLY TRAINING THEY NEED. THAT’S NOT THE ONLY INFORMATION THEY NEED. I KNOW IT HAS TO BE DRILLED. I KNOW IT HAS TO HAPPEN AT SCHOOL, BUT IT’S ALSO OUT IN, YOU KNOW, IN THE ENVIRONMENT, OUT IN THE WORLD. WE BROUGHT HER CONCERNS HERE. THIS IS DECISION TACTICAL, AN IMMERSIVE TRAINING CENTER IN SANFORD, NOT JUST FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, BUT THE GENERAL PUBLIC. AND THEN YOU HAVE, OF COURSE, YOU HAVE JEWELRY SHOP, YOU HAVE YOUR BARBER, YOU HAVE YOUR, UM, LIKE SPORTS STORE. HERSCHEL TORRES IS A TRAINER AND SECURITY CONSULTANT. HE WALKED US THROUGH DIFFERENT SIMULATIONS IN EACH ONE. AN ACTIVE SHOOTER FROM THE SCHOOL TO THE MALL TO THE CONCERT TO THE HOTEL. THE ENVIRONMENT CHANGED, SO THE REACTION TO THE THREAT HAS TO CHANGE. ACKNOWLEDGING IT’S EASIER SAID THAN DONE, HE EXPLAINED. REMAINING CALM IS CRITICAL, AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE TALK ABOUT. IT’S THE EFFECTS OF ADRENALINE IN THE BODY AND THE BRAIN WHEN DURING THESE SITUATIONS, YOU KNOW, CALM DOWN, HOLD UP, TAKE A DEEP BREATH, START MANAGING THE ADRENALINE. THE NEXT STEP. THINK FOR YOURSELF WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE RUNNING ONE WAY A VERY AUTOMATIC REACTION OF HUMANS. IT’S RUNNING THE SAME WAY AND YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THEY’RE RUNNING THAT WAY. BUT THE SHOTS ARE COMING FROM THERE. SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR OWN ASSESSMENT. DON’T GO FOLLOWING THE CROWD. ALL OF THIS IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. IN THIS SCENARIO, AT A CANDY STORE, MY INSTINCT WAS ALL WRONG. WHEN I FIRST SAW THIS, I, MY INSTINCT WOULD BE IF SOMETHING HAPPENED, I WOULD DIVE BEHIND ANY ONE OF THESE STANDS FOR PROTECTION. BUT THAT’S NOT GOING TO PROTECT ME. NO, ALL BUSINESSES HAVE BACK EXITS. IT’S REQUIRED BY FIRE CODE, TORRES SAYS. RUN THERE FIRST IF YOU CAN. IF YOU CAN’T, OR IF YOU’RE IN AN OPEN SPACE, AS MICHELLE FOUND HERSELF IN, UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COVER AND CONCEALMENT. IN THIS CASE, THIS DISPLAY WOULD NOT STOP A BULLET, SO IT WOULD BE CONCEALMENT. I WOULD HIDE FROM IT, BUT IT WOULD NOT CREATE AN EFFICIENT COVER FOR ME TO STOP A ROUND. YOU KNOW, WHEN BULLETS FLY, THEY IT’S NOT LIKE IN THE MOVIES THAT THEY HIT ONE PERSON AND THEY STOP. THEY HIT ONE PERSON AND THEY KEEP GOING. AND TORRES RECOMMENDS PARENTS HAVE HONEST AGE APPROPRIATE CONVERSATIONS WITH KIDS ABOUT SCENARIOS BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. CAM NEVER SAY IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN TO YOU BECAUSE IT HAPPENS EVERYWHERE. SO IN THE END OF THE DAY, THE FIRST RESPONDER, IT’S GOING TO BE YOU. NANCY ALVAREZ REPORTING THE FBI, HOMELAND SECURITY AND FEMA ALL HAVE ONLINE RESOURCES PROVIDING INFORMATION ON HOW TO SURVIVE AN
Keeping You Safe: Surviving an active shooter
Updated: 11:36 PM EDT Apr 25, 2024
Here are some resourceful information regarding surviving an active shooter: Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/active_shooter_booklet.pdfFBI: https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/active-shooter-safety-resourcesFEMA: https://community.fema.gov/ProtectiveActions/s/article/Active-Shooter
