Posted On: March 27, 2025

Active Shooter Training: What it is and Who Needs It

Active shooter incidents have become an unfortunate reality in today’s workplace landscape, making preparedness a top priority for employees and employers alike. While many organizations have plans in place for fires or natural disasters, few are equally equipped to handle the threat of an armed intruder. Conducting active shooter training can help staff respond effectively and possibly save lives during these critical situations.

Fortunately, there are now more ways to make this training accessible for organizations of all sizes. In this blog, we’ll explore the essentials of active shooter training and how it can help create a safer workplace for everyone.

What Is an Active Shooter?

While it’s not something anyone would like to think about, you and your staff need to be prepared in the event of an active shooter. The first step towards preparedness is understanding. According to the FBI, an active shooter is "an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area."

Active shooter events can happen at schools, transportation centers, workplaces, houses of worship, communities, and other public gathering sites. In 2023, the number of active shooter incidents in the United States decreased by 4% from 50 in 2022. However, don’t let the numbers fool you; active shooter situations are still a problem as

48 shootings in 2023 is still a 60% increase since 2019, when 30 incidents occurred.

Active shooting events usually involve the use of firearms. There is often no choice or pattern in their selection of victims. Most active shooter situations occur within a 10 to 15-minute timeframe. Because not all active shooter events involve a firearm, the following terms are also used to describe these violent events: active killer, active assailant, and violent intruder.

What Can You Expect From Active Shooter Training?

Active shooter training usually includes learning the "Run, Hide, Fight" method. In the event of an active shooter situation, you will need to act quickly to ensure your safety. “Run, Hide, Fight” is a decision-based emergency response strategy.

Essentially, the strategy suggests that people prioritize escaping by running, finding a safe place to hide, and only fighting back against the assailant as a last resort. We’ll break it down briefly, but training will offer a more in-depth look.

Choose the best course of action to save your life. Immediately determine what is happening and which of the following actions will give you the highest level of security.

RUN and evacuate, if possible.
HIDE if evacuation isn’t possible.
FIGHT as a last resort, and only if your life is in immediate danger. NEVER seek out the shooter.

Incidents involving active shooters are unpredictable and change quickly. Everyone can contribute significantly to lessening the effects of an active shooter situation in the middle of the mayhem.

Why Is Active Shooter Safety Training Important?

In 2023, there were 244 casualties of active shooter events in the United States. Workplace violence can happen anywhere, any time. These high-impact events happen rapidly and leave little opportunity to assess the next steps. Providing training in advance improves staff preparedness and survivability.

Active Shooter Safety Training is a thorough program designed to give staff members the abilities they need to identify and address a range of possible threats during emergency situations. This course teaches individuals how to:

Identify an active shooter situation.
Apply proper procedures to remain safe in dangerous situations.
Follow your evacuation plan.
Recognize when hiding is the most responsible action.
Describe last-resort response actions.
Recognize appropriate reactions to law enforcement.

Active Shooter Safety Training increases workplace safety by providing your employees with the training needed to take appropriate action when faced with an active shooter in the workplace. This training boosts employee morale by providing them with self-assurance and the skills to act appropriately in dangerous situations.

What Are the Benefits of Active Shooter Training?

Since gun-related incidents can happen anywhere and cause serious emotional and physical harm, organizations must act quickly to protect their workers.

Active shooter training is essential for giving people the information and abilities they need to react appropriately in an active shooter scenario, possibly saving lives and minimizing injuries.

The following are some advantages of the active shooter training program for the workplace:

Self-Determination: Workers gain self-care skills in life-threatening circumstances, giving them the self-assurance to protect others as well as themselves.
Legal Compliance: Unfortunately, as the number of mass shootings increases, companies must train staff in active shooter situations for both safety and moral reasons.
Risk Mitigation Strategies: Organizations face severe liability in active shooter situations. A prepared workforce lowers the chance of accidents and responsibility, and employee training shows a company's dedication to safety, which enhances its reputation.
Community Involvement: Establishing an active shooter training program builds strong community ties and shows an organization's dedication to worker safety.

Who Needs Active Shooter Training?

Active shooters target many public spaces. Schools, transportation centers, workplaces, and houses of worship are common targets.

Stores, offices, and other businesses also experience active shooters and violent events. For this reason, all employees must become equipped with an Active Shooter Response Plan. Proper active shooter training can assist in creating this plan, which could be the difference between life and death.

Employees understanding the correct protocol during a violent event, like an active shooter, ensures that someone on the floor can take charge in case of a violent emergency. Training ensures employees are prepared for any situation.

Any public area could experience a violent intruder event. There is a chance that a violent incident will occur anywhere people gather. In light of this, it is essential that everyone be familiar with the fundamentals of emergency protocols in case they are in an active shooter scenario.

Everyone should complete Active Shooter Safety Training to protect themselves and other people. For anyone who works in or frequently visits public spaces, it is an important foundation of knowledge.

Where Is Active Shooter Training Available?

Active Shooter Safety training is available at 360training. When you’re responsible for your staff, it is so important to be prepared for an emergency situation. As an employer you should ensure your employees are able to protect themselves in the event of an active shooter.

Enroll in our Managing Violence in the Workplace course today and learn how to stay safe during active shooter situations. Head to our website to get started!

Individual Course

Managing Violence in the Workplace

Duration Hours: 1

Understand workplace violence, with a special focus on workplace shootings.

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30.00

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Why Is Active Shooter Safety Training Important?

In December 2021, there were 693 active shooter events in the United States. A total of 3,545 victims suffered as a result of these horrific shootings.

Workplace violence can happen anywhere, any time. These high-impact events happen rapidly and leave little opportunity to assess the next steps. Providing training in advance improves staff preparedness and survivability.

Active Shooter Safety Training is a comprehensive training that covers safety measures from multiple types of potential threats at various critical points during these events.

Active Shooter Safety Training objectives help employees recognize and respond during a dangerous event. This course teaches individuals how to:

Identify an active shooter situation.
Apply proper procedures to remain safe in dangerous situations.
Follow your evacuation plan.
Recognize when hiding is the most responsible action.
Describe last-resort response actions.
Recognize appropriate reactions to law enforcement.

Active Shooter Safety Training increases workplace safety by providing your employees with the training needed to take appropriate action when faced with an active shooter in the workplace. This training boosts employee morale by providing them with confidence and the skills to take appropriate action during a threatening situation.

Who Needs Active Shooter Training?

Active shooters target many public spaces. Schools, transportation centers, workplaces, houses of worship are common targets.

Stores, offices, and other businesses also experience active shooters and violent events. For this reason, all employees must become equipped with Active Shooter Safety Training. This training could be the difference between life and death for everyone in the space.

Employees understanding the correct protocol during a violent event like an active shooter ensures that someone on the floor can take charge in case of a violent emergency. Not only does it ensure everyone working for you is trained for a violent event, but this training also grants your employees confidence that they can handle the worst possible situation.

Any public space is susceptible to a violent intruder event. If there is a place where people gather, there is a possibility of a violent event. For this reason, it is a good idea for everyone to have a basic understanding of the emergency procedures in the chance they find themselves in an active shooter situation.

The bottom line is that Active Shooter Safety Training is a training that everyone should take to help keep themselves and others safe. It is a necessary base of knowledge for anyone who works in or frequents public spaces.