Steps to Creating an Effective Active Shooter Response Plan

One of the most important parts of business operations is being prepared for any situation, especially in the event of an active shooter. This preparedness can only be effectively achieved by properly assessing the risks and diagnosing the weak points of your organization. Developing a response plan gives the best chance to protect employees from harm and help save lives. Read more below to find out how to develop a response plan for your business.

What Is an Active Shooter Situation?

According to the FBI, an active shooter is defined as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.” In recent years, the number of active shooter situations has increased, from 30 in 2019 to 61 in 2021 and decreasing slightly to 50 in 2022.

The FBI reports various statistics about active shooters, for example, reporting that in 2022 Texas had the most instances of active shooters, followed by Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and New York. The FBI also reported that most active shooter situations occurred in open/outdoor spaces, followed by places of commerce. Administrators of an active shooter response plan should be familiar with the FBI’s statistics as they develop their plans.

What Are the Steps To Create an Active Shooter Response Plan?

The Department of Homeland Security releases guides and resources to help businesses and organizations to be prepared in the case of an active shooter situation. While these resources are free and detailed, they are not directly applicable to any one business, and DHS recommends using these resources as initial steps to create an action plan.

The steps for planning an active shooter response include:

• Form a Collaborative Planning Team: The team that develops the plan should represent various groups from across the organization. Groups should consist of 4-10 members to ensure diverse perspectives while maintaining manageability.
• Develop a Prevention Plan: As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A prevention plan should be detailed and address three important details. Training should be given to employees to recognize behaviors that lead to violence, there should be a reporting system that functions according to your organization, and methods of intervention should be developed for designated and trained individuals who can evaluate potential threats.
• Perform a Risk Assessment: Different organizations have different risks to account for, and a risk assessment will help to assign priorities as well as allocate resources. FEMA has a risk assessment guide that can prove to be a valuable resource.
• Establish Goals and Objectives: Broad goals help the organization to direct their attention in the right direction, while objectives provide specific actions that can be taken either routinely or as needed. This system of broad goals and specific objectives help all levels of an organization to know what needs to be done and who is responsible for it. For example, the goal of ‘access control’ is supported by the objective of ‘updating access rosters.’
• Assess Courses of Action: There should be an individual or small group in charge of developing Courses of Action (COA). COAs are roadmaps that fulfill the goals and objectives previously outlined. They should be measurable, provide solutions across the organization, and detail a timeline within which they can be accomplished.
• Draft Plan and Approve: With all of the proper information gathered and priorities established, the planning team should be able to create a plan that is understandable to all people within the organization. Checklists, flowcharts, and other visual aids are highly recommended as they effectively summarize important information. The final approved plan should be formatted so that readers can quickly find the information they need.
• Training and Exercise: All employees should be properly trained so that they are aware of the skills and knowledge needed in any situation that presents itself. Many organizations include this training as part of their new employee orientations. Training should be presented to employees on a routine basis, along with any updated information. Informational training should be accompanied by training exercises. This helps employees to internalize the response plan, as well as helps to identify weak points in the plan and direct resources to those areas.

There are no one-size-fits-all solutions when it comes to an active shooter response plan. Various factors are important to consider, such as organization size, operating hours, location, and more. It will take time and resources along every step of the way, but this is vital to your safety, as well as the safety of employees and customers.

Importance of Active Shooter Response Planning

As a business, you want to be dedicated to giving your employees and guests a safe work environment. Though employers are required by law to take reasonable precautions against active shooters and other violent incidents, it takes more than minimal effort to ensure both customers’ and workers' safety and wellbeing.

 An essential component of institutional efforts to enhance response, safety and security-related policies and procedures is an Active Shooter Response Training. The purpose of active shooter training is to provide staff members with the information and resources they need to act quickly and maybe save lives in an emergency. Without proper plans and protocols, an active shooter scenario can present exorbitantly more danger than if preparations are made.

Get Training Today

Having to recognize that there are real dangers to any organization can be difficult at first, but this recognition is the first step towards preserving safety, and ultimately, life. Ensuring the safety of your organization creates an environment of trust and awareness. It takes a combined effort from everyone involved, and an effective plan works to bring them to a single standard.

360training offers an Active Shooter Response Training Course designed to help with instructing employees in active shooter scenarios, what signs to look for, and how to respond if an active shooter scenario manifests. Head to our website to enroll you and your staff today!