What to do with a shooter on campus

“Run, Hide, Fight” are the three suggestions of what to do when an active shooter is present said Utah State University’s Sargent Travis Dunn on Oct. 4.

USU Eastern held a one-hour arm aggressor/active shooter training for its faculty. Dunn went through the video presentation and opened up the discussion about what to do when an active shooter may be in a building.

“Run, Hide, Fight” shows steps on what to do if an active shooter may be on campus. The first step is to run and what Dunn said is if you know the shooter isn’t around, run away from campus or wherever the active shooter is. Don’t get in a car because that could possible slow down your progress of getting away. Just run and run.

Don’t plan on having a place to meet up, Dunn said. This isn’t a fire drill. You don’t know where the shots are coming from and how fast they’re traveling. Keep running and running and again, make sure you’re running away from the school, or wherever this type of thing is happening, which in 2019, could be anywhere.  

That’s an obvious first step, he said. “Yeah, run away from an active shooter.” I think we all know that, but the tricky part is because of how fast the sound of a gunshot travels it’s hard to really tell unless you’re right by it. 

The second step is to hide. Your hiding places should be: out of the shooters view, provide protection if shots are fired in your direction and make sure to not trap yourself and limit your movement. If you are hiding you’ll need to act quickly and quietly. Make sure to secure your hiding place as good as you can. 

If you’re in a room with tables, block the door. You also should make sure to turn off the lights and be as quiet as you possible can. If possible, secure yourself behind large objects that may have a chance of protecting you. 

Dunn made it clear that if you’re behind a locked door and someone says it’s the police, make them show you their badge to be safe. If they’re in full uniform, be alarmed. Most officers that get called into that will throw on whatever and try and respond as quickly as they can. 

The last option is to fight. For this step you’d need to work together as a group and fight. Turn anything around you into a possible weapon and as scary as it may be, act with aggression. Fully commit to taking the shooter down no matter what. 

When law enforcement arrives, remain calm, keep your hands visible at all times, avoid pointing or yelling and know that helped for the injured is on its way.