Active Shooter – Emergency Preparedness #4

There are few things more terrifying than the idea of an active shooter attacking one’s business or workplace. In addition to the obvious danger of violence to your person, you must also consider the danger a shooter would pose to customers and employees. Frighteningly, attacks by active shooters on work places are only becoming more common, and seem to occur with little rhyme or reason. With the right security company, though, employers can prepare themselves and their businesses for this terrifying possibility.

Preventing a Shooting

The presence of visible onsite security can prevent active shootings before they even occur, as the very presence of security officers will often deter would-be shooters. Even if that doesn’t work, security companies train their workers to spot suspicious individuals and notify law enforcement before those individuals commit a violent act. This ability and willingness to confer with local law enforcement is absolutely critical, and one of the biggest advantages to be had in hiring professional onsite security. In addition, security officers serve to deter and detect a variety of less serious crimes, as well as helping customers to feel safer in the business environment.

Responding to a Shooter

Avoiding a disaster is obviously preferable to responding to one, however in the tragic event that an active shooting does occur, onsite security personnel can act to minimize injuries by assisting law enforcement, and helping to direct employees and customers away from the dangerous area. In addition, their notes and witness testimony can be utilized by law enforcement after a shooting occurs, to identify and apprehend active shooters or accomplices. In the deeply unfortunate, but possibly unavoidable case that injuries result from an active shooting, officers can assist paramedics in gathering and consoling injured individuals. Finally, the calming effect of professional security officers cannot be overstated: employees and customers are much less likely to panic in the terrifying face of an active shooting if our calm, authoritative officers are on the scene.

Take the Necessary Steps to Avoid Disaster

Everyone wants to believe that an active shooting could never occur at their place of work, but the horrible truth is that these events are largely random. The best a business-owner can do is to hire a security company to prepare for the possibility of a shooting at their workplace. Fortunately, this one simple action can highly reduce both the possibility of a shooting and the extent of the casualties if an active shooting does occur, by extensive preparation and observation prior to the event, and a calm head and quick response in assisting law enforcement and victims alike afterwards.