Spinoff: Have you had active shooter training?

[Imzadi]

Spinoff off what do you do during a fire alarm.

Have you had any active shooter drills/training? Do you know what to do if there is gunfire and people shouting there is a shooter? Other than head for the nearest exit? What if you aren't close to an exit?

I've never had any training. I'm not always aware where all the nearest exits are. In the U.S., there have been active shooters in malls, movie theatres supermarkets, and work places, not just schools. I'd probably be looking for the nearest high school or college student to see what they are doing, even if we weren't in a school, as they've had some drills about this.

 

[indimom]

ALICE Training. Every year.

 

[soccerdad72]

Yes, our college public safety does ALICE training a couple times a semester, so I’ve taken it once before.

 

[kdonnel]

I have not but my wife has and has multiple drills each year.

She has also had Stop the Bleed training.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have not. My sister and I have had discussions over what to do if we find ourselves in such a situation and were separated. It's really sad that we have to have these talks.

 

[tvguy]

We had "Run, Hide, Fight" training at work. Learned to look for the nearest fire extinguisher to use as a defensive weapon. They brought in the Police SWAT team to teach it.
I worked at a TV station where we had a man with a shotgun come in the building. I was not there at the time, but my wife was. Years later we had someone shoot up the outside of the building. I was on duty that night. We didn't hear a thing inside the building. There had been a threat. We already had an unarmed security guard, but because of the threat the security company sent a second guard, the supervisor over to beef up patrols. He was asleep in his car next to the sign that was shot up! I was the first person to work overnight shift that did not carry a gun. That HAD been a requirement of the overnight person until a few years earlier. Then for a couple of years, nobody was working overnight shift, and the requirement was dropped. Company did offer to secure a Concealed Weapons Permit if I wanted to carry a gun, and even provide the gun, but I declined.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

When I worked in a school we had active shooter training. The local PD came in and conducted the training. Best I can remember it is run, hide fight.

Where I work now we watch a 5 minute video every year.

 

[OKW8297]

We are setting up a training in the next few months.

 

[Minnesota!]

My company does a (video) training annually

 

[Christine]

Multiple drills per year plus video training and, unfortunately, the real deal in 2013.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

This makes me so sad, I wish none of you or your children have had to do these trainings. As a regular international visitor I have made myself aware of what to do and its something thats on my mind from the moment I get off the plane at LAX to the moment I get off the plane in Dublin. I am acutely aware of the possibility that at any moment while I am in America, in a supermarket, a mall, out and about there could be an active shooter situation at any time. America is the only country I have been in that I have that awareness.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

3 years ago a kid shot another kid at the high school I had graduated from 20 years prior.

It was not an active shooter situation, it was a targeted gang related shooting.

The problem was, now the rest of the gang members wanted to get involved.

My daughter did not go to the school where the shooting occured but she went to a school in the same district.

Things went crazy across the district.

Thanks to training and proper execution of that training, that was the only shooting that had occured that day. We had law enforcement from other jurisdictions coming to help protect the schools. The teachers and staff did a wonderful job at locking the schools down and controlling the students and parents, and I would like to say the parents did an awesome job at listening to law enforcement and showing the school staff respect, but that would be a lie.

 

[CGB]

DH and I both are prior military (20 years & 8 years AF security police), so we have too much awareness of security at times. As a teacher, I've went through a lot of active shooter trainings. Our police dept. did a full exercise once in our school (no kids present) that included shooting blank ammunition and flash-bangs. The local/state police departments also come together with big exercises and teachers are invited to participate (usually in the summer). It's not fun and is stressful for people who have never experienced it, but it is good training and almost vital. In times of emergency, your brain will go to experience to tell you what to do.

The most critical element is awareness. As I tell my students, they are our best hope to prevent a situation like that. If you see, read, or hear something, SAY something.

 

[Clifton Tesh]

DH and I both are prior military (20 years & 8 years AF security police), so we have too much awareness of security at times. As a teacher, I've went through a lot of active shooter trainings. Our police dept. did a full exercise once in our school (no kids present) that included shooting blank ammunition and flash-bangs. The local/state police departments also come together with big exercises and teachers are invited to participate (usually in the summer). It's not fun and is stressful for people who have never experienced it, but it is good training and almost vital. In times of emergency, your brain will go to experience to tell you what to do.

The most critical element is awareness. As I tell my students, they are our best hope to prevent a situation like that. If you see, read, or hear something, SAY something.

"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle"

I have no clue who really said it but gunny used to yell it at us all day long while we were dying in the Camp Lejeune heat wearing full battle rattle.

 

[Dead2009]

When I worked in retail we'd have the video training, but never the actual training due to the store being open.

 

[TippyThomas]

No, but I'm in the middle of nowhere and not employed in an area where it would be needed.

 

[maxiesmom]

I too have had the Run/Hide/Fight training. Now I do try and pay attention to where the exits are when I am out shopping. Had one OH Crap moment at a grocery store. I was up front near the Customer Service desk and heard a loud Pop. Quickly realized if had been a shooter I was trapped. Not a great feeling.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I haven't. I am a SAHM so no workplace danger of a shooting. I graduated high school the same year of the Columbine shooting so active shooter drills in schools didn't start until after I was gone.

Other than running for an exit, I have no clue what I'd do. I will say that I'm always hyper-aware of my surroundings when I'm out and about. I've had a family member killed in a workplace shooting. My favorite high school teacher almost died in a mall shooting. It's horrifying to live in this country.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We've had it in the workplace for years. Sadly, our kids had a false alarm at their school, but also viewed it as a close call - so they do the training annually at school. Sad state of affairs having to worry about it, but better prepared.

 

[texaslover]

I work in education so I have active shooter training every year. The local police officers come out to the school. They have nerf type guns and we practice situations. They always have us do the lock and cower old school method first and they inevitably bust in and "shoot" everyone. Then they train us on barricading/fighting or running depending on proximity of the shooter. It's really unreal when you are told to train 5-11 year olds to push furniture in front of the door and then have heavy objects in their hands to throw at the shooter if he breaches the door. It does keep the shooter from hitting as many people during the training and they say it's been proven that a shooter will move on if the people inside are making it too hard, looking for easier targets. We also learn how to break the windows with a chair leg and use a belt to wrap the handle of the door making it hard to enter.

It's usually an emotional training, hard to wrap your head around the fact you are there preparing for this awful thing and this actually happens to children on a semi regular basis.