Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
CSTS | Department of Psychiatry | Uniformed Services University | 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799 | www.CSTSonline.org

Active Shooter:

What You Can Do to Mitigate Harm
An active shooter is an individualof violence, there are observable
Because Active Shooter situations evolve
actively engaged in killing orbehaviors that are frequently
attempting to kill people in apresent in individuals who
rapidly and may involve life-threatening
confined space or other populated
ultimately become an active shooter.
injuries, it is important to know how toarea. In most cases, active shooters
Because active shooter situations
use firearms and there may be noevolve rapidly and may involve
quickly respond to minimize the chance ofpattern or method to their selection
life-threatening injuries, it isinjury to yourself and others.
of victims. Active shooter situations
important to know how to quickly
are unpredictable and evolve quickly.
respond to minimize the chance ofTypically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement isinjury to yourself and others. It is also important for thoserequired to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims.
in positions of workplace leadership (i.e., managers, floor
Active shooters usually will continue to move throughout
monitors, teachers, and school personnel) to model thea building or an area until stopped by law enforcement,
appropriate responses because they are often influential andsuicide, or other intervention. While it is extremely difficult visible to direct the behavior of those in harm’s way.
to determine whether an individual will engage in this type
Responding to an Active Shooter
Workplace Leadership:■ Respond immediately.
■ Remain calm and professional, and be prepared to lead.
■ Evacuate employees, customers, and students using a
preplanned evacuation route to a safe area.
All Personnel and Exposed Individuals:■ Evacuate. If there is an accessible escape path, attempt toevacuate the premises.
■ Hide Out. If evacuation is not possible, find a place tohide where the active shooter is less likely to find you.
x Barricade and lock doors and hide out of sight.
x Close blinds and avoid being in front of windows.
x Silence cell phones and remain quiet.
■ Take Action. As a LAST RESORT, and only when yourlife is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/orincapacitate the active shooter by.
x Acting as aggressively as possible.
x Throwing items and improvised weapons.
x Yelling.
x It is very important that you commit to your actions.
■ Call 911.

Law Enforcement and You
It is important to understand that the primary
responsibility of Law Enforcement is to eliminate the threatof an Active Shooter. They will not be able to stop and help
injured persons until the environment is safe. As a result,remaining aware of the following can be helpful to ensure
your optimal response to Law Enforcement:■ Remain calm and follow instructions.
■ Avoid making any sudden movements.
■ Keep your hands visible at all times.
■ Put down any items in your hands and immediately
raise your hands while spreading your fingers.
■ Expect that officers will be shouting orders and evenpushing individuals to the ground for their safety
This information is adapted from the Departmentof Homeland Security Active Shooter Response online
training. Additional information can be found at thetraining website here:
http://emilms.fema.gov/IS907/index.htm
Continued

Online Resources
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
National Child Traumatic Stress Network
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
American Red Cross

www.cstsonline.org
https://www.nctsn.org/
www.aacap.org
www.aap.org
www.psych.org
www.apa.org
www.redcross.org

Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Department of Psychiatry
Uniformed Services University
4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799
www.CSTSonline.org