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Active Shooter Facts
An "Active Shooter" is defined by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as “An individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearm(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.”
The fact of the matter is:
• Any one of us could find ourselves in this terrifying situation. • An Active Shooter will strike again somewhere in this country. • Schools, shopping malls, hospitals, churches, restaurants, offices and retail stores have all been targeted.
The United States is home to a staggering number of “active shooter” incidents compared with other places in the world. Between 1966 and December 21, 2012, there have been 281 attacks with at least one casualty and only 3 attacks resulted in zero casualties in the U.S. This was compared with eight in Canada, seven in Germany, four in Great Britain and one in South Korea. (Source: NYPD Active Shooter Study Report)
More than 700 people have died as the result of Active Shooter attacks.
Within the last five years, there have been at least 15 prominent, high-casualty producing active shooter incidents (Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook). Most of these cases have occurred in locations where the shooters have been undeterred and unobstructed from carrying out their attacks. The incident locations have often been described as “soft targets” with limited active security measures or armed personnel to provide protection for members of the public.
Are you prepared? As a Corporate Executive, Business Owner, Human Resource Director, Government Supervisor, Industrial Foreman, Risk Manager, Security Officer or Safety Professional, you are responsible to prepare for many situations.
If an Active Shooter targeted your business today, ask yourself the following questions: • Am I prepared? • Is my staff prepared? • Do they know what to expect? • Would they know how to react? • What can I do to protect my staff, my customers or my clients? |