An Active Shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms. Active shooter situations evolve quickly but with training one can learn the warning signs.
Active shooter statistics
Unfortunately, in the United States, active shooting incidents are more common than we would like to imagine. According to the FBI, between 2000 and 2018, 277 active shooter incidents occurred in the United States. There were 2,430 casualties (including killed and wounded), and this number does not include the active shooters. 884 people were killed in these 277 incidents and 1,546 were wounded. From just one active shooter incident in 2000, the number has grown to 30 active shooter incidents in 2017 and 27 in 2018.
Active shooter training importance and benefits
Anyone can be in an active shooter incident, so one must have a fair idea of how to respond when they are in such a situation. The best and most effective way to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims is immediate deployment of law enforcement. However, when an active shooter incident occurs, the maximum damage is done within the first few minutes, even before law enforcement arrives at the scene. In fact, as of 2013, 66.9% of active shooter incidents ended before the police arrived. So, everyone must be prepared for physically and mentally to deal with an active shooter situation. This is where active shooter training can make all the difference.
Active shooter training, also known as active shooter preparation or active shooter response training addresses the threat of an active shooter by providing awareness, preparation, prevention, and response methods. According to the Department of Justice, they remain “committed to assist training for better prevention, response, and recovery practices involving active shooter incidents” and they encourage training for civilians as well as first responders.
An FBI study has revealed that as of 2013, 45.6% of active shooter incidents occurred in areas of commerce, including areas that are open and closed to pedestrian traffic. The same study revealed that the second-largest area for incidents was places of education at 24.4%.From 2013-2018, the trends have remained similar, with more events occurring at places of business. Today, organizations such as places of worship, educational institutions, businesses, and others, sponsor active shooter training to make sure that their personnel are better trained to survive active shooter incidents.
Benefits to organizations
As we said earlier, virtually everyone is at risk of becoming a victim of an active shooter incident. By providing active shooter training, you can alleviate these risks. You will not only reduce your financial and legal liability, but also provide your employees with skills they need to stay safe both the workplace and every other aspect of their life.
Active shooter training gives the employees the skills and confidence they need when they are faced with this kind of a life-threatening situation. Moreover, this training can help prevent an active shooter incident, because it trains employees to identify the warning signs and may help them avert a disaster.
Active shooter training teaches survival skills to your employees and it would enhance employee satisfaction and loyalty.
We are the leading provider of comprehensive active shooter training programs for businesses and other organizations. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how this training can protect your organization’s most valuable asset – your employees.