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Base trains for active shooter scenario

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Maria Bowman
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  On April 20, 1999, two senior students walked into their high school and began shooting, killing 12 students and one teacher, and injuring 25. The two shooters then committed suicide.

When news of the Columbine High School shooting broke, it was shocking and seemed to start a trend because it was followed by the Pennsylvania Amish School and Virginia Tech shootings among others. These shootings weren't just occurring off base either. In November 2009, Fort Hood, Texas, experienced an active shooter incident and more recently so did the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. In these two cases, a lone gunman shot and killed multiple people before being subdued or killing themselves.

Whether on or off-base, officials with the Department of Homeland Security say there is no pattern or method to a gunman's selection of victims, and that active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Oftentimes the initial shooting is often over within 10 to 15 minutes, so people should be prepared to respond. So what would--or should--you do if you find yourself involved in an active shooter incident?

"There are three words I want to drill into everyone's head: Run, hide or fight," said Capt. Daniel Norwood, 375th Security Forces Squadron operations officer. "Recognize that every situation is going to have a different dynamic, so whether you run or hide is going to be based on that situation. If a shooter's nearby and you don't have a clear exit, then you need to hunker down, which means getting behind a locked door, barricade yourself in there and get as low to the ground as possible. If you do have an exit, get out of there. Don't pull the fire alarms--that will cause everyone to try to get out of the building, potentially creating more targets for the shooter."

Norwood said that if you come across the shooter and you can't hide or escape, then fighting back may be your only option.

"Fighting is your last option, but if you find yourself in this situation you need to fully commit to your actions. If there is someone in there with you, it will increase your odds of success for disabling the active shooter. Use whatever weapons you have available."

When safety allows, notify law enforcement of the active shooter situation and provide them with as much information as possible. When on base, dial 911 and ask for Scott AFB police.

Staff Sgt. Josue Tello, 375th SFS Training Section trainer, said, "If you hear an active shooter, close and lock the door and take cover; get under your desk and notify law enforcement. Let them know you have an active shooter in your building. If you see the individual, let us know what you have seen. If you don't see anything, don't try and walk out the door to see what he--or she--looks like. If you hear multiple weapons at the same time, that's good information to tell us."

Once law enforcement arrives, it's important to cooperate with them, and not be an additional burden.

Tello said, "Be aware of security forces that may come in the building. If you are hiding under the desk, and you hear someone coming, don't stand up. Remain calm until we identify ourselves and tell you to come out from where you are hiding."

Norwood said compliance with law enforcement is crucial when they arrive on scene for the safety of the officers and personnel located in the building.

"For those individuals who come in contact with security forces, have your hands clear and visible; don't hold anything at all," he said. "Don't make any sudden movements, just move steadily. If they have information that's going to be relevant to us, such as the location or how many shooters, they need to give us that information. Otherwise, just keep moving toward the exit."

Once there is an active shooter scenario and security forces is made aware of it, the base will then most likely go into lockdown and notification will be made to the masses using the AtHoc, Giant Voice, email or other forms of mass communication as soon as possible.

"This will make everyone aware of the situation and we will work to provide instructions. Once the message for lockdown goes into effect, stay where you are and lock yourself in, and wait until the all clear has been issued."

The after action reports from the Fort Hood shooting show that several people on-scene started self-aid buddy care on the wounded; others were able to bring wounded individuals with them as they exited the area. This, said officials, helped to prevent further casualties. However, each person will need to make a decision if they are in a safe enough place to help others or if they must exit right away.

In the moments following a shooting incident, there may be conflicting reports of what's going on and how many shooters there really are. In both the Fort Hood and Navy Yard shooting, authorities were looking for additional suspects well after the initial shooting ended, thus leaving the base in a lockdown mode for several hours.

It's also not uncommon for there to be some confusion and conflicting reports as the scene unfolds. People should refrain from contributing to rumors or passing along unverified information. For those involved, members of the media may start asking for images or eye witness reports. Guidance would be to stay in your lane of authority when speaking and if in doubt, refer media to the 375th AMW Public Affairs staff. In addition, people can post on the Scott AFB Facebook page or pass along information to Scott's Twitter account at #ScottAFB. Information would be posted as it becomes available by the Public Affairs staff onto the Scott public website at www.scott.af.mil, however in the case of Fort Hood, the website became unavailable for several hours due to the volume of visits to the site.

FBI officials also report that many active shooters display observable pre-attack behaviors, which, if recognized can lead to the disruption of a planned attack. According to May 2013 FBI Active Shooter bulletin, "human bystanders represent the greatest opportunity for the detection and recognition of an active shooter prior to his or her attack. In addition, many times the path to targeted violence typically involves an unresolved real or perceived grievance, and an ideation of a violent resolution that moves from thought to research, planning and preparation." Base officials ask for everyone, especially front line supervisors, to be observant of their people and continue to be good Wingmen.