Active Threat Guidelines
Plan, Evaluate and Respond
Simmons Police & Public Safety encourages you to plan so you are prepared to respond in the event that someone came on campus (or anywhere for that matter) and tried to hurt people.
What would you do? How would you react? Do you know where the closest exit is in a building?
These are questions you should ask yourself now, and think about now so if such a terrible thing were to occur, you can react without having to stop and think.
The purpose of the below video is to help prepare you for the unlikely but dangerous scenario of an active shooter or an active threat being on our campus.This video was developed by The Boston Consortium for Higher Education and Yale University. We thank them for allowing us to utilize this tool to help enhance the Simmons University emergency preparedness program.
The below video will emphasize that you need to:
- Plan in Advance: Know where exits are. Recognize if the room locks and if not, is there a lockable room close by, etc.
- Evaluate Options: Get away from the threat. Call the police. If you can't run, then hide. Can you help others escape?
- Respond: Move! Don't be frozen, you must react!
Whether you are in Boston on the Simmons campus, in your hometown, or out anywhere in public, you should always have these three components in your mind. Being prepared before an emergency situation takes place is your best protection.
If you can evacuate the building:
- Try to stay calm and determine the location of the threat.
- Call 911 or 617-521-1111 as soon as possible, although escaping is your priority.
- If a safe exit does exist, take it as quickly as possible.
- Continue running until you are well cleared from the location of the threat. Find a safe location and call 911 or 617-521-1111 to inform police of your location.
If the only exit is through a window, consider the consequences of the fall:
- How high are you from the ground?
- Can you land in shrubs or grass to decrease the potential for serious injury?
- Can you make an improvised rope out of clothing, belts or other items?
If you cannot evacuate the building…
- Try to stay calm and determine the location of the threat.
- Take shelter in the nearest office, classroom, closet or other area which can be secured. Barricade the door using any heavy object you can find. If the door opens outward, attach one end of a belt to the door handle and the other end to a heavy object.
- If the door has a window, cover it.
- Look for other possible escape routes, such as windows or other doors.
- Call 911 or 617-521-1111 and tell them what is happening. Speak quietly and then set your cell phone to vibrate or silent.
- Stay low to the ground and remain as quiet as possible.
- Once in a secure location, do not open the door for anyone. Do not approach police officers as they attempt to located and neutralize the threat. The police officers will return to assist you once the threat has been neutralized.
- When the Simmons Police arrive, obey all commands.
If an active threat is in your presence:
- If you are in a crowded room and the threat is shooting, "play dead" or quietly crawl to safety.
- If you are with a group, as a last resort, you may choose to take action to gain control of the situation.
- If the shooter is entering the room, position yourself in a location that allows for an element of surprise.
- Throw anything available at the threat. Aim for the face to distract him/her.
- Attack as a group, swarming around the threat.
- Grab the threat's arms, legs or head and take him/her to the ground. Use body weight to secure him/her.
- "Fight dirty" — kick, bite, gouge eyes, etc… Do whatever you can to get away.
- Have someone in the group call 911 or 617-521-1111.
- When the Simmons Police arrive, obey all commands.
If you have incapacitated the threat...
- Make sure that the suspect is secured (body weight, belts, etc.)
- Remove any weapons from the threat.
- Do not hold a weapon.
- Call 911 or 617-521-1111 and advise the police that the threat is down.
- Provide your location and stay on the line if possible.
- When the Simmons Police arrive, obey all their commands.