Unfortunately, being prepared for an active shooter situation is a part of living in our current world. And while that isn’t a reality we like, it is a reality we should be adequately prepared for. That’s where active shooter training comes into play. By being properly trained and educated, you and your employees can help mitigate or even prevent an active shooter event in the workplace.
Why It’s Important
A serious event like this can happen to any employee, whether they are a receptionist or the CEO. Therefore, every employee in a company should be trained on how to help prevent an active shooter, protect themselves, and help victims around them should a situation escalate.
The most recent FBI active shooting statistics show that 50 active shooter events took place in the year 2022, with 313 casualties total (100 killed and 213 wounded). Of those 50 events, 48% of the perpetrators had a known connection to the location of the shooting or one of the victims.
The U.S. Department of Labor reports that many warning signs of workplace violence are ignored because other employees think that it’s none of their business or that it’s not a big deal. However, these signs—if not taken seriously early on—can quickly escalate.
Although HR professionals and other employees can try to help mitigate situations from escalating to the point of workplace violence, sometimes the worst-case scenario happens, and that’s when you need to be prepared to save yourself and those around you.
What You Need to Learn
An effective active shooter training should have some essential components for adequate preparation. They include:
Prevention
One of the most important things you can do to prevent workplace violence is to de-escalate frustrated employees or reduce pain points before anything serious ever happens. HR professionals and other employees alike should be trained to prevent situations where intense emotions or isolation are felt and look for warning signs of an employee who could potentially become violent and act out.
Response
Prevention is key, but knowing what to do if an active shooter still comes to the workplace is just as essential. Employees should be educated on learning safe exits, how to hide, and as a last resort, how to confront an active shooter.
First Responders
An often overlooked part of an active shooter incident is working with law enforcement and first responders in the immediate aftermath.
First Aid
Knowing how to stop massive bleeding from a gunshot wound can be the difference between life and death for you or someone you know. Having this training and bleeding control kits in your workplace has the potential to save lives.
Attend ProActive Response Through HREN
ProActive Response is an active shooter training that is SHRM/HRCI approved. Its two-hour course covers the main points reviewed above and is taught by two former law enforcement officers. As a continuing education course, it counts as two general credits.
The importance of this course cannot be overstated, and that’s why HREN offers this course as in-person, virtual, or hybrid training options for whatever best fits your company and its employees. This training is not only for HR professionals in their continuing education but for all employees at a company to be well prepared.
While we hope this training never has to be used in the real world, ensuring your employees are well trained and regularly performing active shooter drills for this possibility is the responsibility of all company leaders and HR departments.
Submit a form to start training your employees with ProActive Response.
