Run, hide and lock down.
This is the guideline Public Safety gives on its website in the case of an active shooter on campus.
“The only time we think about it is when something happens,” said Detective Lt. Guy LaPlante. “It’s the only time we start thinking well, ‘What if? What if?’”
“What if?” might be on the minds of students after the deadliest mass shooting in United States history shook Las Vegas Sunday night, with 59 people dead, including the shooter, and over 500 injured.
If something seems out of order, the first thing to do is report it, Laplante said.
“Being aware of your surroundings is key,” he said. In the case of an active shooter situation find a safe place and lock down, LaPlante said.
The response guidelines say to lock and barricade doors, turn off lights, close blinds, block windows, turn off computer monitors and silence cell phones. Occupants should remain calm, quiet and out of sight while taking adequate cover such as concrete walls, thick desks or filing cabinets that can protect from bullets.
If someone is injured, signs can be placed on exterior windows to identify the location of the person who needs aid.
“Communicate the best you can to authorities and just plan on chaos,” LaPlante said. “Plan on it. Plan on being hunkered down for awhile.”
If in close quarters to the assailant, fighting may be an option, LaPlante said.
“If you’re in a situation where you have an opportunity to quell it, maybe fighting is the only thing you have left,” he said. “That’s a call on you. That’s a tough call but that would be a last-ditch effort.”
The entire campus is able to lock down in one minute and 38 seconds with a push of a button from public safety and is equipped with mass notification systems. Public safety can also take over laptops and send out a text alert to every student signed up for the Emergency Text Alert Program.
To stay informed about any emergency situation on campus, students can sign up for Public Safety’s Emergency Text Alert Program through the Public Safety website.
