Ultimate Defense Systems

 

 

Active Shooter Preparedness – Things to Consider

 

First, there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.  One of the most dangerous places to be is in a gun-free zone that has confined spaces which make it difficult to escape from an active shooter.  If you’re inside a school, business, restaurant, theater, church or other facility it’s wise to be close to an emergency exit or possibly a window that can be broken to provide a way of escape.  If hiding from a shooter, keep your cell phone on silent mode and try to place solid objects between you and the shooter to provide as much cover as possible.

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School Security

 

School Security Equipment - Active Shooter Resources

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No room is completely safe from gunfire or being broken into but a "safe room" can provide a place of refuge and can be identified in advance as relatively safer than other rooms in the building by having solid (bullet resistant) doors/frames and walls (concrete is better than drywall) and no windows (or bullet resistant) and doors that can be locked from inside quickly.  Classrooms that have door windows can be made safer by installing impact resistant polycarbonate sheets or security films to make it more difficult for an intruder to break through the window, unlock the door and attack those inside. 

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​The ability to survive an active shooter incident can be greatly enhanced by having an alert notification system in place that can be activated quickly to inform those inside and outside the building.  At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL in 2018, after a fire alarm had activated, students and teachers on an upper floor were starting to exit the building but were not made aware that a shooter was on the first floor and had shot several victims.  By the time they were aware, the shooter had made his way to their floor and shot/killed students that were unable to take refuge inside a room or escape down the opposite stairwell.

 

Simply locking exterior doors to a building can inhibit a shooter from gaining access into the facility.  The shooters at the schools in Uvalde, TX in 2022 and Parkland, FL in 2018 gained access through doors that were unlocked.  Installation of polycarbonate sheets or window security film at building entrances can slow down a shooter from gaining entry into the building.  The shooter at Covenant School in Nashville, TN in 2023 shot through two sets of glass doors to gain entry into the school.  Simple things such as identifying "hidden zones" inside a classroom and covering door windows can inhibit a shooter from targeting those inside.  The shooter in Parkland did not enter any classrooms but shot students through the door windows.

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Active Shooter Technology - Alert Notification - Threat Assessment and Early Warning

 

Federal, state and local elected officials should mandate the immediate reporting of all threats of violence (implied or direct) to schools and other facilities via social media platforms.  Social media companies currently monitor their platforms for all sorts of postings that violate their policies.  Officials should require that these companies use their monitoring technology and artificial intelligence (A.I.) to flag and immediately report potential threats of violence.  This will allow schools, businesses, churches and other facilities as well as law enforcement authorities the opportunity to implement security measures and investigate individuals making those threats and possibly prevent an attack.

 

There’s no absolute way to prevent all violence (including active shooter attacks) from happening but the impact from those attacks can be mitigated with appropriate security planning, training and equipment.  Our mission at Ultimate Defense Systems is to assist clients in identifying vulnerabilities to an attack and finding solutions to enhance the security of individuals that may become targets of an attack.

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• NOTE:  Before using or installing anything on a door, doorframe, or over a window, always consult with local, state and federal departments/agencies to ensure compliance with fire, life safety, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), and any other applicable codes, standards, and regulations when considering door and window security measures or features that could be implemented.  Consultation should also include any policy, procedure, or plan that could affect ingress into or egress from rooms, corridors, buildings, elevators, stairwells, etc.