Our Blog: Equipping & Empowering

Adding video cameras, a new access control system, and the 15-minute active shooter training video will surely be the best approach to building a comprehensive security program. We had an all-hands meeting complete with doughnuts and coffee!! All bases have been covered. Implementing this initiative will keep us clear of any liability issues in the event of an active attack taking place. Everyone will know what to do. Right????

It's amazing how quickly a story of a workplace violence incident will go in and out of the news. From the perspective of an outside party reading the news or tuning in, active shooter events seem to be forgotten almost as quickly as they happen.

The thing is, there's a lot of aftermath a company deals with that the news doesn't cover. In order for a business, corporation or other organization to recover from a traumatic workplace violence incident, there must be an intentional plan or procedure for dealing with the aftermath.

Let's look at the steps companies should be taking in order to properly handle the aftermath of an active shooter event.

A brick and mortar business wouldn't think of operating without fire insurance. And yet, did you know that a workplace shooting is more likely to happen than a fire? 

The fastest growing type of murder in the United States is workplace violence. Most people are unaware of this reality, which is why the idea of active shooter insurance is just catching on for businesses, schools, and other organizations.

For some organizations, such as South Carolina Public Schools, Active Shooter Training Drills are mandatory. They're a task on a to-do list and essentially a box that every school administrator is relieved to check off. 

Depending on what company you work for, Active Shooter Response Training may be mandatory as well. Many organizations are now requiring on-site training, video training, or some form of blended learning for their entire workforce.

It's not a small task. In both scope and importance, Active Shooter Training is a major undertaking. So, how can you be sure you're doing it right? In other words, how do you provide training that's not forgotten as quickly as it's taught? 

In this article, we'll point out training strategies that make an Active Shooter Training course successful, but first, we'll start by identifying some of the mistakes that could be undermining the training you're offering your team.

A question our customers often ask us is, why does ProActive Response Group offer Active Shooter Response Training in video format if hands-on training is so critical?

It's a good question, and the answer is found in the simple fact that not every company is able to provide hands-on training to every member of their corporate team. Two things typically stand on the way:

1. Limited budget
2. Large workforce

When these barriers are stopping a company from providing their employees with Active Shooter Response Training of any kind, we recommend blended learning. 

A lot of employers are trying figure out if advanced security is an effective way to protect their employees from workplace violence. Putting your entire workforce through an active shooter response training course seems a little too intense. It's not something employers want to even think about, much less ask their employees to participate in.

Security precautions seem like a much less invasive solution that would accomplish the same purpose: to keep violence out of your workplace. However, there is a difference between making your workplace secure, and training your workplace for safety. Simply put...

• Security reduces risk of emergency.
• Training responds in an emergency. 

All of the security guards, metal detectors, outdoor cameras, and key codes for building entrances cannot beat the effectiveness of first response training. Why? Because security measures ward off potentially violent encounters, but if and when security is breached, your company needs a trained response plan.

Work can be stressful enough without also thinking about things like the possibility of an armed gunman walking through the front door of your business or place of employment.

However, thinking about the potential risk is your first step to survival if such a scenario were to occur. With workplace shootings becoming increasingly common, we can’t just refuse to watch the news and hope for the best. As much as we resist even the thought of danger, we must admit the risk and take precautionary steps today that could save your life and others.

Here are four ways you can start at your workplace: