The President’s 100 (P100) were taught the proper procedures to follow in the event of an active shooter arriving on campus on Wednesday night.
The P100 are ambassadors to the university who give tours around campus to guests and prospective students. They were taught by Sean Fay, coordinator from the office of emergency management, that if an armed intruder is found on campus, they have three safety measures to follow called “The Three Outs:” Get out, hide out and act out.
The former firefighter described shooters as having no specific goal in mind, only to unleash as much damage as they can. Due to them having the unfair advantage of a weapon, confrontation with the assailant is not advised. Hence “The Three Outs.”
The first involves evacuating: ambassadors are to get their tour group and find an escape route that will allow them to avoid crossing paths with the shooter.
“If you aren’t there, you can’t be shot,” Fay said. “Get out as fast as possible and get far away. As far as the Starbucks opposite campus.”
He stressed that the priority is always to evacuate. However, if that is not an option, then the next is to hide and barricade the doors by improvising with any heavy items in the vicinity. The shooter most likely would not waste time trying to get into a locked door. They want to cause as much hurt as they can in the short amount of time they have before authorities arrive.
“You can even use your textbook and jam it under the door,” said Fay. “You must hide. Playing dead is not an option. You may end up dead.”
The last one, “Act Out,” is not encouraged. Fay stressed that it should only be used as a last resort. As it states, you should act out by trying to disarm the assailant.
“You can kick, punch, bite, wherever it is – make it count. Do not fight fair, for the sake of your parents and your brother,” Fay said. “Get the gun away from the person. Do not hold it. If the police comes and sees you, it will not go well for you.”
The P100 were encouraged to always think of a safe route when conducting their tours.
If there are any emergencies, students can call 800-227-0354, the emergency hotline.
Featured image courtesy Pixabay user PublicDomainImages