The Department of Homeland Security has released a short video on YouTube with tips on handling an active shooting situation.
“It is important to be prepared for such an event,” the video narrator says, citing a spate of tragic shootings that have occurred across the country. The video provides step-by-step instructions on protecting oneself from an active shooter and how to call for help.
“Knowing what to expect will help keep you calm and allow law enforcement to quickly neutralize the threat.”
The video also provides instructions on how to overpower a shooter with whatever weapons are immediately available. In the video, for example, an actor grabs a pair of scissors.
According to a CBS News affiliate station in New York, the video was in production before the Dec. 14 school massacre in Newtown, Conn., which left 20 children and six adults dead.
"This type of incident can happen any day, anywhere across the United States, and people have to be prepared," security expert David Boehm told the station. "It seems that this information is now being put out to show what the options are in case someone has to deal with this, instead of just hiding, what the other options are to engage.”
The Homeland Security video defines an active shooter as a person “actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill” people in an occupied structure or outdoors. The narrator tells viewers that they must determine whether hiding or escaping is the best option for dealing with the situation. It provides details concerning information that should be given to 911 operators.