Active shooter: What is the plan of action for your workplace? By Amy Hardesty

Have you ever thought about your plan of action, if someone were to go into your office building with a gun and start shooting?  I have talked with my co-workers about the need for us to come up with a plan.    We all have planned what to do if we have a fire, or a tornado strikes, but do rarely talk about having a plan to confront an active shooter.  Did you know that The Ohio State University Police Department will come to your place of employment and give you a session of what you should do if you encounter an active shooter?  I think if we are adequately prepared, we will react better and it may save our life as well as the lives of all our co-workers. According to an article written by LoRusso in the American Bar Association on line article, while incidents of workplace violence involving guns are rare, about 700 people a year are murdered on the job, according to federal government statistics.  So how do you develop a plan of action for that terrifying scenario of having an active shooter in your workplace?  LoRusso says that an emergency response plan has to be practical, public and practiced.  Practicality includes having employees gather together to do a head count in two or three separate locations.  LoRusso’s article also talks about the importance of communicating.  “The plan of action has to be a public plan that employees know and understand what to do.  It has to be practiced so that you know the plan is going to work. Although a sad situation, many organizations are now practicing active shooter drills,” says LoRusso.

 

If an active shooter were to come into your building, do you have a plan in place for what you should do? If not why not call The Ohio State University Police Department and schedule a session for them to come to your workplace to help your office or department develop a strong plan of action.  For more information go to the Department of Public Safety https://dps.osu.edu/active-shooter.

 

 

 

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