Surviving an Active Shooter

Speaker James Dawkins, Overland Park Police SWAT Officer, leads a stimulating discussion at the Overland Park Fire Adminstration & Training Center.

BRAVO to Ohev Sholom Sisterhood with the 'Bev Levine and Fran Kanter' team bringing us yet another provocative presentation.

Active shooter events are a tragic, unpredictable reality and one that’s becoming more prevalent. These mass killings are occurring in schools, shopping malls, movie theaters, and in public and private buildings.  Even if an armed officer is in the facility, the officer is minutes, not seconds away. What can you do to survive?

James E. Dawkins provides valuable strategies with discussion about the fact that a plan of action can help save your life.  Officer Dawkins has taught “Active Shooter” courses for local schools, houses of worship and businesses and currently serves as a Bomb Tech and Sniper on the department’s SWAT Team.

Over 40 people in attendance listened with eagerness as we learned the three steps to take in the event of an armed intruder:

1. Run! Run away from the shooter. So many times when calamity strikes, people panic and freeze or try to justify that nothing is wrong. Try to convince those with you to run as well, but don't wait for them. 
2. Hide! You should find a safe place with more than one exit in case the shooter follows. Hide under or behind objects that could block gun shots.
3. Fight back! If you are left with nowhere else to go, give it all you've got and fight back. Arm yourself with a chair, a fire extinguisher, a knife... whatever is available and be prepared to use it.

This video online is similar to one we watched at the presentation: www.fbi.gov/about-us/cirg/active-shooter-and-mass-casualty-incidents/run-hide-fight-video

When you are able, contact 911 and give them the facts you know. When help does arrive, remember that an officer doesn't know that you are a safe person. Don't run at him, especially carrying an item in your hand (like a cell phone) that he could mistake for a gun.

Luckily many businesses, shopping malls, movie theatres and schools are planning what to do in the event of an active shooter. If there is not a plan, ask about it. Look in your office. Where are the best places to hide? Do the doors lock? Where are the fire extinguishers? The next time you go into a shopping mall, notice where the exits are. Since public buildings have started fire drills, far fewer die in a fire. This same planning could help save your life.