How to Recognize and Assess the Situation

You’ve encountered an irate person in the workplace. What do you do?

The first step to the 4-step de-escalation process is to recognize and assess the situation.

Your safety is paramount. You must first assess the degree of danger you are in. Ask yourself:

• “Is there a path that can allow me to retreat?”
• “Does the agitated person have a weapon or are they threatening to retrieve one?”
• “Am I being threatened with bodily harm?”
• “Am I confident I can interact with this individual without becoming defensive or angry?”

You should only proceed if you feel confident and safe.

If you proceed, you can retreat at any time if you don’t feel safe.

Learn the other 3 steps to the de-escalation process!

Enroll Your Staff in Active Shooter Preparedness and Verbal De-escalation Training

TPOP’s verbal de-escalation course gives each learner the knowledge and confidence to manage workplace conflict — before it turns into workplace violence.

Let’s talk today about your training needs.

How to Navigate the “Crisis After the Crisis”

What happens after an active shooter event?

The Location Becomes an Active Crime Scene and is Closed

After the incident, you’ll engage in assessments with local law enforcement, like accounting for all individuals, and your location will be closed and considered an active crime scene. Be prepared to lose profits and delegate any immediate projects to corporate if applicable. Communicate to employees and the public that your location is closed for the time being. During this time, create a transition plan that details when your location will resume normal operations.

See what to do when the press arrives.

Prevent Crises with Active Shooter Preparedness Training

Surviving the “crisis after the crisis” is possible, though no workplace wants to go through this. You can potentially prevent an active shooter event at your workplace with TPOP’s active shooter preparedness and verbal de-escalation training. Your staff will learn how to recognize concerning behaviors, report them, de-escalate situations, survive an active shooter event using the Run, Hide, Fight methodology, and much more.

Let’s talk today about your training needs.

Have You Updated Your Response Plan?

In your active shooter response plan, have you coordinated with your local police?

The Virginia Beach shooting shows the importance of coordinating with police. The municipal building used a keycard system to enter, and as an ex-employee, the shooter still had his keycard. The police arrived on the scene in 2 minutes but couldn’t get in without a keycard or door code. As you update your training, update your response plan with information that the police or EMS should know in the event of an emergency. This information includes the layout of your building, door codes, and how to gain access to restricted areas.

Learn more about lessons learned from active shooter events.

Your Staff Needs Specialized Active Shooter Training

Is your training relevant to your industry?

Industry specific training is more useful and impactful than generic training. If your current training uses a “one size fits all approach,” your employees could be missing out on relevant information regarding how to respond to an active shooter in their unique environment. For example, field-based employees in the utilities sector won’t receive the full benefits of training if the training takes place in an office environment.

TPOP offers industry specific training for:

• Corporate facilities
• Utilities
• Fast Food and Restaurants
• Grocers and retailers
• Healthcare
• Mass gatherings
• Houses of worship

Let’s talk about updating your active shooter training today.

The Importance of Updating Training

Do you provide active shooter preparedness training for your employees?

When was the last time it was updated?

It’s important that your active shooter preparedness training is regularly updated with the latest information. Updated training can inform your staff about lessons learned from previous shootings, changes in policies and procedures, and keep the training fresh in their minds.

For example, pulling a fire alarm during an active shooter event is not generally advised. In the past, some have used fire alarms as warning signs to others to get out of the building. We now know that this can potentially put people in harm's way. Fire alarms bring in firefighters who are prepared for fires, not active shooters. If the shooter is still in the building, a fire alarm may put the firefighters at risk, too.

Learn other aspects of active shooter training that need updating.

Your Staff Needs Specialized Active Shooter Training

Is your training relevant to your industry?

Industry specific training is more useful and impactful than generic training. If your current training uses a “one size fits all approach,” your employees could be missing out on relevant information regarding how to respond to an active shooter in their unique environment. For example, field-based employees in the utilities sector won’t receive the full benefits of training if the training takes place in an office environment.

TPOP offers industry specific training for:

• Corporate facilities
• Utilities
• Fast Food and Restaurants
• Grocers and retailers
• Healthcare
• Mass gatherings
• Houses of worship

Let’s talk about updating your training today.

How to Attack an Active Shooter

What would you do if you were face to face with an active shooter?

How can active shooter training help you?

The worst-case scenario you can prepare for is an active shooter event is taking place, you can’t run or hide, and you must fight to survive.

Active shooter training can help your staff learn what to do in these situations and be able to execute if necessary.

Fighting should be your last resort and should only occur when you come face to face with the shooter. Your goal should be to incapacitate the shooter because even if you disarm them, they may have more weapons.

See what workplace items can be used as weapons.

How to Attack

Turn the tables on the gunman by acting as aggressively as possible. Gunmen don’t expect resistance and will be thrown off. Yell as loud as you can – this can overwhelm the shooter and disrupt their ability to make decisions. If you have the time and people, you can plot a group or surprise attack to throw off the shooter further. This is when multiple people swarm the shooter from all angles, subverting the shooter’s expectations and outnumbering them. Incapacitate the shooter and wait for police to arrive.

Prepare Your Staff for the Worst with Active Shooter Training

TPOP’s active shooter preparedness training teaches your employees how to recognize, manage, and survive an active shooter event. Topics include situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, the Run, Hide, Fight methodology, and more. Online training can be customized to feature an introduction from your leadership, place the training faculty in your location via green screen, and choose the length that fits your time requirements. Your staff can feel safer and more confident at work in less than an hour!

Let’s talk about preparedness for your business today.

How to Fight Back in an Active Shooter Event

Do you know what you’d do during an active shooter event, especially if you must fight back?

The worst-case scenario you can prepare for is an active shooter event taking place, you can’t run or hide, and you must fight to survive. Active shooter training can help your staff learn what to do in these situations and be able to execute if necessary.

When should you attack?

The best time to attack is during a gun jam or reload, however this isn’t always possible. If your life is at stake, fight back. If a gun jam or reload does occur, it’s the perfect time to strike the shooter with decisive blows.

It’s best to find a weapon, but in the workplace, what can you use as a weapon?

Anything that can stab or slash

• Box cutters
• Scissors
• Pens or pencils

Anything that has weight and can be thrown

• Laptop
• Tools
• Can of soda
• Coffee mug
• Stapler
• Chair

See more improvised weapons on our website.

Prepare Your Staff for the Worst with Active Shooter Training

TPOP’s active shooter preparedness training teaches your employees how to recognize, manage, and survive an active shooter event. Topics include situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, the Run, Hide, Fight methodology, and more. Online training can be customized to feature an introduction from your leadership, place the training faculty in your location via green screen, and choose the length that fits your time requirements. Your staff can feel safer and more confident at work in less than an hour!

Let’s talk about preparedness for your business today.

Learn the Risk

Wondering about adding active shooter training to your company’s training activities?

Don’t think it’s necessary?

A common misconception is that “an active shooter event won’t happen to me or my workplace.” Thoughts like these significantly reduce your chances of surviving an active shooter event because they often lead to being unprepared. The real measure of risk is not simply the probability of an event, but a combination of probability, vulnerability, and consequences.

• Although the chances of something happening to you or at your workplace is relatively low, the FBI is warning of an upward trend. 
• How vulnerable are you? If you work in a retail store, school, or house of worship, or anywhere else that is open to the public, you are vulnerable. Active shooters target less secure places with large numbers of people. 
• What are the consequences? The consequences of violent events like these are usually grave. There are lives lost, people are traumatized, companies can close, and an organization's reputation can be on the line -- not to mention the crippling financial liabilities that often follow. If an active shooter event happens at your workplace and you didn’t prepare, you could be held at fault. Don’t take that risk. 
  
  

Visit our website for more active shooter misconceptions.

Prepare with workplace violence and active shooter training 

Looking for training for your employees that could save their lives?

The Power of Preparedness offers a comprehensive online course for workplace violence prevention and active shooter training that will teach your employees to identify, prevent, and if necessary survive a violent event. Learn about behavioral indicators, situational awareness, verbal de-escalation techniques, Run, Hide, Fight methodology, and more.

If you’re ready to get prepared, call us at (833) 723-3893 or visit our website today.

Recognize the Behavioral Signs

 Are you monitoring your employee’s behaviors?

Looking at the right signs?

Violent behavior is usually triggered by stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional issues. With enough of these triggers, almost anyone could become unstable. There are usually noticeable changes in behavior, though. 

Extroverted people become more introverted, more hostile, and may stop showing up for work. Introverted people may actually become more social and talkative, another change in behavior to be aware of. If you notice dramatic behavioral changes, it may be a sign that a person needs assistance and you should report this to a supervisor, a member of HR, or security, depending on your organization’s policy. 

Visit our website for more active shooter event misconceptions.

Prepare with workplace violence and active shooter training

Looking for training for your employees that could save their lives?

The Power of Preparedness offers a comprehensive online course for workplace violence prevention and active shooter training that will teach your employees to identify, prevent, and if necessary survive a violent event. Learn about behavioral indicators, situational awareness, verbal de-escalation techniques, Run, Hide, Fight methodology, and more.

Training for these events is essential and it’s the company’s responsibility to keep everyone safe (the OSHA General Duty Clause requires it). Preparedness training is for just that; preparedness. It’s not meant to scare or make anyone feel targeted. When you purchase training courses though TPOP, you can add personal video introductions to reassure your employees they are safe and will be even safer after the training.

If you’re ready to be prepared, call us at (833) 723-3893 or visit our website today.