In light of the tragic school shootings that have taken place nationally over the last few years, Cal Poly Police Chief George Hughes recently hosted several active shooter trainings on campus.
These trainings were designed to educate the Cal Poly community on best practices for responding in an active shooter situation.
The more students and staff can be educated on what to do, the more likely we’ll be prepared to respond appropriately in an emergency situation.
Chief Hughes started off by reminding the community that active shooters have no particular profile, but are unsuspected individuals of all social, demographic and academic backgrounds. It is important to recognize that these situations require quick thinking and action, as they are sudden and unexpected.
Having a “survival mindset” and being prepared to do anything necessary to protect oneself and others should be top of mind.
One way to be mentally prepared, is to have a three step action plan : 1) run 2) hide 3) fight. First run, then hide, and if you are unable to escape and are confronted by the shooter, be prepared to fight. Many on-campus locations, including classrooms and desk spaces have tools that can be used as weapons, if necessary. Possible weapons may include staplers, scissors, podiums, or plaques on the wall.
It’s also important to remember to keep calm, listen to instructions, and avoid sudden movements when the police arrive.
Hughes explained that though there are a variety of scenarios that could play out in an active shooter situation, remembering to have a survival mindset and thought-through action plan will help to prepare for an emergency.
The trainings ended with Hughes sharing an active shooter safety video created by the CSU to help prepare students for the potential threat of a gunman on its 23 campuses.