Escape, hide, fight — that’s the key message used in a new safety video informing Alberta post-secondary students and staff how to respond during a shooting rampage.
“The Shooter on Campus” video was released Monday as a joint effort produced by a group of Alberta universities, polytechnic institutes and colleges.
MacEwan University president David Atkinson called the video a troubling subject, with a stark message.
“The subject matter of the video we are about to release is difficult and distressing,” said Atkinson. “Violence in public places is a reality in the world in which we live today and we see it pretty much everyday in one way or another.”
The video portrays a mock-scenario where a gunman enters a university campus and students and staff take action to protect themselves.
Philip Stack, associate vice president of Risk Management at University of Alberta, said the video is meant to empower people.
“There are those who might consider this video launch a bad news story,” he said. “I think it’s a good news story, because it reminds us there are things we can do to keep ourselves safe no matter where we are.”
Concordia University College, MacEwan University, Mount Royal University, NorQuest College, SAIT Polytechnic, the University of Alberta and the University of Lethbridge were involved in the video production.
Edmonton police Staff Sgt. Terry Langley said while the video may seem like common sense, it’s important to provide safety measures that could save lives.
“One thing people have to realize is common sense isn’t so common,” said Langley. “In this particular circumstance, if you can rehearse your actions prior to the stress, you are more likely to be successful when the stress does arrive.”
I'm shocked that any police force in Canada would recommend fighting back. Usually they tell the public to just be a victim and wait for police.
Other than that, it wasn't a bad video but in order for people to develop that quick thinking instinct would require practice. Are we to see "Gunman on Campus" drills along with fire drills.
1. The guy playing the shooter in the video is a cop. His movements were tactically sound. Actual shooters like at Virginia Tech and Columbine tend to be more erratic and reactive - meaning they're less predictable in their behavior.
2. Anyone fleeing a shooter is in danger of being mistaken for a shooter by the police who respond to the event. My advice is if you have to flee such a situation take off your sunglasses so your whole face can be seen, don't carry any bags or purses with you, and make sure your hands are in plain sight when you come into contact with law enforcement.
3. Fighting back requires a certain mindset of preparation. In whatever place you are (a classroom, office, etc.) take a few minutes and deliberately walk through your situtation and see what can be used as a weapon. In the case of the video the weapon that was misused was the fire extinguisher. In order to use it on the shooter the defender needed to be behind the shooter and in close proximity. Good luck with that. Instead, most fire extinguishers are chemical and if you have a fire extinguisher with a shooter coming at you then DISCHARGE it at the shooter. You'll blind him and likely asphyxiate him, too.
4. The video said to incapacitate the shooter. That's bad advice. If you can get the guy down then make every possible effort to kill him.
Just because you took away his AR-15 doesn't mean you've disarmed him. Like the kid in Santa Barbara, most of these mutts carry multiple weapons. You also can't rule out the possibilty that the shooter came equipped with a suicide bomb.
So if you're close enough to kill him then as long as he's breathing he's close enough to kill you and possibly everyone around you.
Regardless of what you choose to do NEVER permit yourself to think you're safe so long as the shooter is still alive.
Oh, and don't ever assume that there's just one shooter.
And then a question:
Say a student disarms the shooter and takes away his weapon. Will the college/university then expel the student for a brief possession of a weapon on campus? I ask because it's happened.
1. The guy playing the shooter in the video is a cop. His movements were tactically sound. Actual shooters like at Virginia Tech and Columbine tend to be more erratic and reactive - meaning they're less predictable in their behavior.
2. Anyone fleeing a shooter is in danger of being mistaken for a shooter by the police who respond to the event. My advice is if you have to flee such a situation take off your sunglasses so your whole face can be seen, don't carry any bags or purses with you, and make sure your hands are in plain sight when you come into contact with law enforcement.
3. Fighting back requires a certain mindset of preparation. In whatever place you are (a classroom, office, etc.) take a few minutes and deliberately walk through your situtation and see what can be used as a weapon. In the case of the video the weapon that was misused was the fire extinguisher. In order to use it on the shooter the defender needed to be behind the shooter and in close proximity. Good luck with that. Instead, most fire extinguishers are chemical and if you have a fire extinguisher with a shooter coming at you then DISCHARGE it at the shooter. You'll blind him and likely asphyxiate him, too.
4. The video said to incapacitate the shooter. That's bad advice. If you can get the guy down then make every possible effort to kill him.
Just because you took away his AR-15 doesn't mean you've disarmed him. Like the kid in Santa Barbara, most of these mutts carry multiple weapons. You also can't rule out the possibilty that the shooter came equipped with a suicide bomb.
So if you're close enough to kill him then as long as he's breathing he's close enough to kill you and possibly everyone around you.
And then a question:
Say a student disarms the shooter and takes away his weapon. Will the college/university then expel the student for a brief possession of a weapon on campus? I ask because it's happened.
Good points. The problem with killing the shooter once he's down is that then you can be charged with murder. Still better than being murdered. If you have his weapon, shooting him in both kneecaps should incapacitate him without killing him necessarily.
I'm sure psychologists can make special tests for detecting "future shooters" and test folks from time to time. Parents will distend their throats, but it will give result.
Don't they already have them in elhi schools? Pretty sure I read about it - mostly about locking the classroom and hiding under desks, I think.
Wrong, most of them run like scared sheep in all possible ways, stuck in doors and windows, shove each other and fall to the ground because of losing equilibrium. Believe me, I have some school experience with bucket full of water.
Sure, I know this is aimed at university students but the general warning is just as applicable to high school and even elementary students.
Now we must not only teach children about what to do in the case of fire, natural disaster or evacuation due to bomb threats but now about what to do if some nutbar is threatening to mass stab and/or shoot anyone in sight.
Makes me wonder if we are moving forward or backwards in our development as a society