Shooter Awareness
Active shooter situations are always unpredictable. These are some suggested steps that may help to protect you if there is an active shooter on campus.
Find a Place of Safety
Your goal should be to get away from the area of the shooter or to not be visible to the shooter.
If you can get out and go to a place of safety, get out quick, but be alert to the possibility of other gunmen.
If the best place of safety is within a building do the following:
- Lock and barricade doors.
- Turn off lights and close the blinds.
- Turn off radios, TVs and monitors.
- Keep occupants calm, quiet and out of sight while taking adequate cover/protection (i.e. concrete walls, thick desks, and filing cabinets), cover may protect you.
- Using cover, have occupants spread out as much as possible.
- Silence all cell phones ringers.
- Quietly notify the police.
- Quietly discuss among those present a plan if the shooter is able to enter your area – think survival.
Securing in Area
If secure, stay at your location until instructed to leave and follow the instructions of the public safety officials.
Remember, in most cases the shooter will not stop until he/she is engaged by an outside force.
Attempts to rescue people should only be made if it can be accomplished without further endangering the persons inside a secured area.
Contacting Authorities
9-1-1 from a campus phone or (904) 620-2800 from a cell phone will place you in contact with UPD.
What to Report
- Your specific location - building name and office/room number.
- Number of people at your specific location.
- Injuries - number injured, types of injuries.
- Assailant’s location, number of suspects, race, gender, clothing description, physical features, types of weapon(s) (e.g. long gun or hand gun), backpack, shooter's identity if already known, etc.
Police Response
The primary objective is to immediately isolate/engage the assailant.
Follow an officer’s directions and do not make immediate or quick movements, the officer is there to eliminate the threat and you do not want to be mistaken as being a threat.
Secondary objectives of the police are:
- Evacuate Victims.
- Facilitate medical care.
- Secure Buildings.
- Investigation.