Eastern Oregon Contemplative
Remaining calm, aware and ready to act in the face of adversity is a practice that can be learned.
Active Shooter Preparedness
I don’t think of myself as an alarmist, but do believe active shooter preparedness is necessary for people living in a politically divided, trigger happy country that provides inadequately for those suffering from mental illness, permits extremists to threaten church goers, is unwilling to tackle gun control legislation, and has replaced “pardon me” and “I’m sorry” with “fuck you” and “shit.”
How people acted in the wild west in the seventeen and eighteen hundreds was more restrictive than now. Tombstone, Dodge City and many other towns required visitors to disarm when they entered, either at a hotel or a lawman’s office. Saloons had the right to bar guns from their establishments and criminals were run out of town. Today, we live next to people who take the right to bear arms as a right to invoke fear and act independent of the law.
As a member of a center city church that emphasizes the commandment to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” I don’t like to think badly of others. But we were tested when extremists blocked the entrance, shouting obscenities and bible passages condemning us to hell. Choir and congregants handled it well by surrounding the agitators and serenading them with songs of love and peace. The UU church in Washington, DC had a similar experience just two weeks ago. They found the experience frightening.
Over the years, a great many intimidating situations threatened my equanimity.
- My physician father, his office nurse, and a patient were made to lie on the floor at gunpoint by a patient looking for drugs. After the incident was over, he installed dozens of security buzzers throughout.
- A close friend was held hostage by men hoping to receive a disgracefully large amount of ransom money. The woman had composure enough to push an alarm alerting the police.
- 3) My sleep was shaken by men shouldering our door in an effort to break into our home at 2 am. While I cowered, my partner became instantly alert and was able to frighten them away.
- 4) On the East Coast, my cousin’s son, a psychiatrist, was shot by a mentally ill patient he was counseling. Thankfully he lived by knowing how to protect himself.
- 5) While still a business owner, my facility was burglarized several times. Fortunately, guns were not used. One year, several men broke into my warehouse the day after Christmas and stole hundreds of toys.
- 6) On another occasion, after being alerted by my security system, I drove in the middle of the night to find a semi truck without plates parked by the facility’s overhead doors. Fortunately, the incident was resolved without violence, but it was a close call.
- A more violent incident occurred while president of OMSI. A manager fired an employee who instantly turned against the manager, punched him and continued beating him up. We were concerned about the disgruntled employee returning armed.
- 8) My granddaughter traumatically surviving the horrible 2017 shooting at a music concert in Las Vegas took away the last remnants of my naivety. Thankfully, someone in the audience knew to shout commands of when to duck and later run. Without that person’s awareness, she and others might have remained frozen in place.
I am an ordinary woman who always lived and worked in “safe” neighborhoods without drugs or drive by shootings. Yet, my family and I were victims of the ugly side of human nature. I imagine many of you have similar stories you could share.
People do not always abide by the laws of love, kindness and fair play that were instilled in me as a child. Recognizing this, I asked myself what I needed to know to respond appropriately to threatening situations, without becoming fearful or paranoid. What would help me think clearly if I found myself in such a setting? The federal government provides advice; “Remember during an active shooting to RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.”
Be Informed
Sign up for an active shooter training. If you see something, say something to an authority right away. Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and register your work and personal contact information with any work sponsored alert system. Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers.
Make a Plan
Make a plan with your family, and ensure everyone knows what they would do, if confronted with an active shooter. Look for the two nearest exits anywhere you go, and have an escape path in mind & identify places you could hide. Understand the plans for individuals with disabilities or other access and functional needs.
DURING, run and escape, if possible.
Getting away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority. Leave your belongings behind and get away. Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow. Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be. Call 911 when you are safe, and describe shooter, location, and weapons.
HIDE, if escape is not possible.
Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet. Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate. Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off lights. Don’t hide in groups- spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter. Try to communicate with police silently. Use text message or social media to tag your location, or put a sign in a window. Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear. Your hiding place should be out of the shooter’s view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.
FIGHT as an absolute last resort.
Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter. Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc. Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter. Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.
After
Keep hands visible and empty. Know that law enforcement’s first task is to end the incident, and they may have to pass injured along the way. Officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, and/or handguns and may use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation. Officers will shout commands and may push individuals to the ground for their safety. Follow law enforcement instructions and evacuate in the direction they come from, unless otherwise instructed.
Take care of yourself first, and then you may be able to help the wounded before first responders arrive. If the injured are in immediate danger, help get them to safety. While you wait for first responders to arrive, provide first aid. Apply direct pressure to wounded areas and use tourniquets if you have been trained to do so. Turn wounded people onto their sides if they are unconscious and keep them warm.
Consider seeking professional help for you and your family to cope with the long-term effects of the trauma
To these lists I add;
Run over scenarios in your mind, imagining the best way to respond. Envision yourself remaining calm, alert, and looking for an opportunity to escape and call for help. This exercise will help you react rather than remain frozen in passivity if you find yourself in a real situation.
Make sure doors and windows at home have locks and each night check that they are in place.
When walking alone be aware of your surroundings. Keep your distance from people who might threaten your safety. Look in the back of your car before entering, ensuring that it’s empty.
Thinking of possibilities in advance and deciding how to react strangely enough is a calming activity. Worry stops and muscle memory steps in if you are prepared. No one wants to live in constant fear. If you do, you would never step into a car or plane again.
To deny that we live in unstable times, is foolish . . . to be prepared as best one can, is wise. My assumption is that most people are kind, helpful, and well meaning. My hope is that with tenderness even the most difficult hearts can be reached. I send these thoughts with love and caring for your safety this Valentine season.
Resources:
Jancer,M. (2018) Gun Control is as Old as the Old West. Smithsonian Magazine. retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun-control-old-west-180968013/
Disasters and Emergencies, Ready. retrieved from the web site at https://www.ready.gov/active-shooter
RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.® Surviving an Active Shooter Event – English (video)
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Eastern Oregon Contemplative Acrylic on Canvas/ 21’ by 25/ gold frame – $ 389
