An active shooter is a person who appears to be actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. In most cases, active shooters use firearms, and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.
These situations are dynamic and evolve rapidly, demanding immediate deployment of law enforcement resources to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to innocent victims. This document provides guidance to faculty, staff, and students who may be caught in an active shooter situation and describes what to expect from responding police officers.
Survival Tips
- If you can safely escape – do so.
- If you decide to flee during an active shooting situation, make sure that you have an escape route and plan in mind. Do not attempt to carry anything while fleeing; move quickly; keep your hands visible; and follow the instructions of any police officers you may encounter.
- If you cannot escape, secure or barricade yourself in a room.
- Close and lock all doors and turn off the lights.
- If the room you are in cannot be locked, determine if there is a nearby location that can be reached safely and secured.
- Get everyone down on the floor and ensure that no one is visible from outside the room.
- Immediately call the public safety emergency line (610) 330-4444, advise the dispatcher of what is taking place, and give your location and the shooter’s location. Inform the dispatcher of the assailant’s location, clothing description, race, gender, type of weapons used, etc.
- Remain in place until the police give the “all clear.”
- Do not respond to any voice commands until you can verify with certainty that they are being issued by a police officer.
- Do not attempt to remove injured people; instead, leave wounded victims where they are and notify authorities of their location as soon as possible.
- Place or keep cell phones on vibrate.
- Dialing 9-1-1 on the campus phone system puts you in contact with the Public Safety Office. Dialing 9-1-1 on your cell phone puts you in contact with the Northampton County Dispatching Center.
- Video: Run. Hide. Fight – Surviving an Active Shooter Event
- Video: Run. Hide. Fight – Armed Intruder Training for Schools
Public Safety Goals
- Quickly gather as much information as possible on the attacker(s).
- Immediately respond to location of the incident and contain and stop the threat.
- Notify Easton Police Department for assistance.
What to Expect From Responding Police Officers
Campus police and other police officers responding to an active shooter will immediately proceed to the location of the attack. Their purpose is to stop the shooting as quickly as possible.
Remain calm, do as the officers tell you, and do not be afraid of them. Put down any bags or packages you may be carrying and keep your hands visible at all times. If you know where the shooter is, tell the officers. The first officers to arrive will not stop to aid injured people; rescue teams composed of other officers and emergency medical personnel will follow the first officers into secured areas to treat and remove injured persons.
Keep in mind that even if you have escaped to a safer location, the entire area is still a crime scene; police usually will not let anyone leave until the situation is fully under control and all witnesses have been identified and questioned. Until you are released, remain at whatever assembly point authorities designate.