Prepared to live: When to run, hide and fight

This is a five-part series covering a six-month long investigation on gun safety and awareness, inspired by the mass shooting event in Winder, Ga. at the beginning of the school year. Today is part two, which provides key information from the Active Shooter Response Training class held for faculty and staff during the 2024-2025 school year on how the AU community should respond in the event of a mass violent event.

AUPD said students will need to know where to go in the event of an emergency. (photo by CM Wahl)

By CM Wahl | Managing editor

There are three ways authorities advise to react to an active shooter event: run, hide or fight. During a highly dangerous situation, clear thought and reaction plans may be difficult to muster so it is important to be familiar with these methods of response.

Captain Eric “Harry” Smith of the AU police department explained each response in the Active Shooter Response Training class held for faculty and staff during the 2024-2025 school year. These methods, in no specific order, are meant to assist those caught in a violent situation.

“Whatever you're presented with at the moment will dictate what the best course of action is,” he said.

Run

The natural reaction to hearing gunshots is to run. Smith said running is the ideal response since it puts people far away from the gunman and out of the line of fire.

Smith advised to have a route planned, if possible. Since students and faculty generally frequent the same campus buildings, paying attention to the entire area, including the location of alternate or emergency exits, can help someone choose the best possible escape route.

“If you choose to run,” he said, “do not attempt to carry anything. We [the police] will reunite you with your stuff after the event… Carrying things in your hands could make matters worse when you encounter law enforcement.”

Smith explained that law enforcement will assume every person is a threat until the shooter is stopped, so it is imperative that anyone moving quickly keep their hands visible so police do not mistake them for a shooter. He advised to keep hands up, especially if running towards a police officer.

He also advised runners to note the location of injured people and later share it with police rather than attempting to treat or assist them. He said anyone who stops running during an active shooter event is “doing it at your own peril.”

Hide

Depending on the location of the shooter, how someone hides could greatly impact their chances of survival. Sometimes, people are in imminent danger that makes it impossible for them to run.

“If you hide,” said Smith, “this is an active word. It has to be decisive. It has to be immediate.”

If inside a building, noting what things are in the area can help increase the chances of a successful outcome. Some doors open in and should be blocked with heavy furniture to prevent access. For rooms with doors that open out, a barricade can be built by piling large items in front of the door.

Smith advised anyone who hides to turn off the lights, silence their cell phones and do anything that keeps them hidden from view. Staying in the corners of the rooms can keep people from being seen through any door windows.

“There is no building structure that is foolproof for an active shooter event,” said Smith. “So that’s why I encourage you to get familiar with your surroundings and then start playing the ‘what if’ game.”

When people take time to look around, go over potential ways to secure their area and consider possible escape routes, Smith said they increase their chances of surviving unharmed, and at the very least, buy themselves time since secured rooms discourage shooters.

AUPD advised students to look around for potential hiding spots in the event of an emergency. (photo by CM Wahl)

Fight

If there is no escape and a dangerous person is about to enter the area, it may be time to fight. Smith said that going up against somebody with a gun when you don’t have one are bad odds. He does not encourage people to fight if the odds are against them, but rather, only if they have no other choice.

“This is a fight, literally to the death,” he said. “This is where there are no rules, no holds barred. It is using improvised weapons… even a pen where you can use it as a stabbing weapon.”

Smith said other items can be used as striking weapons, such as a stapler or fire extinguisher, which can also be used to spray the gunman. He said there is strength in numbers and if other people are around, it can be beneficial to take action as a group, even if unplanned.

“A hasty plan well-executed,” he said, “is much better than a perfect plan that’s poorly executed.”

Smith said the active shooter will be expecting people to be scared and not fight back. Bringing the fight to them will interrupt their psychological process and will “literally give you a fighting chance.”

Police response

If an event of this type ever occurs, once campus police are aware, they will send out a Jag Alert to the AU community saying something similar to: “Active shooter reported on Summerville campus. Run, hide, fight.”

Keeping contact details current is vital to continue receiving updates. Smith stated that since these are “fast-moving, short duration events,” police will be jumping into action without waiting for SWAT.

“This is an immediate response,” he said. “First officer on the scene is going to go from their patrol car to the sounds of the shooting.”

Multiple law enforcement agencies will be on campus in response to violent campus emergencies. (photo by CM Wahl)

AU police have undergone the Texas State University’s Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT), whose mission is “to provide the best research-based active shooter response training in the nation,” according to the ALERRT.org website. Other agencies, such as the local sheriff’s department, Board of Education police and Georgia State Patrol completed the same training and will likely respond as well.

The goal of law enforcement is two-fold: first, to seek out and eliminate the threat, and second, to stop the bleeding.

“Be aware that weapons are going to be out and pointed,” advised Smith, “and all of AUPD, we are – each one of our officers – issued a patrol rifle. So, you’re going to see us in ways that you don’t normally see us… Be prepared for that.”

For the next article in this series, see “Prepared to see: Where the pathway of violence can lead.”

Contact CM Wahl at cwahl@augusta.edu.