School safety, security, and violence prevention resource

Here we go.  The quintessential question: What can a teacher do when an intruder (I know.  The Shooter very well could be one of your own students, so, technically, we are not talking intruder) suddenly appears wielding one or more automatic long guns?  As emotionally wrenching as this is to even hypothesize, let’s add one more logical action:  As he screams hate-filled epithets, he rakes part of the classroom with automatic fire, killing some and severely wounding others.

 

Realistically, it is not for me to say.  In any situation where a person is confronted with a critical incident (a situation where a citizen or law enforcement officer is faced with his or her own (serious) injury or death and/or the injury or death of others on the scene, especially when he or she is responsible for the safety of those under her/his “command”), he/she will have milliseconds to assess the threat, formulate a strategy and initiate some sort of action.  What, if any action he/she takes is a personal decision requiring resolve, absolute commitment, and, more likely than not, a predetermined survival strategy put quickly into action.  But, as always, I have a caveat.  Under the current educational system’s politically-correct posture toward managing school violence where teachers are strongly discouraged from even touching a disruptive student, it is highly unlikely a teacher could be expected to harbor a predetermined survival plan against this type of rare, high-profile terrorist attack.

 

That being said, I do advocate a few simple Counter-Shooter Strategies that might work in the scenario I outlined above.  These are far from fool proof, but I assure you this:  My tactics would be far more effective than the current rule of thumb, which is what I call the Predator-Prey Principle (The PPP).  In the PPP, the victims celebrate the role of Prey by mimicking exactly what one would expect of Prey: 

·         The Ideal Prey will stop breathing and will freeze in place (“deer in the headlights”) when faced with lethal danger.

·         Prey will rarely charge a predator.  They will more likely than not huddle together, try to hide from the inescapable, and, if they run, it will be blindly.

·         Prey will be unable to think, speak, coordinate their actions, hear, see properly when their brains and their Autonomic Nervous Systems (ANS) transition from their normal state of mind (Parasympathetic Nervous System/PNS) to the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS/Survival Stress), which becomes dominant when stress hormones (cortisol, et al) flood their bodies as their heart rates spike from their normal resting HR to over 220 BPM during a critical incident.

·         Prey will not be able to hear and/or competently respond to verbal directions from the teacher(s), security and/or police because of all the above factors.

 

THE HAMMER PLAN:  REVERSING THE ROLES OF PREDATOR PREY.

 

Another caveat before we get into my plan of action:  Little or none of this will work unless it becomes a Plan Of Action.  A Plan of Action that includes at least a few hours of training along with some Stress Inoculation Drills (I will discuss this in a future blog, but, basically, we are talking about dynamic and realistic simulations that inoculate everyone against the (Survival) Stress they will face during any kind of lethal or critical incident).

1.       Breathe Don’t Freeze!  As simple and as obvious as this sounds, Tactical or Cycle Breathing can calm one down and get one’s heart rate back into the Optimum Combat Heart rate (115 to 145 BPM).  With the HR un the optimum zone, teachers, students, and security will be able to communicate any pre-existing survival plan quickly and effectively.

2.       Totally Reverse the Predator-Prey Principle.  The School Shootist comes pre-packaged to kill.  He/she has thought long and hard about this day and will not be easily foiled. But he must be foiled though because as the shooting scenario moves inexorably along and he sees through rage-tinted eyes more and more students running blindly, hiding ineffectively and freezing in place, his confidence expands geometrically.  With his confidence growing, his rage escalates and he will kill and continue killing until either he (more likely at his own hand after his rage ebbs and his guilt and remorse begins to peek through the morass of his mind) or his ammunition expires.  Therefore, the PPP Roles must be reversed quickly before the shooter is allowed to become the Predator and the teacher/student accepts his/her role as the Prey.

·         Charge the Shooter.  Counter intuitive strategies have always worked for me.  Charging the terrorist fractures the shooter’s thought process, separates his mental program from his physical actions.  Change his channel from the War Channel to the Run Away Channel. 

·         Recognize Logical Escape Routes.  Think selfishly.  If you can save another student and drag or escort him/her with you, fine; but, if you know a (relatively) safe way to get out of Dodge, do it.  Once you are gone, seek help, help security and law enforcement better respond with crucial information.  Remember this, though, determine whether turning your back and running is the safest option.  Taking your eyes off of the shooter and especially turning your back on his triggers the Predator-Prey Principle in the shooter.  If you can exit safely, go, but sidle away diagonally, keeping your eyes on the shootist when possible.

you can escape, until help arrives, or until you can attack him (I teach how to disarm a hostage taker in my training programs).

·         Destroy the Environment:  In the Shootist’s fantasies, when the idea of mass murder first germinated in his mind, the shooting would be sudden, spontaneous, and successful and he would walk through the classroom and calmly shoot every kid who ever bullied or belittled him over the years, making sure that each and every one died knowing who was killing him and wishing that they had treated him as the predator he really was.  Before he can take a second step into the room – even after he shoots one or two of you – throw books, televisions, chairs, desks, bottles, backpacks at him, slow his way, hit him.  Once again, fracture his thought process and Change His Channels!

·         Communicate:  When I was teaching officers building search skills I always advocated communicating with your fellow officers and even the subject for whom you were searching (unless, of course, you did not want to let the Bad Guy know where you were, etc).  Why?  When you are anxious or under survival stress, failure to communicate with others feeds the fear.  By talking to others you can vent the fear and develop confidence as a fighter and as part of a unit.

 

By Hammer

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

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Posted on June 2nd, 2008 by Harry A Widger
Filed under: Administrators, Building safety, College, High School, K-6, Parents, People Involved, School Grade Level, School Safety Issues, Security, Shootings, Students, Violence