Active Shooter/Violent Intruder
If facing an active shooter/violent intruder situation, use the below recommendations to guide your response decisions.
RUN – when an active shooter/violent intruder is nearby
- Immediately evacuate, if there is a safe escape path
- Evacuate whether others agree to or not
- Leave your belongings behind
- Prevent others from entering the area
- When you are safe, call MIT Police (x100 or 617-253-1212) to report the attacker
HIDE – if you are not in immediate danger or evacuation is not possible, find a safe place to hide
- Lock and/or barricade the door(s)
- Turn off lights and lower window shades
- Silence your cell phone and other electronics
- Hide behind large, thick objects
- Remain silent
Your hiding place should:
- Be out of the intruder’s view
- Provide protection from gun shots or weapons
- Not trap or restrict your options for movement
FIGHT – as a last resort and only if your life is in immediate danger
- Attempt to incapacitate the attacker
- Act with physical aggression
- Use improvised weapons
- Work together with others
- Commit to your actions
- Don’t pick up the weapon
Information You Should Provide to the Emergency Operator
- Your precise location
- Location of the attacker
- Number of attackers, if more than one
- Physical description of attacker(s)
- Number and type of weapons held by the attacker(s)
How to React When Law Enforcement Arrives
- Remain calm, and follow officers’ instructions
- Raise hands and spread fingers
- Keep hands visible at all times
- Avoid making quick movements toward officers
- Do not stop to ask officers for help
Preparedness
You can take measures that increase your chance of survival and could possibly prevent an attack.
Recognizing and Reporting Unusual/Threatening/Violent Behavior
Although there is no exact profile of an active shooter/violent intruder, there may be some “warning signs” or “indicators” exhibited before they act. These can range from unusual behaviors all the way to violent acts. Taken separately, these behaviors may be minor, but an accumulation of multiple indicators could be cause for concern. If you know of someone exhibiting the below behaviors, report them to any MIT official (MIT Police, Dean on Call, Mental Health, etc.) so they can be reviewed appropriately:
- Paranoid or delusional statements
- Sudden changes in personality or performance
- Depression/suicidal ideation
- Increased isolation
- Interest in or acquisition of weapons.
- Stalking
- Threats/acts of aggression/violence
Active Shooter/Violent Intruder Training
In conjunction with MIT Police, MIT Emergency Management conducts two progressive phases of Active Shooter/Violent Intruder training for our community. The first phase is an in-class training that reviews possible signs of of potential attackers, shows the Ohio State “Surviving an Active Shooter” video, and teaches the Run, Hide, Fight methodology. The second phase is a walkthrough of your area to provide specific suggestions on how to best improve and/or utilize the space. Visit this page, or email em-staff@mit.edu, to learn more.