Five things you can do right now to boost safety for you and others
Yet again we wake up to horrible news of another shooting with multiple casualties. More families broken. More lives cut short. There are many aspects both to this specific incident and this category of violence. In this post, I am focusing on a few things that everyone can do to increase safety. It doesn't matter what views you have about gun laws or mental health or anything else. These are universal precautions.
- Every time you start a meeting, point out the exits. If there was an emergency right now, do you know where to go? What if that route is blocked by an armed shooter or fire? Knowing how to get out helped save lives in Pittsburgh last month and in countless other emergencies. Whether you are giving a speech, kicking off any kind of meeting, or hosting a party, just point out the exits at the start -- the same way you probably point out bathrooms and refreshments.
- Review and revise evacuation plans. If you manage a building, when was the last time that you actually walked your designated evacuation routes? When you check into a hotel room, do you look at the emergency exit map on the back of your door? Survivors of the Parkland High School shooting in Florida told me that their school's plans had not accounted for an evacuation when people needed to escape and get away from the area. When I worked at the University of California, we learned that we needed to designate primary and secondary evacuation sites. There are many reasons why a primary site may be inaccessible or unsafe, so plan ahead. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has an online evacuation planning tool that can help.
- Learn how to control bleeding and other essential first-aid. Knowing how to quickly "stop the bleed" saved lives in Pittsburgh and last year in Las Vegas and in many other emergencies. Consider purchasing Stop the Bleed Kits and encourage people to attend a short "Stop the Bleed" class. Many organizations, including police departments, have adopted Stop the Bleed training, and the results are already showing. The American Red Cross offers both in-person and online first aid training, as do many other organizations.
- Know your community's mental health resources and do what you can to reduce any stigma associated with seeking counseling. Find out what local mental health experts can do for you and the people around you. What are their recommendations about how to connect people with these services? What can they do to help people deal with anxiety, fear or other concerns about safety and violence? What should people do if they think they know someone at risk for suicide or other violence? If you are a business and you have an Employee Assistance Program, find out what resources your EAP vendor has - and share them with your employees. Stop Stigma Sacramento and NYC Well are examples of community-wide programs working towards these goals.
- Get to know your local law enforcement officers and other first responders. Heroes are on-duty around the clock ready to run towards danger to keep us safe. The split-second decisions these people must make are even more critical in active shooter situations. If you know your local first responders, you and they will be safer in a real emergency. Many police departments are happy to have officers speak to groups about how they respond to reports of active shooters or other emergencies.
Right now, assess your readiness from two perspectives:
- Location: Every building, every office, every business, every school, every organization and every home should have emergency plans. These FEMA resources are a good starting point.
- Person: Every individual, every group, and every family should have their own emergency plans that account for emergency communications, evacuation, shelter and family communication. FEMA checklists help put these simple personal plans together, including accounting for any special needs.
Once you have a plan, make sure people know about it. For information about how to communicate emergency information, please check out my book, The Communications Golden Hour: The Essential Guide to Public Information When Every Minute Counts.