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An article in today's Baltimore Sun makes some good points about a business' responsibility to its employees regarding training for responses that support survival during an active shooter event.

Excaliber wrote:An article in today's Baltimore Sun makes some good points about a business' responsibility to its employees regarding training for responses that support survival during an active shooter event.

In your experience, what percentage of businesses agree with the information enough to take action regarding it?

Does scheduling this kind of training open a business up to a greater potential for a lawsuit? Ignoring threats seems to attract less scrutiny than addressing them and having someone, after the fact, decide that the preparations were inadequate if the threat does occur.

chasfm11 wrote:

Excaliber wrote:An article in today's Baltimore Sun makes some good points about a business' responsibility to its employees regarding training for responses that support survival during an active shooter event.

In your experience, what percentage of businesses agree with the information enough to take action regarding it?

Does scheduling this kind of training open a business up to a greater potential for a lawsuit? Ignoring threats seems to attract less scrutiny than addressing them and having someone, after the fact, decide that the preparations were inadequate if the threat does occur.

A few years ago most businesses didn't want to even think about it. The ostrich was their idol.

The problem is getting harder to ignore, and they're hearing more from their employees who know that having no plan or one that's been proven not to work isn't going to keep them safe and it's having an effect on morale.

I'm seeing more willingness to look at the issue today than I have ever seen in the past.

I'm not an attorney, but it seems to me that making an effort to mitigate the risk, particularly if it's done with guidance and training from true experts in the field, is defensible and a much better protection in a liability suit than doing nothing at all about a widely recognized risk.

I would like to see this as yearly training for educators with the scenario changing every year.

Why not tell the employees to shut their doors and hide behind a desk? After all, it's good enough for their kids at school.
(Sarcasm - if it isn't obvious to someone)

jmra wrote:Why not tell the employees to shut their doors and hide behind a desk? After all, it's good enough for their kids at school.
(Sarcasm - if it isn't obvious to someone)

When I do active shooter response training, I ask the attendees what their procedures tell them to do, and other things they've heard are good tactics. Then I have them execute them one by one with a "bad guy" shooting them with water guns or throwing ping pong balls at exposed parts if he can. I then ask them how that worked out for them.

There are a lot of red faces. It creates a good foundation for some productive conversations.

jmra wrote:Why not tell the employees to shut their doors and hide behind a desk? After all, it's good enough for their kids at school.
(Sarcasm - if it isn't obvious to someone)

You have a stapler and pencils. What else could you need to protect yourself and our children?

mojo84 wrote:

jmra wrote:Why not tell the employees to shut their doors and hide behind a desk? After all, it's good enough for their kids at school.
(Sarcasm - if it isn't obvious to someone)

You have a stapler and pencils. What else could you need to protect yourself and our children?

A small crossbow that would launch the pencil with some accuracy would be nice.

mojo84 wrote:You have a stapler and pencils. What else could you need to protect yourself and our children?

How right you are mojo84. People don't realize the potential for making deadly WMDs from the ordinary office supplies which abound in your typical office setting. But never fear liberals, the free market has once again come to your rescue and provided even the most timid of souls with tools necessary to defend themselves against the most aggressive of postal employees all underneath their very noses. http://www.officeguns.com/ can provide you with the knowledge to assemble your office sundries into formidable self defense weapons. But don't take my word for it. listen to those who have been given the courage to face life again by mastering their pencils, rubber bands, and maulys.

"O Lord, bless this thy TEC Maul, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."
- Maynard, Birkenhead, England

"I used to be fat and without friends at the office. In meetings, I was afraid to come forward with my opinions. Then a friend told me about OfficeGuns. Now when I sit in meetings and disagree, I just shoot the bastard. I've lost weight thanks to higher confidence and now Brady is the fat friendless one. Thank you OfficeGuns"
- Mike, Douglas, Georgia, USA

As always, check your state and local laws before building office WMDs.