Active threat response: Building a resilient community

Within the USA, seldom does a 24-hour news cycle pass without reports of an active threat scenario. Over time, these acts of violence have become more simplistic and rudimentary. No longer are firearms necessarily the weapon of choice: a knife or a vehicle can be used with devastating results. As today’s threats evolve beyond shooters, how should one prepare for them? Is the best advice still to run, hide, fight? This paper examines the evolution of the threats from active assailants and how when carrying out attacks, simple is sometimes better. The paper will also look at the standard approach taken to train civilians to respond to an active shooter and how that training needs to adapt to the current threat environment. Situational awareness is addressed to increase consciousness and decrease mortality associated with these events, and recommendations are offered for training programmes. The paper also describes the approach taken by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service in protecting stakeholders and visitors to over 9,000 government facilities. The procedures and processes outlined in this paper can be utilised to optimise training efforts by law enforcement agencies and emergency managers.