SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — An active shooting situation can be unpredictable and escalate fast. Knowing what to do could save your life.
The ‘Run, Hide, Fight’ protocol is endorsed by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Its name is the same as its instructions: run, hide and or fight when it comes to an active shooter situation.
“If you’re in a situation like that, that’s kind of the order of things you want to try to do. Run if you’re able to get yourself out of that area. Then you know you’re going to be in a safe place,” Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department said.
If you’re unable to run to safety, law enforcement says your next best option is to hide and wait for authorities. Silence cell phones and stay as quiet as possible.
“Make sure you can get in a place where you think you can secure it and stay out of the line of sight and barricade those doors, if you can, with any objects that you feel is feasible,” Captain Josh Phillips with the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office said. “Then when time permits, whether it’s a text or let somebody know your location quietly without giving up your concealment.”
Lastly, easier said than done, fighting back should be your last resort. Authorities recognize the difficulty that may come with the step, but say it’s a good idea to be prepared.
“When you’re put in those situations, some of them are life or death. So, I would personally use every possible means of me getting out of there safely or getting others out along with myself out of it that I could,” Phillips said. “Unless you’re in that situation, I think it’s difficult to tell people. But using those principles to give them a little extra time to get out of those situations is the best.”
After law enforcement stop the threat or shooting, they’ll search the scene for anyone still hiding or possibly hurt.
“They’re going to be explaining stuff and they’re going to be going through it slowly, room by room, different parts of the building,” Clemens said. “It’ll take time, but if you’re hiding, we would recommend people stay hiding until law enforcement get there.”
