Best Practices to Prevent an Active Shooter in Educational Institutions

Prevent an Active Shooter in Educational Institutions

Keeping employees, visitors, and other building occupants safe is a top priority for any educational facility. Because of this, regardless of the likelihood of its occurrence in any particular facility, every educational facility should have a plan for preventing and responding to active shooters. 

If you have not yet developed a plan, here are some best practices for preventing and responding to active shooters. 

Best Practices to Prevent an Active Shooter in Educational Institutions

Background Checks

While it is impossible to perform background checks on visitors, it is important to perform background checks on employees as part of the hiring process. This can help rule out candidates with questionable backgrounds. 

Implement an Awareness Policy

Studies show that most shooters give some indication of their plans before an event. Educate employees on how to look for signs of distress and provide a way to make others aware of that distress. 

Provide Counseling

By providing counseling you provide a way for issues to be defused before escalation. 

Equip Your Campus with Physical Security Solutions

When considering physical security technologies for your Campus, consider the five elements of security; Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay, and Defend. Apply physical security technologies to protect the property starting at the perimeter. Today’s commercial physical security technologies 

Consider technologies including:

  • Access Control to prevent infiltration or isolate a threat
  • CCTV/Video Surveillance to deter violence and monitor activities
  • Intrusion Detection to prevent or detect infiltration attempts
  • Communication Systems to help control access and communicate instructions in an emergency

Provide Emergency Training

Train key personnel on how to respond in an emergency and implement campus-wide emergency response drills. The more often these drills are performed, the more likely you can execute a safe response in an emergency. 

For more information about commercial security solutions for educational institutions, call SSP today! 1-888-540-0175