New "Active Shooter" Alert coming to Kirtland Air Force Base

  • Published
  • By Amy Pearson
  • 377th Anti Terrorism Office
Kirtland Air Force Base, NM --  

In the next few weeks, the installation will implement a new mass-alerting message designed to notify Kirtland Air Force Base residents and employees in the event of an "Active Shooter" situation. An active shooter is an individual, or individuals, who are engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.

In most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.

Recent cases, including the Virginia Tech and Fort Hood incidents, have proven active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly.

Typically, immediate notification of people in the affected area, coupled with the rapid deployment of law enforcement, is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims.

The new Active Shooter alerting message, which will be broadcast over the installation's mass notification system, better known as "Giant Voice," will inform the public of the situation by using the phrase "Lockdown, Lockdown, Lockdown. We have an active shooter. The last known threat area is (affected area)."

Because active shooter situations are often over within 15 minutes, before law enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation.

Following the initiation of the Active Shooter alerting message, only if it is safe to do so, all facilities will secure exterior doors to preclude the Active Shooter from entering the.

If you're traveling on base, in an area other than in the immediate area of the affected facility, move to a safe area and seek shelter.

If you're in an area directly outside the affected facility, seek the nearest cover and stay there until instructed to move to a safer location.

If you're in a facility next to the Active Shooter, lock exterior doors to the facility if it can be safely done, remain inside until instructed to evacuate by the Giant Voice or other credible sources (such as Security Forces or Fire Emergency staff), vacate hallways and other common areas, stay away from windows and seek shelter in an office or room with a lockable door.

If an Active Shooter enters a unit facility, individuals there should take the following actions:

Notification of occupants
If possible, notify all occupants that there is an active shooter in the facility and to evacuate or seek shelter in a locked office.

Call the authorities
Call 911; notify the dispatcher of the building number where the active shooter(s) are, as well as the number, locations, physical description and types of weapons used by the active shooter(s), if known. Additionally, if possible, give an approximate number of victims.

If you cannot speak, leave the line off the hook and allow the dispatcher to listen (the dispatcher can easily determine where the call is coming from if the call is placed on an office phone/ landline. Cell phone tracking will take much more time).

Evacuate to safety
If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to leave the facility. Have an escape route and plan in mind. Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow. Leave belongings behind and help others escape.

Once out of danger, prevent others from entering an area where the active shooter may be.

When law enforcement arrives, keep your hands visible and follow the instructions of police officers. Don't attempt to move wounded people.

Find a place to hide
If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the shooter is less likely to find you.

The hiding place should be out of the shooter's view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction. An office with a locking door makes an excellent hiding spot. If the door does not lock, block the door with heavy furniture.

If the shooter is nearby, silence your cell phone and/or pager, turn off sources of noise, such as radios and televisions, hide behind large items, such as cabinets and desks and remain quiet.

Disrupt if necessary
As a last resort, when an individual has been discovered by the shooter, and when that person's life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the shooter.

If this is necessary, act as aggressively as possible by yelling and using whatever weapons can be fashioned from immediate surroundings, such as chairs and keyboards.

Fully commit to the actions until the shooter has been completely incapacitated, and ensure the shooter is disarmed.

Follow law enforcement rules
Law enforcement's purpose is to stop the shooter as soon as possible. Officers will go directly to the area in which the last shots were heard.

Officers may shout commands, push individuals to the ground, and/or use flash-bangs, tear gas or pepper spray to control the situation as they enter the area.

Despite the shock that facility occupants may experience during a dynamic law enforcement entry, they should follow certain rules.

Upon arrival of law enforcement, facility occupants should remain calm, put down any items they are carrying, such as bags and jackets, immediately raise hands and spread fingers, keeping hands visible, and avoid pointing and shouting.

Avoid making quick movements toward officers, such as attempting to hold on to them for safety, and follow all directions given by officers.

Don't stop to ask officers for help or direction when evacuating - just go in the direction from which officers have entered when told to do so.

This new alerting message should not be confused with similar alerting messages, such as "Shelter in Place." Although similar in verbiage and nature, they involve very different actions.

Shelter in Place is initiated because of an intentional or inadvertent toxic industrial chemical or materials release or spill outside an organization's facilities.

During a Shelter in Place scenario, unlike an Active Shooter incident, facility occupants are directed to stay inside their facilities, shut down air handlers supplying external air into their facilities, assemble in mass at a lone shelter location to protect themselves from exposure to externally released chemicals or materials and await termination of the incident or further protective guidance.

For more information and tips on Active Shooter incidents, call the Installation Antiterrorism Office at 853-1206.