Commercial Integrator + Security Sales May 2024 - 66

SSI WORKPLACE VIOLENCE: ACTIVE SHOOTER MITIGATION
SURVIVING THE
FIRST FIVE
MINUTES
Rethinking the dilemma of workplace
violence mitigation amid increasing
numbers of active shooter emergencies.
By Paul Boucherle, CPP CSC
HAVE YOU EVER been shot at with a
fi rearm?
Did it happen outside or in a confi ned
space, such as a building?
If it happened inside four walls, the
experience is not one you will soon forget.
The noise, confusion, denial, panic
and slow reaction time shared by victims
of active shooters can diminish your
chances of survival. And survival is your
prime motivation.
You may not realize it, but, during an
active shooter event, both law enforcement
and students/employees remain
at risk during an evacuation when the
shooter has not yet been clearly identifi
ed. Marking or disabling an active
shooter helps police keep everyone safer.
As security solution providers, we
generally don't off er a way for an innocent
person - under threat of clear and
present danger - to defend themselves
against an attack in the fi rst fi ve minutes.
We generally focus on detect, deter,
delay and document criminal events. Is
it time to consider new approaches to
changing trends?
Active shooter trends have changed
over the last 25 years. In the past, many
perpetrators would surrender to police.
That is not the case today. Today, shooters
have one objective: a high body count.
That reality shiſt s our focus to survival
and non-lethal tools that may be available
to protect the innocent and the untrained.
The saying that " The only way to stop
a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy
with a gun " is true in most cases. Most
oſt en, those would be law-enforcement
personnel. For everyone else, buying
time for fi rst responders may be
accomplished by less-than-lethal (LTL)
solutions. Let's look at a few.
LTL solutions include the following:
Taser guns: These deliver an electrical
charge to disrupt the central nervous system.
They're legal but regulated by local/
state laws. They require hands-on training;
they're economical; and they typically
provide one or two shots before reloading,
which takes some time. You must be an
accurate shot, and a taser may not work as
eff ectively through heavy clothing. They
have a typical range of about 15 to 25 feet
and allow engagement of a threat from a
safer distance. Key questions include the
following: Who is authorized to use them?
Where are they safely stored? Would they be
66 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | May 2024
readily available during an attack? They also
require charging.
Stun guns: These have a similar profi le
as taser guns but with this key exception:
You must be within arm's length of the
attacker, which dramatically increases
your chance of injury or death. While
both tasers and stun guns are characterized
as " non-lethal, " if the attacker
has medical conditions, the use of these
weapons can result in a fatality.
Pepper spray: This is a popular personal
defense tool. It has six to eight feet
of range; it's easy to use without training;
it's economical; and it's portable. Spray is
subject to airfl ow and wind direction, and
it's also harder to clean up if used in doors.
In addition, it may impact those with
breathing challenges, such as asthma. The
impact of a direct facial shot is disrupted
vision and painful breathing. This can buy
innocent people time to retreat.
Military gel: This is a much stronger
version. It shoots in a visible stream
(think of Silly String), makes better
contact, has a range of 20 to 25 feet, has
a capacity of 15 to 25 short burst shots,
requires virtually no training, is in a
larger hand container (think something
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