Safety and Security Mindset

The last few weeks have seen an alarming increase in shootings. First a lone gunman at a mall in Omaha opened fire killing eight people. Then a week later, another gunman opens fire at a church killing two before being killed himself by a guard at the church. Here in Ohio we had a gunman in Columbus shoot someone at a mall in Columbus. What can we learn from these incidents other than man’s seemingly unlimited capacity to commit violence? The one lesson we can take away from all of these incidents (as well as other incidents occurring throughout the country) is the need to be prepared. Despite the coverage of these incidents on the national media, there are many still going about their daily routines as though this could never happen to them. People will leave their park their cars and begin walking to the store without any awareness about the potential threats surrounding them. The other week a man was robbed at the local Wal-Mart in the parking lot. The robbery was in broad daylight which can only mean the victim wasn’t paying attention or had dismissed the parking lot as a dangerous area.

People don’t want to think about the how dangerous an ordinary trip to the mall can become. These people may have worked out an extensive plan for surviving a disaster at their home but fail to apply the same security mindset when it comes to the mundane act of shopping. Every part of the trip needs to be considered from a safety and security perspective. Anything from breaking down in your vehicle to being faced with a shooter or bomb in the mall needs to be planned for. It is still rare to actually be faced with as being shot at by a rogue gunman or being trapped in a building where a bomb has just exploded. Yet these scenarios are becoming situations that can face you or one of your family members regardless of the locale. We assume that the owners of the mall or building will provide the necessary security and safety measures to prevent such things from happening. However, in both the mall shooting in Omaha and church in Colorado “gun free zones” had been established which in theory meant these should have been the last places to experience shootings. In addition to being gun-free zones, both the church and mall had security personnel on station and certainly the mall had surveillance cameras monitoring the common areas and parking lots. Despite all of these precautions, the owners were ultimately unable to prevent violence from occurring.

Both the Colorado and Nebraska shootings should serve as a reminder of how quickly you may be confronted with a life and death situation. There is no time to develop a plan once a gunman starts shooting into a crowd. You have to have a mindset which assumes danger could happen at a moments notice. You need to be aware of your surroundings to both determine potential threats as well as to locate areas that may provide protection in the event of an attack. Some may feel this is being paranoid but it is actually no different then assuming a defensive mindset while driving. Each vehicle presents a potential danger and you are constantly updating options for dealing with each new circumstance. The same can be done as you walk around a store, mall or other public gathering place. Take note of any unusual or suspicious activity. Don’t be quick to dismiss as someone else’s responsibility to deal with an unattended package. We live in a time when making generalizations about people and there behavior is off-limits as we may offend. Regardless, this doesn’t mean that you should ignore feelings about some character you’ve encountered, if they make you feel uneasy there is a reason. You may be subconsciously detecting their anxiety or hostility. Such feelings may be the only warning you get before the individual begins shooting or decides to detonate an explosive device. You need to think about how you will deal with a potentially unstable individual should you happen upon them before they have a chance to commit their act of violence. If there is time, notify security or the police. If there isn’t start yelling or throw something at the person, anything at all to disrupt their plans and to get others to notice them.

You need to be ready to assist in the event of an attack providing and aid or comfort that you can. First aid and CPR training may be the only thing keeping someone alive until rescue personnel are able to get to the wounded. Children and elderly may become separated from their family and become confused and disoriented. Try to calm and assure them until authorities are able to restore order and neutralize the threat. In the event of an explosion or some other disaster resulting in structural failure, people may become trapped or pinned under rubble. Simply providing comfort and assurance to those under such circumstances can be incredibly important. Structural failures can also mean being trapped without food or water for an extended period of time. There may be little to no light. You and other victims (who may or may not be wounded) will have to survive until rescue personnel can reach you with only those provisions within reach (which may be hardly anything at all).

Recent events occurred at malls and churches but of course an attack can occur any time and anywhere. We are experiencing our first wintry mix of weather this weekend in Cincinnati but before we know it the temperatures will be warming and people will be going out to festivals and amusement parks. Any public gathering should be considered as a place where violence can strike. We here so much in the news about terrorist organizations that we forget a single sociopath bent on causing harm is just as dangerous and much more common. Our ability to live our lives as we choose should never be compromised by such threats however it is only prudent to plan for the potential of having to deal with the next random shooting or bomb attack.