What will be more dangerous than fire in the wrong hands? The time that you lose in making up your mind. Silent partner of tragedy in an active shooter attack is hesitation. Retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army and author of First 30 Seconds: The Active Shooter Problem, Ed Monk reduces the problem to bare statistics: within one-half minute, if a execute is not stopped, the list of victims is nearly always in the double digits. His study reveals that most attackers use intervals of 3-5 seconds in those initial stages during which they open fire. The tenth victim might be already down by the time 30 seconds lapse. Within the third minute, casualties may go well into the twenties, or even thirties. Even in cities where the police coverage is excellent, the mean time of law enforcement response is 4 to 8 minutes, which is enough time to suffer a devastating loss until the arrival of the law enforcers.
This fact reveals the deadly flaw of the use of lockdown exercises or “Run, Hide, Fight” mantra. Lockdowns were devised against foreigners years ago, not against people who have already execute. Dark rooms and closed doors can be traps, which focus the possible victims together. The same weakness is applied in “Run, Hide, Fight”: to put fight on the last place, this documentary sets people to fight only when they have no alternative. That time is what the cybercriminals desire most of all, confusion, loneliness, and the liberty to do as they wish.
the other alternative proposed by Monk is “Fight First”, not as a general formula, but as an understanding that in practically any crowd there are always one or two who are mentally on the alert, physically able, and morally disposed to act. A timely resistance even by one individual will break the rhythm of the shooter and will cut off their shots and save lives. Cases in the real world are very common: Eli Dicken at Greenwood Park Mall, Jack Wilson at West Freeway Church of Christ, Stephen Wille ford in Sutherland Springs, Greg Stevens in Colorado Springs and Pastor David George in White Settlement all did something decisive and fast, and prevented further carnage.
This strategy is in line with simulation-based high-stress environment training, as subjects who practiced fast decision-making during realistic circumstances, enhanced their readiness and changed their moral ideologies regarding risk. Physicians involved in active shooter simulations in hospitals said they developed a better knowledge of personal safety and personal responsibility, which confirmed the importance of the first few seconds of reaction and clarity.
Nonetheless, physical ability is as significant as psychological preparedness. The simulations provided by the USC Viterbi EVOLVE project show that civilians tend to revert to passive behavior such as hiding or freezing because of stress, unknown architecture, or discrepant messages. These instincts can be overcome by training involving exposure to realistic environmental cues and stress factors. It implies that preparation cannot be limited to slogans; it needs to be skilled in providing the capability to see when it is the time to take decisive action.
Prevention is also a factor. According to research conducted by the Violence Project, the majority of shooters during a mass shooting are insiders who are related in some way to their target area and during the planning and preparation phase, they tend to show warning signs. Preventing violence can be achieved by intervening before the attack by using anonymous reporting programs, by promoting favorable relationships within the community, and by making mental health services available to everyone to prevent violence. However, in the event of failure to prevent, the initial 30 seconds is of the ones on the ground.
Most importantly not every training is equally good. Simulated gunfire school drills, which are too realistic, have been demonstrated to raise anxiety and depression up to 40 percent in the months after exposure particularly among people who have undergone previous traumas. Experts suggest the intensive tactical trainings to be conducted on the adults, such as teachers, security personnel, and other able responders, and the student drills should be announced, non-traumatizing and devoid of any hyperrealistic details. This maintains psychological safety and even prepares people who are most likely to act.
To the owners of guns and the civilians who value their security, the lesson is simple, preparedness is both an attitude and an art. It can be by organized training on the handling of firearms, simulated scenarios, or by mental training but the aim is to reduce the time taken to act to at least a few seconds. The harsh evaluation of Monk drills through deceptive comforts: “Waiting for help is not a plan. It is a gamble … and the odds are terrible”. During the thirty seconds, liquidator. Action fast, devoted, and disruptive – may break the menace before it grows.
