Active Shooter Lessons Learned

Before founding Bryghtpath, I spent about six years building and leading Target’s global security operations centers and its crisis management team. In that role I led our response to about seven active shooter incidents, along with several homicides involving our team members and guests. Those incidents showed me the devastating impact of an active shooter event. They also showed me the value of proactive preparedness.

Today, I want to talk about a subject that weighs heavily on everyone’s mind, even if we try to avoid dwelling on it – active shooter lessons learned.

I firmly believe that by openly examining the missteps and insights gleaned from past tragedies, we can better equip ourselves to react swiftly and decisively, potentially minimizing harm in the future. Our collective goal must be to foster safer environments through proactive measures and effective response strategies. Here is what the after-action reports keep telling us.

Dissecting Disaster: Unearthing Active Shooter Lessons Learned

After-action reports, as sobering as they can be, offer invaluable insight into the operational successes and failures during mass casualty events. Several recurring themes emerge through their analysis, providing a roadmap for organizations like yours to enhance their security posture and response mechanisms.

The Justice Department’s Critical Incident Review of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, published in January 2024, is a hard read. It devotes whole chapters to leadership, incident command, and coordination, and to public communications during and after the crisis. Those same themes show up in review after review. I talked about why we keep relearning them in Episode 163 of the Managing Uncertainty Podcast, “Make Original Mistakes.”

By examining these recurring areas of improvement, organizations can start to plug the gaps in their current strategies. They can then strengthen their defenses against the possibility of future incidents.

Communication Breakdowns and the Importance of Clarity

Perhaps the most significant takeaway from active shooter lessons is the importance of clear, concise, and timely communication. A breakdown in communication flow between responding agencies or within the organization can be disastrous.

These breakdowns lead to confusion and delays and ultimately can cost lives. It’s not enough to have a communication system in place; everyone involved in a potential active shooter situation must understand the protocols. Individuals also need to be able to use the system efficiently under extreme duress.

This involves routine drills, clearly established communication channels, designated mass notification systems, and cross-agency training exercises.

Incident Command: Orchestrating a Coordinated Response

In the chaos of an active shooter event, having a well-defined Incident Command Structure (ICS) is paramount. A robust and rehearsed ICS, with clearly delineated roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority, ensures a coordinated and unified response.

All responders, from first responders to internal security personnel, must understand their place within the structure. Regularly practicing the ICS, not just reserving it for large-scale incidents, ingrains the procedures, promoting instinctive, life-saving actions in a crisis.

Your corporate crisis management team needs the same clarity. Law enforcement runs the scene. Your team runs everything else: accounting for people, reunifying families, supporting employees, and communicating with them, the media, and your executives. Decide in advance who does what.

Beyond Physical Barriers: Training for the Unthinkable

While fortifying buildings with enhanced security features can deter or delay a potential attack, active shooter lessons learned reveal that robust training is an even more vital line of defense. Remembering that we’re talking about far more than just basic security awareness training here is crucial.

We need to invest in scenario-based exercises, from tabletops for leaders to full-scale exercises with responders. These exercises expose staff and first responders to an active shooter event’s intense stress and disorientation.

This training can equip them with the decision-making abilities and tactical expertise needed to respond quickly and effectively, hopefully mitigating casualties.

One caution. Don’t traumatize people to make a point. Simulated gunfire, screams, and airsoft rounds have no place in an employee drill. Keep the tactical scenarios for volunteers and responders, and teach everyone else run, hide, fight. For a corporate example, see how we built an executive active shooter exercise for a major utility company.

Addressing the Invisible Scars: Prioritizing Mental Health

Active shooter events inflict deep psychological wounds on survivors, witnesses, and responders alike. Sadly, in the past, the crucial aspect of mental health often took a backseat in the aftermath of these tragic situations.

Thankfully, we now better grasp the importance of having readily available, long-term psychological support resources for all impacted by these traumatic occurrences. This is a direct result of actively seeking to understand active shooter lessons learned. Recognizing and tending to the emotional well-being of those involved, including first responders who witness harrowing scenes, is crucial for long-term recovery.

That includes your crisis leaders. After the first homicide I managed at that scale, I called a predecessor and asked, “Can I talk to you about how I feel for a minute?” Crisis leaders need someone to talk to, too.

Policy is Not Static: Adapting and Evolving in a Fluid Threat Landscape

Policies and protocols provide a framework for action during an emergency. They need to be living documents that adapt alongside evolving best practices. For any organization, particularly those in high-risk areas or with public-facing operations, having a well-defined and communicated active shooter policy is not optional; it’s crucial.

This policy should include established procedures for lockdown protocols, evacuation routes, and communication strategies for interacting with both staff and law enforcement. Policies, however, lose their value if they are not consistently reviewed and updated. This review process should involve alignment with lessons learned from previous events and emerging security threats.

Prevention belongs in the same conversation. There is almost always leakage before an attack: behavior that worried someone. A workplace violence prevention program with a single place to report concerns and a trained threat management team is how you act on it.

Regular drills and exercises will ensure staff familiarity and operational readiness should a crisis arise.

Conclusion

Learning from tragedy is never easy, but it’s vital. By fully examining active shooter lessons learned, and constantly seeking out information about new security techniques and training protocols, we commit to building more secure environments.

I want to reiterate that our proactive response strategies and collaborative efforts play a huge part in hopefully preventing future tragedies. We don’t have the luxury of becoming complacent. We have a duty to champion proactive security measures, continuously improve emergency response protocols, and foster a culture of preparedness.

Keep Going

A few ways to go deeper if this was useful.

• Read more. Resilience, crisis management, and continuity writing at Bryghtpath Insights, or the structured Ultimate Guide to Crisis Management.
• Run an active assailant exercise. Exercise in a Day® builds a full custom tabletop in one business day, and Exercise in a Box® gives your leaders 15 scenarios they can run themselves.
• Measure your program. Our ASIS Workplace Violence and Active Assailant Maturity Model scores your program against the ASIS standard, and our Resiliency Diagnosis® produces a maturity score and a prioritized roadmap.
• Talk to us. Set up a call to think through your active shooter preparedness with us.