You can find endless training resources for your employees online. However, some of the best resources available are free and published by major government organizations. Rather than wasting time looking for online active shooter training resources, consider downloading the information presented by these entities.
FBI Office of Partner Engagement’s Active Shooter Training Portal
The FBI provides additional resources on active shooter incidents as well. Built with a flowchart-guided lesson, the FBI Office of Partner Engagement provides training for virtually any organization or entity, including public awareness of active shooter incidents and exercises among law enforcement, businesses and the public.
FBI and DOJ Initiative on Workplace Violence
The absolute resource for information on workplace violence is the joint publication by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI. While the document is long and lacks graphics, it provides a comprehensive overview of workplace violence and how it relates to active shooter incidents.
Readiness and Emergency Management For Schools (REMS) Technical Assistance Center
Depending on the nature of your business, this resource can be a useful tool when you operate an organization that provides services to clients on an ongoing, repetitive basis. For example, the tools and techniques found here can be useful for businesses involving the care or supervision of children and adolescents.
National Association of School Resource Officers
Businesses operating counseling or therapy-based services may benefit from the information gathered by the National Association of School Resource Officers. This guide explains drill approaches, how to plan active shooter exercises, considerations in completing drills while caring for those with intellectual or developmental disability and other best practices. Ultimately, this guide can be adapted to meet the demands of mental health workers, rehabilitation facilities and health care centers as well.
Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is probably among the easiest-to-understand resources on active shooter incidents. DHS provides free videos, posters and booklets on responding to an active shooter event. Furthermore, each DHS publication touches on workplace violence warning signs, which are essential to recognizing people who might be at risk of committing an attack. Meanwhile, DHS also offers online workshops and testing materials to ensure comprehension among participants.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – Emergency Management Institute
The FEMA Emergency Management Institute is well-known among health care providers as this organization oversees all emergency preparedness programs and training scenarios used in such facilities. However, the number of possible training programs numbers well into the thousands, so be sure to look for the IS-907 course. This course can easily be adapted for display to large groups of people, including employees and volunteers in your business, and it includes PowerPoint presentations, videos, graphics and online exams to test participants’ proficiency. This resource does require those taking the exam to register for a student ID number, which allows employees and supervisors to access and track students’ scores upon taking the exam.
Start using these free active shooter resources today
You have options when you start thinking about active shooter plans and training, but it helps if you have a few resources at your fingertips. None of these resources require email signups or extensive registration. It’s easy to get started and use these resources to improve active shooter planning at your organization.
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We’ve built, implemented, trained, and managed the active shooter planning and training programs for many Fortune 500 and non-profit organizations. Learn more about our approach to Crisis Management in our Ultimate Guide to Crisis Management.
We’d be happy to talk about your unique challenges and develop some custom solutions that will help your organization prepare for the unthinkable. Contact us for an initial discussion on how we might be able to work together.
Four steps you can take today to improve your personal preparedness