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Active Aggressor Training

RUN, HIDE, FIGHT and HELP

Preparation and practice are key to surviving an active aggressor situation. To help our campus community prepare for the unlikely possibility of such an attack, the Department of Public Safety has provided a 5-minute presentation. The video below is a dramatization of an active shooter situation on the University of Utah campus and provides training on how to react in such a crisis. While the video dramatizes a shooter situation, similar actions can be applied to most active aggressor situations (e.g. a violent or aggressive person with or without a weapon, or with a weapon other than a gun).

Some may find the content disturbing. We recommend watching this video with another person or with a group to facilitate discussion and connections to resources.

ASSESS OPTIONS & TAKE ACTION

RUN

The second you think you hear gunshots, run. Look for the nearest exit and run away from the gun sounds. Help others and get out. When you’re clear of the building and in a safe place, call 911 and provide as much detail as possible.

HIDE

If you can’t run, hide. Block the door. Slowing down the shooter could save your life. Don’t bunch together. If someone’s been shot, stop the bleeding. Turn off the lights & silence your cellphones. Text the police at 911.

FIGHT

When you have no options left, fight. Fight dirty—throw stuff as hard as you can. Tackle the shooter high and low.
Subdue the gun.
Gouge the eyes.
Make a plan and work together.

HELP

When you are safe, help others around you.
This may be as a bystander responder, helping to stop the bleed
or helping others get to safety.

NEW 3-STEP PREPARATION PROGRAM

The University has developed a new 3-step program for active aggressor training and exercises since July 2021. See the announcement here.

Request an Active Aggressor Training

PLAN

Emergency management and police personnel will meet with key stakeholders from your department to discuss a schedule for the new 3-step process. Included in this step is a building walkthrough and 3D image capture of your building / office space. Emergency Management personnel also help your department develop or refresh an Emergency Response Team and Emergency Response Plan.

TRAIN

Emergency management and police personnel will provide a lecture-based training which includes watching the Run, Hide, Fight video
and answering questions about the uniqueness of your office space.

EXERCISE

Personnel from the Department of Public Safety (including police, security, dispatch and emergency management) will conduct a full-scale exercise for your building / department occupants. All participants will practice what they learned through the planning and training steps, including a simulated Run, Hide, Fight reaction with police eliminating the bad-actor threat. This exercise involves "simunitions" where occupants will hear weapons firing blanks. Extensive precautions are taken during this portion of the exercise to ensure everyone's safety.