by Damian Ross
Founder, The Self Defense Company
The City of Houston published this video for civilian reaction to an active shooter. The solution is simple – escape if you can, shelter in place or barricade if you can’t and fight if you must.
The last thing you want to do is freeze.
Mentally preparing for this situation is a good step towards taking action that will save your life. In training we call this “mind-setting”. It’s simply visualizing action in a situation.
Take a look around you. What would you do if someone entered with a gun and started shooting. Where would you go, what would you do?
Some things to think about…
- Throwing desk items, like books, laptops, coffee mugs at the shooter will take him off target and give you a few extra seconds to attack or escape.
- Fire extinguishers are an excellent way to conceal your location and allow you to escape. What do soldiers do in the battlefield when they need to move over ground without cover? THEY POP SMOKE – and you’re going to do the same.
- The fog from the extinguisher can conceal your location making it more difficult for the shooter to target you.
- Class II Fire hoses that are part of a building’s fire suppression system are an excellent means of knocking down an active shooter.
It is a continuously fed, repeating weapon.
However, I must warn you, some of these hoses tend to be neglected because they’re not serviced regularly. In fact, many of the hoses have deteriorated to the point that they can no longer hold a charge. Please make sure these are inspected annually and know how they work. They’re very simple to operate, just grab the nozzle, pull out the hose and turn the valve (left). Point it at the threat and turn on the nozzle.
Finally, if you must, the best place to ambush the shooter is from doorways and vestibules.
This will cut down the distance between you and the shooter and enable you to get close enough to disable him.
Look, there are no guarantees with any of this, and no one is asking you to take any unnecessary risks – escaping to safety and alerting first responders is your number one priority. But when that option is no longer available and your only alternative is to die or fight, these tactics will give you a better chance of surviving.
Train Honestly,
Damian
Founder, The Self Defense Company
PS. Even if you had a firearm, you would still need to follow the same tactics but instead of FIGHTING you’re FIRING.
