When responding to an active shooter in your building its best to have a plan and rehearse it.
Employees of the Military Entrance Processing Station on Fort Jackson found themselves practicing their plan, March 4 as post anti-terrorism officials simulated a shooter in the building.
For one Soldier the exercise took him by surprise.
"I heard something out of the ordinary so I hesitated just a second or two," said Sgt. 1st Class Brett Boykin, a guidance counselor for the Army National Guard. "When I got up I thought it was a cat, I looked out the door and didn't see anybody so I went to front desk and saw a bunch of people walking around -- and they looked official. At first I didn't say anything but just turned my back to walk away."
Boykin asked R.J. Frazier, Fort Jackson Emergency Manager and observer for the exercise what was going on.
"He said, 'We are doing an active shooter.' That's when I realized what the noise was."
Boykin's response was natural because in office settings people aren't going to immediately think someone is firing a weapon.
"Lots of time when people hear a gun shot in an office environment they start rationalizing, 'That wasn't gun shots,' or 'That wasn't what I heard,'" said Mark Mallach, Garrison antiterrorism officer. "It's kind of a weird thing we as do as human beings. It's like, 'No way.' But it only takes a couple seconds."
Mallach added it was a good lesson to learn because you might "hear something out of the ordinary, and you know, curiosity killed the cat."
Post officials conducted the active shooter drill to validate the processing station's active shooter plan.
"Depending on the situation they have to have a plan first whether it's written down, but they need to know it like its muscle memory," Mallach said. "Bottom line is they need to find a safe place. If they cannot evacuate they need to evade. They need to get to a safe room. If they can't get to a safe room and must confront the shooter -- take them down."
For the most part the station's plan was good, except some were caught outside locked safe rooms because the doors were locked and no one was going to open up until "all clear" was sounded.
Fort Jackson's leading active shooter instructor agreed.
"The first thing to try to do is get out," said Officer Roy Phoenix, senior active shooter instructor. "Lock yourself in a room and try to get out a window if possible. Statistically you are more likely to survive going out a second floor window than staying in place."
If the room has doors that don't lock, Phoenix said to use everything possible to keep the door closed.
Phoenix would "push everything against that door" if he wascaught in room where the door won't lock.
If a person can't escape or find a safe room but must face the shooter he or she must use decisive action.
"They must take them down," Mallach said. "There will always be a time when a shooter is reloading, fumbling with his weapon, or running out of ammunition."
Phoenix added there is no law which determines how much force can be used.
"If you only have a hammer use it," he said. There is nothing that says you can't protect yourself.
While the active shooter drill was part of continual training, Fort Jackson is preparing for a post-wide antiterrorism exercise in April.
As the exercise ended, Mallach reiterated how there needs to be an emergency plan.
"We want them to evade, we want them to engage and want them to get out of that area. But bottom line is have a plan."
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