What should I do in an active shooter emergency?
In the event of an active shooter, the USC Department of Public Safety advises all members of the campus community to follow the RUN • HIDE • FIGHT protocol, widely established as the recommended response plan among law enforcement professionals.
- RUN — leave personal belongings, time is of the essence to get to safety.
- HIDE — stay out of view, silence phones completely including turning off vibration mode and hiding the lighted screen. When securing doors use belts, cords, or other extenders to keep out of direct range of the door.
- FIGHT — if you have no choice, fight the attacker using objects that can serve as weapons. If you are with others, work as a group to disarm the attacker until help arrives.
For a comprehensive overview of the RUN • HIDE • FIGHT protocol, USC Safety Services recommends reviewing the “RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.® Surviving an Active Shooter Event” instructional video produced by Ready Houston.
To learn additional details about the RUN • HIDE • FIGHT protocol, please review the video with additional tips from Pablo Ayala, below:
To learn more about tactics to follow during an active shooter emergency, contact the USC DPS Community Affairs, and Strategic Communications Supervisor, Adrian Peña via email at Apena@dps.usc.edu.
Special Advice for Faculty
If an active shooter incident (or other emergency) occurs during instruction, students will likely turn to you for guidance as the authority figure in the room. Please familiarize yourself with the information on this page, and assess your physical environment, to determine your best options to maximize protection from harm for yourself and your class. The USC Department of Public Safety is available to advise on your particular setting. Please contact the USC DPS Community Affairs, and Strategic Communications Supervisor, Adrian Peña via email at Apena@dps.usc.edu to schedule training.