Emergency Services Sector Active Shooter Guide

No community appears immune from active shooter incidents, therefore, it is important for every community to develop an Active Shooter Program. The purpose of the Emergency Services Sector Active Shooter Guide is to provide emergency services personnel with the basic building blocks for developing an Active Shooter Program with communities. This guide highlights resources and planning considerations, which will enhance emergency services organizations’ ability to develop or improve community planning and preparedness for active shooter incidents.

An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area, typically through the use of firearms.

Creating an Active Shooter Program

Emergency Services organizations should consider four essential steps:

STEP 1. AWARENESS

Emergency services personnel should maintain organizational awareness of the issue and where to find incident-related information and preparedness resources.

• The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides products, tools, and resources to help prepare for and respond to active shooter incidents. Active Shooter Preparedness | CISA
• Emergency services personnel can request access to the following Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) portals to view active shooter incident related information.
  • HSIN Emergency Services – email EmergencyServicesSector@mail.cisa.dhs.gov to request access.
  • HSIN Intel – email hsin.intel.pmo@hq.dhs.gov to request access.
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation has analytical reports, case studies, and statistical information regarding active shooter incidents. Active Shooter Safety Resources — FBI

STEP 2. TRAINING

Encourage community members to review no-cost training resources to improve local community active shooter planning and preparedness.

• FEMA IS-907: Active Shooter: What You Can Do – This course was developed to provide the public with guidance on how to prepare for and respond to active shooter situations. FEMA EMI Course | IS-907.A: Active Shooter: What You Can Do
• CISA Pathway to Violence – This video provides information regarding the behavior indicators that assailants often demonstrate before a violent act. The video also includes law enforcement expert interviews that discuss engagement strategies and recommended responses to someone potentially on a pathway to violence. Pathway to Violence | CISA

STEP 3. COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Effective partnerships between law enforcement and community stakeholders are essential to public safety. It is important for government agencies, community groups, nonprofits, businesses, and private citizens to accept public safety as a shared responsibility.

• Consider forming a Security Managers Group to discuss concerns and collaborate on solutions.
• Consider developing a guide for the public on “what to expect when first responders arrive.”
• For more information about active shooter workshops contact ASWorkshop@hq.dhs.gov.

STEP 4. EXERCISE COORDINATION

Exercises are a key component of preparedness that provide community stakeholders the opportunity to shape planning, assess and validate capabilities, and address areas for improvement.

• Each exercise package is scalable and includes template exercise objectives, scenarios, and discussion questions, as well as a collection of references and resources. For more information about exercises contact CISA.Exercises@mail.cisa.dhs.gov.
• Assist community stakeholders with development of Emergency Action Plans. Emergency services personnel should integrate response planning with organizational Emergency Action Plans. Active Assailant/Shooter Emergency Action Plan Product Suite | CISA

Additional Resources

Securing Public Gatherings | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA

Active Shooter Preparedness | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA

Contact Us

For more information, contact the Emergency Services Sector Management Team at EmergencyServicesSector@mail.cisa.dhs.gov or visit Emergency Services Sector | CISA.