Every person facing a dangerous situation must be prepared to take direct responsibility for his or her own personal safety and security. What should you do if an active shooter or other violent situation is in progress on campus?

Understand what is happening, and quickly decide how to respond. Based on what you see and hear, determine if it makes sense to stay where you are and try to hide, or if you should try to escape to a safer location. ACT QUICKLY—Don’t wait for others to validate your decision. 

RUN

If you decide it is best to try to escape to a safer location:

• Move quickly
• Leave your belongings behind 
• Get as far away from the shooter/sounds of gunfire as you can 
• If caught outside, take cover behind something like a thick 
  wall or a large tree 
• After reaching shelter, call 911 and Campus Police at 8888. Campus Police at 8888 from any campus phone or
  (919) 760-8888 from any other phone. Tell the police as much as you can about the shooter’s location and description.

HIDE

• If you decide it is best to stay where you are: 
• If possible, lock the door from the inside and shelter in place. 
• Even if locking door(s) is possible, use furniture or other available objects to barricade the door(s). 
• Turn off the room lights and stay as quiet as possible. 
• If multiple people are inside the room, spread out—don’t huddle in groups. 
• If possible, use any available phone to call 911 and Campus Police at 8888 from any campus phone or (919) 760-8888 from any other phone. Tell the police as much as you can about the shooter’s
  location and description. 
• Put your cell phone on vibrate or silent in order to receive MC Alert messages.
• Help keep others calm and focused on survival. 

FIGHT

If you are directly confronted by the shooter:

• Assume his or her intentions are lethal to you and others. ACT WITH PHYSICAL AGGRESSION 
• Be mentally prepared to do whatever you can to fight back and survive.

In case of an active shooter or situation involving a threatening individual, an emergency notification will be sent out via MC ALERT as quickly as is practical.

Remember that your survival of an active shooting  or situation involving a threatening individual will likely depend on the immediate actions you take to help protect yourself.