If a lone gun man appears on campus and starts shooting unarmed civilians avoid them at all costs. Find a safe exit, run away from the sound of gun fire and turn your phone to silent to hide from the shooter.
Director of Plant Facilities Paul Nieman hosted a discussion on awareness and prevention in the event of a campus shooting Friday Nov. 4.
“You can see how fast this old guy will run [if a shooter comes on campus], and I suggest you follow me,” said Nieman.
The best way to react to a shooting is to locate a safe viable evacuation route, hide from the shooter, leave your belongings behind and escape. If it isn’t possible to escape try to disarm the shooter, said Nieman.
“I would hope that we would be faster than three minutes [to respond to the shooting]. Right away you’re going to get a deputy and a couple of security officers there,” said Deputy Ron Nohles. “There is one deputy and one to five security guards on campus usually.”
When armed officers respond to the situation remain calm, put your hands in the air and spread your fingers, according to Nieman. Faculty and students need to avoid pointing, screaming, yelling and quick movements.
If a shooting takes place on campus, faculty should call 4311 to contact the pierce college sheriff’s station immediately, according to Nieman.
The college is planning to host an exercise to familiarize faculty and students with avoiding an active shooter during mid-January with Homeland Security in attendance.