Expert: Preparation Is Key To Preventing Active Shooter Situations
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- In the hours after the deadly shooting attack in San Bernardino, California, more is being learned about the security at the facility where it happened.
A board member at Inland Regional says the center has two large buildings that require a badge to get in. However, the conference room where the shooters opened fire is usually left open when they're expecting visitors.
This tragedy is once again raising safety questions, and a local expert on active shooter situations says the key to preventing another one is to be prepared.
Terrence Brown has an extensive background in law enforcement, working with Pittsburgh Police for over 20 years.
He's now the CEO of Safety and Security Consultants, LLC, and specializes in active shooter training.
"I teach people in the courses the five P's, which is 'proper planning prevents poor performance,'" Brown said.
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While it's impossible to stop an active shooter from getting inside a building that's not secure, it is possible to know how to react.
"When I go in and assess a building, those are the things I look for. How easy is it, what kind of clients are you serving, those types of scenarios come into play for me," he says.
Brown knows facilities like the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino are usually easier to enter.
"If you go to a hospital or outpatient facility, there's usually no detection there because of the flow of business," Brown said. "This building held about 670 people and it had human services and social services inside of it. It was going to be a target-rich environment."
Brown says active shooter training is absolutely crucial in all facilities.
"Once that first shot is fired, it's important that people get to a safe place, call 911, barricade their doors and I go through the buildings and tell them the safest places they can hide and shelter in place," Brown said. "Maybe this is the time to get some legislation going to address these scenarios because we're losing more people to active shooter than fire safety."
Brown feels social media is creating a large copycat society, and could be why we're seeing more active shooter situations in the United States.
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