What safety experts say to do in an active shooter situation
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Two safety experts who teach what to do in mass shootings talked to KDKA-TV about the deadly elementary school shooting in Texas.
"To see the carnage, to see what is happening, it's not right," Allegheny County Sheriff Deputy Jason Tarap said.
Tarap goes to school districts to teach safety programs, including Run. Hide. Fight.
"We need you to get out," he said. "You have to escape the situation. If you can escape, under the Run. Hide. Fight., you got to look around you, how are you going to barricade yourself, how are you going to fortify the area you are in."
If you can't escape, Tarap said fight.
"If you have to fight, you got to fight," he said. "We want you to fight, we want you to survive for tomorrow."
Sam Rosenberg runs a company that teaches what to do in active shooter situations. He said to be situationally aware.
"Whenever you go anywhere, pay attention to your environment, know your exits," said Rosenberg, the founder of Global Protective Services.
"If you can't run, you want to lockdown. Find a place you can hide," he added.
He said schools can do more training drills and ensure classrooms are impossible for a shooter to get inside.
"You have to have lockdown devices on the doors to prevent the doors from being opened or forced open," Rosenberg said. "The problem with lockdowns in schools, the doors open outward into the hallway due to fire code."
East Allegheny Superintendent Alan Johnson told KDKA-TV that schools in the state are required to do emergency drills, but he is not aware of specific requirements for active shooter training.
He said there is concern that unannounced training sessions could scare kids.
