https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Commentary

Lessons in emergency alerting for active shooter incidents

Lessons in emergency alerting for active shooter incidents

Thomas Crane, senior solutions consultant at communication technology provider Everbridge, explains how agencies can best use emergency notification systems during active shooter emergencies.
  • Written by contributor
  • 27th June 2018

By Thomas Crane

According to the FBI, an average of 16 active shooter incidents occurred per year from 2007 to 2013—a drastic increase from 6 incidents per year from 2000 to 2006. Research by Everbridge and EMS Solutions reveals active shooter incidents are a growing concern, yet approximately 60% of organizations don’t conduct active shooter drills, and 40% don’t have a communication plan.  

All types of organizations are using emergency notification systems to become better prepared for active shooter incidents. Alert senders must be prepared to quickly send active shooter alerts with the right information, to the right people, in the right ways.
 

Quickly send alerts

According to the FBI, 70% of active shooter incidents end in 5 minutes or less, so it is critical that initial alerts are sent very quickly.

To prepare for these types of incidents, it is important to have standard operating procedures (SOPs) and emergency alert templates that describe what will be communicated for various incidents, and the methods for disseminating information. Be sure to assign the right people to send alerts and assure they have no other responsibilities that will delay them from quickly sending alerts.
 

Right information

Generally, active shooter alerts should include the same types of information as other emergency alerts. According to Dennis Mileti, Ph.D., Director Emeritus of the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, public alert and warning messages should include the following: 1) the source, 2) description of the threat (e.g., white, middle-aged man wearing red jacket) and its consequences, 3) location—so that people will know if they’re in the area at risk or not, 4) guidance about what actions to take, how to take them, and how taking those actions reduce the consequences, and 5) message expiration time.

“Details matter,” explains Dr. Mileti. “Many emergency managers assume that alerts should be very short and to the point, but social science research documents that alert recipients are more likely to quickly take protective actions when messages provide  greater detail and are longer than 90 or 140 character messages—two common lengths of alert messages.”
 

Right people

During life-threatening incidents, people in areas affected by the threat are in greatest need of alert information. Many notification systems offer various subscription options for alerts about weather, crime, and more—however, in the case of an active shooter incident, anyone in the area should receive the alert, regardless of their subscription preferences.

Many local governments have access to send Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs), which can alert all (or most) smartphones in the area specified by the alerting authority. Additionally, governments can push alerts to televisions and public radios with the Emergency Alert System (EAS). Both WEA and EAS are capabilities of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), the national alert and warning program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.

Alert senders should consider delivering different messages to people in different areas. People within closest proximity to the incident should receive the message to “run if safe or hide in a secure place…”, whereas, others should be warned to stay away from the area.

The right way

Creating pre-scripted messages that offer simple fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice fields allows alert senders to quickly and easily write and send alerts.

Alert senders should consider sending the alert via numerous delivery methods—text messages, phone calls, emails, social media posts, mobile app push notifications, and more. Additionally, organizations sending alerts should leverage local media outlets and partners to share their alert message.

It’s also important to remember that while WEAs can reach most people in a specified geographic area, you should consider the environment of the threat, and if the loud alert tone that accompanies WEAs could reveal hiding places of people who are in the area of the incident.

Conclusion

Sending alerts quickly is a great challenge during active shooter incidents. Organizations are better prepared to quickly send alerts if they have a communication plan, SOPs, pre-scripted message templates, assign the right people with appropriate authorities, and keep staff well-trained.
 

Thomas Crane is the senior solutions consultant at Everbridge, a communication technology provider.

 

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: News Public Safety Commentaries Commentary

Most Recent


  • crisis
    Navigating crises with confidence: Five ways strategic plans support crisis response
    Some crises are short-lived, barging through our lives and routines, and before we can get a sense of what’s happened, we’re left dealing with the aftermath. But many crises build slowly, with many early warning signs, and once they’vehit their breaking point, panic and uncertainty overwhelm the ability of leaders to think clearly and mitigate […]
  • 2022 Crown Communities Award winner: Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts' jury selection system
    The Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts is revolutionizing the jury selection process.  In many jurisdictions, jury duty is perceived as an obligatory nuisance. On their appointed day, potential jurors arrive early and stay late. They read books or watch television to pass the time as judges and attorneys make in-person selections from the pool of […]
  • public trust
    With many cities facing a fiscal cliff as ARPA funding ends, debt ceiling debate continues on Capitol Hill
    As debate over the debt ceiling continues, cities and counties across the nation are facing an uncertain future as American Rescue Plan Act funding dries up. The federal government reached its spending cap of $31.4 trillion, previously set in 2021, in January. Since then, with lawmakers on Capitol Hill locked in impasse, the U.S. Department […]
  • Broadband
    Oversight committee addresses NTIA reauthorization, FCC broadband map ahead of BEAD Program funding allocations
    As technological advancements continue to roll out at a breakneck pace, from artificial intelligence to high speed broadband connectivity, investment in digital infrastructure has become a defining theme of the modern era. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, (R-Wash.), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stressed the importance of this charge in opening remarks at […]

Related Content

  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings

WHITE PAPERS


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

Podcast


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023

Gallery: 10 of America’s most affordable cities

9th May 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze dlvr.it/Sptl5z

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Navigating crises with confidence: Five ways strategic plans support crisis response dlvr.it/SptVKN

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West dlvr.it/SpszdK

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

2022 Crown Communities Award winner: Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts’ jury selection system dlvr.it/SphCBk

26th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs dlvr.it/SpdFWy

25th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

How to leverage digital tools to drive innovation in government dlvr.it/Spcktb

25th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

With many cities facing a fiscal cliff as ARPA funding ends, debt ceiling debate continues on Capitol Hill dlvr.it/SpZLph

24th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth dlvr.it/SpYqBS

24th May 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.