The past few years have had an unfortunate increase in aggressive and harmful behavior, both in schools and workplaces. “Run. Hide. Fight.” is a method that has come to the forefront of protection programs.
According to Ryan Nelson, director of Public Safety at MSUM, this program has been around for a number of years. Recently, the program has gained more traction.
Nelson has worked for the public safety department at MSUM for five months and in law enforcement for the past 20 years. On Aug. 17 he helped conduct a safety-training program for the resident assistants on campus. This program included a lesson on “Run. Hide. Fight.”
The program is “A training video that is given or sent out to students and staff members to give them different options in the case of an active aggressor/shooter situation,” said Nelson.
The six-minute video was sent out campus-wide via email, but the resident assistants at MSUM had the opportunity to watch the video and go through a basic training.
The video includes three different steps to attempt to stay safe. The first is run. If you are in a building or area that has an active aggressor, and you can safely run and get away, do so.
The second step is hide. If you are unable to safely get out of the building or room, it is time to hide. Unlike traditional lockdowns “Run. Hide. Fight.” encourages people to hide randomly throughout the room instead of huddling in one corner. It is also suggested to barricade the doors to the room, if possible.
The third part instructs people to fight back. If you are hiding in a room and are unable to get away, prepare to fight back against the attacker. Arm yourself with pens, staplers, books, a chair or anything that can be thrown in self-defense.
Maddy Stoker, a resident assistant and senior majoring in political science and English, gave her impressions of the video.
“I think it’s a sound method, but there needs to be more than just a video being watched,” Stoker said, “People should be trained for the situation.”
When compared to the traditional lockdown procedure, Stocker believes “Run. Hide. Fight.” is a more practical approach. She’s not surprised to see statistics showing less injuries and fatalities. Those statistics show that, when using traditional procedure, only one student in a class of 18 is not wounded or fatally injured. When using “Run. Hide. Fight.” 16 students escape without being wounded or becoming a fatality.
With these types of aggressive situations on the rise in schools, workplaces and the general public, it is always wise to have a plan. Nelson encourages students, staff and anyone who is interested to watch the video online. Take a few moments to plan and think about what you would do. Remember to watch, think and prepare, even if that means you have to run, hide and fight.