Emergency Management and Continuity, the University of Oregon Police Department and the Counseling and Testing Center recently released training videos to staff, faculty and students in an effort to increase awarenes of how to respond to violent situations.
The Violence Prevention and Active Shooter Training videos explain warning signs of violence, resources to reach out to and steps to take in the midst of situations involving firearms.
Shelly Kerr, Director of the University Counseling and Testing Center, said that the Emergency Management Staff previously presented this information live in classrooms, and that it was well received.
“There were just too many requests, so the next step was to make it available to all faculty, staff, and students,” Kerr said.
 In the first training video Kerr says that in life, “We take risks every day without thinking about it.” She emphasizes that knowing how to react in potentially dangerous situations is important.
The first video highlights common indicators of violence. It lists concerning behaviors to look out for.
As listed in the first training video, these signs include, but are not limited to:
– A background of violence
– Quarrelsome behavior
– Threats
– Blaming others for problems
The Center for Personal Protection and Safety produced a video, “Shots Fired on Campus,” as another resource to teach students how to respond to an active-shooter situation on campus. Below are some of the tips which I found most significant in the video.
– Have a “survival mindset”
– Be able to quickly take action
– “Be mindful, not fearful”
– Don’t panic, or be in denial of what is happening
In the training video, University of Oregon Police Lieutenant Andy Bechdolt stresses the importance of listening to police and doing what they say, because it’s their job to differentiate between the main threat and those who are innocent.
According to Bechdolt, it also helps to be familiar with your daily environments.
“When you go into a room, an office, or a classroom, look around and see where potential exits are,” Bechdolt said in the training video.
A 2013 study by the FBI showed that out of 160 active-shooter cases in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013, 66.9 percent of them ended before police arrived at the scene.
“Incidents are over in a matter of minutes, most often before law enforcement arrives,” former Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI Eugene Rugala said in, “Shots Fired on Campus.”
If you have any questions, you are encouraged to contact the university’s Emergency Management & Continuity staff.