While it is impossible to create a zero-risk environment for gun violence in any workplace, including healthcare facilities, it is possible to be prepared for how employees would handle such an event should it occur.
Such preparations are the topic of a recent article in Campus Safety magazine that posits the question: “Are you prepared for an active shooter in your hospital?”
Security experts from such organizations as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) recommend hospitals prepare an Emergency Action Plan in case of an active shooter in the facility.
According to the article, the plan should include these key elements:
1. Conduct an independent assessment of the facility for security vulnerabilities.
2. Identify evacuation routes, making sure to avoid open spaces or locations where people can become trapped.
3. Prepare hiding spaces in the event evacuation is not possible. Ideally this space would have few windows, a door that locks and access to a telephone.
4. Restrict access to the facility – designate specific entrance points with cameras and alarms.
5. Have a facility-wide communication system to alert employees and law enforcement of any threat.
6. Train staff how to work with law enforcement in an emergency situation. This includes using plain language to describe the event to 9-1-1 operators rather than using an internal code or jargon only hospital personnel know.
7. Practice the plan so responses to the event become intuitive.
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