Recent Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data confirm what many intuitively believe: Active shooter events are happening with greater frequency. The FBI defines an active shooter as “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.” According to FBI statistics, there were 200 incidents in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015, resulting in 578 people killed and 696 wounded.
During that 16-year span, the average number of incidents per year showed a steady increase – from 6.4 during the first seven years, then 16.4 over the next seven years, and 20 per year in 2014 and 2015.
Understandably, organizations are overwhelmingly concerned about violent acts taking place in their buildings or on campus, according to a recent survey around active shooter preparedness by Everbridge and Emergency Management and Safety (EMS) Solutions. Despite this concern, the majority of respondents said they were not properly prepared for these incidents.
Other key findings of the survey include:
- 69 percent of organizations view an active shooter incident as a potential top threat, but 79 percent replied that their organizations were not fully prepared.
- Communicating with and confirming the safety of those in an impacted building were seen as the biggest challenges during an active shooter situation by 71 percent of organizations, yet 39 percent still said they didn’t have a communications plan in place.
- 61 percent of organizations do not run any preparedness drills at all.
A new eBook from Everbridge, “Active Shooter Preparedness; Current State of Readiness; Detailed Guide on How to Be Prepared” can help your organization learn what it can do to be prepared for the evolving threat.
Specific topics covered in the free eBook include:
- Key findings from Everbridge’s and Emergency Management and Safety (EMS) Solutions “Active Shooter Preparedness Survey”
- The state of active shooter preparedness in 2016
- Enabling dynamic emergency communications
- Emergency notification system essential attributes
Click here to download this free eBook now.
