Logo

Log In Sign Up |  An official publication of: American College of Emergency Physicians
Navigation
  • Home
  • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
  • Clinical
    • Airway Managment
    • Case Reports
    • Critical Care
    • Guidelines
    • Imaging & Ultrasound
    • Pain & Palliative Care
    • Pediatrics
    • Resuscitation
    • Trauma & Injury
  • Resource Centers
    • mTBI Resource Center
  • Career
    • Practice Management
      • Benchmarking
      • Reimbursement & Coding
      • Care Team
      • Legal
      • Operations
      • Quality & Safety
    • Awards
    • Certification
    • Compensation
    • Early Career
    • Education
    • Leadership
    • Profiles
    • Retirement
    • Work-Life Balance
  • Columns
    • ACEP4U
    • Airway
    • Benchmarking
    • Brief19
    • By the Numbers
    • Coding Wizard
    • EM Cases
    • End of the Rainbow
    • Equity Equation
    • FACEPs in the Crowd
    • Forensic Facts
    • From the College
    • Images in EM
    • Kids Korner
    • Medicolegal Mind
    • Opinion
      • Break Room
      • New Spin
      • Pro-Con
    • Pearls From EM Literature
    • Policy Rx
    • Practice Changers
    • Problem Solvers
    • Residency Spotlight
    • Resident Voice
    • Skeptics’ Guide to Emergency Medicine
    • Sound Advice
    • Special OPs
    • Toxicology Q&A
    • WorldTravelERs
  • Resources
    • ACEP.org
    • ACEP Knowledge Quiz
    • Issue Archives
    • CME Now
    • Annual Scientific Assembly
      • ACEP14
      • ACEP15
      • ACEP16
      • ACEP17
      • ACEP18
      • ACEP19
    • Annals of Emergency Medicine
    • JACEP Open
    • Emergency Medicine Foundation
  • About
    • Our Mission
    • Medical Editor in Chief
    • Editorial Advisory Board
    • Awards
    • Authors
    • Article Submission
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Information

Expecting the Unexpected: Prepare for Active-shooter Situations in the Emergency Department

By Marco Coppola, DO, FACEP | on January 23, 2017 | 0 Comment
Uncategorized
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
Print-Friendly Version

Ongoing training for the unexpected is an integral part of any emergency department, particularly with workplace gun violence being a nationwide concern. Recently, Family ER + Urgent Care in Irving, Texas, hosted Officer David Hutson of the Irving Police Department SWAT Team. Mr. Hutson provided an informative presentation titled “Active Shooter: Recognize, Respond, Prepare, and Prevent.” The information he gave us was so good that we wanted to share the highlights with ACEP Now readers.

You Might Also Like
  • ACEP Now Reader Challenges Reference Source in Active Shooter Article; Author Responds
  • Run, Hide, Fight: How to React When There’s Gunfire in the Emergency Department
  • Emergency Department Usage Trend Data Can Help Physicians Prepare for Patients

Recognize Potential Violence: “Don’t Ignore It, and Follow Your Instincts”

In the event of an active-shooter situation, Mr. Hutson outlined the following steps:

  • If it’s safe to do so, dial 911 to inform police of the situation.
  • If you’re unable to speak, leave the phone off of the hook and escape, if possible.
  • If escape isn’t possible, barricade yourself in a room. Use everything and anything to block access to the shooter—chairs, refrigerators, tables, desks, stretchers, TVs, etc.
  • If you have no choice but to confront the assailant, be aggressive: Yell and FIGHT!

Shooting Back: Advice for License-to-Carry Holders

ActiveShooterTraining_HutsonAndCoppola

Officer David Hutson (left) with Dr. Marco Coppola. 

Some states allow either concealed carry or open carry. Some medical facilities in Texas have signs posted stating that no one can carry into the facility either open or concealed. But in many of those facilities, there are internal policies allowing staff members to carry, open or concealed. Because Family ER + Urgent Care is in Texas, Mr. Hutson made special recommendations for those with a license to carry:

  • If you’re carrying a firearm and are under immediate threat in the area where you are sheltering in place, take action.
  • Commit to your actions and take as accurate a shot as possible. (According to Mr. Hutson, the vast majority of assailants will commit suicide if confronted with equal or greater force.)
  • If the assailant is subdued, do not leave your shelter place with your weapon. Police may think you are also an active shooter.

Working with Police: Be Measured and Follow Directions

When police arrive, Mr. Hutson recommended these actions for all personnel in the facility:

  • Do not run toward the police; they don’t know who you are.
  • Follow their directions exactly.
  • Only tell police what you truly know—don’t elaborate.
  • If you’re medically trained and are rendering aid to others, follow police instructions, despite a patient’s condition. They have a better handle on how secure the area is.

Be Ready: Preventing Workplace Violence and Active-Shooter Damage

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Current Issue

ACEP Now: July 2025

Download PDF

Read More

No Responses to “Expecting the Unexpected: Prepare for Active-shooter Situations in the Emergency Department”

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


*
*

Wiley
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Advertise
  • Cookie Preferences
Copyright © 2025 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved, including rights for text and data mining and training of artificial technologies or similar technologies. ISSN 2333-2603