WHITEWATER, Wis. – Freshmen at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater learned tips on how to protect themselves during a school shooting during orientation.
Officials at the university purchased “Shots Fired on Campus,” a video training program that features survival tactics during a mass casualty shooting. The university is one of 500 institutions to have purchased the program produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety.
The 20-minute video instructs students on the “out” strategy. Should a shooting occur on campus, students should try to escape from the area. If that is deemed impossible, students should find a place to hide. Doors should be locked and barricaded with heavy objects to prevent entry by the assailant. If those options don’t work, students may not have any other choice than to devise an attack on the shooter using strength in numbers.
Counselors were available for the 2,200 freshman who viewed the video, although no one needed consoling.
UW-Whitewater is the only known institution in the state showing the video to freshmen; however, other universities in the state are contemplating purchasing the video and offer volunteer training sessions to students, faculty and staff.
For more information:
To subscribe to Campus Safety magazine, click here.