Run, hide, defend: The new stop, drop and roll

Sixty-one school shootings have occurred this year alone, with Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon making recent headlines. It’s without a doubt that we are facing a huge epidemic. Students can no longer attend classes without fearing whether or not they will make it home or even be around to see how they did in their final exams.

It used to be that the only drills rehearsed in schools were fire and earthquake drills. Stop, drop and roll is not applicable to the dangers that are creeping into our lecture halls so now we are forced to adopt a new technique: run, hide, defend.

Foothill-De Anza Police provided classes that equipped students to handle a hostile situation on campus that threatens lives. I attended one of the classes with about 20 other students Nov. 4. Prior to attending the class, I assumed that it would be a self-defense training class. However, I learned the purpose of the class was really more about your awareness and surroundings when chaos breaks out and there is danger on campus.

Dominic Donblove, a police officer with 25 years on the force, taught us that we have three options: run, hide, defend and you need to commit to them. If you run, run in a zigzag motion, making it hard for the shooter to aim. If you hide, make sure that you barricade the doors, making it hard for the shooter and his bullets to penetrate through. And if you defend, attack in a group and make noise, disorienting the threat.

You are not just subjected to picking one option, though. The key is to assess the situation, as every situation is different. Sometimes you will find that certain options may not always be applicable, other times you might have the chance to do all three.

Donblove also advised us to be indignant. Indignant that someone would have the audacity to try and disturb your education, indignant that someone would try to put your life at risk.

For me, this was all general knowledge. I would think that most people would have the natural reaction to first assess the situation then act upon it.

I am more concerned as to why we don’t have enough programs and strategies to stop that angry individual before the situation gets out of hand, because there has got to be something we can do to stop it in its tracks.

Individuals don’t just wake up one morning and decide that today is the day they will go out and kill as many people as they can. This decision happens gradually and it’s a series of disappointments and a rough life that leads to that decision.

As individuals we need to stop and treat people around us better. If you are having a bad day or you’re down on your luck, there is no need for you to use someone else as a punching bag and an outlet for your own demise.

Do a service to yourself and the people around you. If you see something suspicious, alert the authorities. It’s our lives, say something.