NEW SAFETY APP — Campus safety made easy: Cal Poly provides the Rave Guardian App for all
The words "active shooter" are frightening in their imagery. It is especially difficult to think of such a horrific event happening at Cal Poly. Although mass shootings are relatively rare events, the sad reality is that this type of emergency situation has been happening with greater frequency around the country and it reminds us it can happen anywhere, at any time, and any place. Understanding the following simple concepts could save your life in this type of emergency:
Run-Get Out! When you hear gunshots, don’t second guess the situation. Get out immediately if at all possible. If you are out in the open, take cover or run away in a zig-zag pattern.
Hide Out! Find a location, lock or blockade the door, turn off the lights, spread out with others in the room and make a plan.
Fight! If neither running nor hiding is a safe option, as a last resort, when confronted by the shooter, consider trying to disrupt or incapacitate the shooter. This can be done by using aggressive force such as using items in the environment to throw at a shooter (fire extinguisher, chair, backpacks, etc.). This is a life/death situation in which your “survival mindset” must take over!
The Cal Poly Police Department considers the training and preparedness of its officers as one of the most important responsibilities. Officers are trained to respond to a myriad of situations-- natural disasters (earthquakes), hazardous materials (chemical spills) and active shooter situations, to name a few.
