“If an active assailant, like an individual with a gun, requires the campus community to take immediate action to stay safe, do you know what to do?” 

That’s the question asked by Chief of Police and Vice President for Public Safety Jennifer Griffin at the beginning of a newly released video, which explains what students, faculty, staff and community members can do if confronted by an active assailant, like a shooter. 

“It’s important the Temple community learn the steps they can take to maximize their survival should a mass-casualty event occur,” Griffin said. 

Temple University Department of Public Safety’s (TUDPS) Office of Emergency Management (OEM) produced the video. 

“Active assailant situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. While law enforcement will be immediately responding to stop the threat, there are steps individuals can also take to stay safer,” said Len Clark, director of OEM. 

The comprehensive video is nearly five minutes long and encourages the Temple community to become familiar with the run, hide, fight approach to active threats. 

“We wanted to produce a video specifically for our Temple community that features a method that comes right from the FBI, called the run, hide or fight protocol,” Clark said. 

Should a threat occur inside a building, try to exit the building as soon as possible. 

“If there’s an active assailant, like a shooter near you, or if you receive a TUalert of an assailant in your area, the first and best option to survive is to run,” Clark said. “Get away as far away as you can. Once you’re safe, call Temple Police at 215-204-1234.”

The three options of run, hide, fight are not linear and there may be times in a situation that the only option you have is to defend yourself and fight.

“If you are in a room, lock the door if you can and look for something to barricade entry points,” Clark said. 

Fighting back is a last resort, Clark said. 

“Find anything to use as a weapon. A fire extinguisher, scissors, a chair. If it’s between you and the assailant, we want you to survive,” Clark said.

Joshua Nussbaum, deputy director of OEM, said that preparedness empowers us all in times of crisis.

“It’s scary to think about, but being prepared for an active assailant situation could save lives. Our university department and Philadelphia Police Department train regularly for these events, but we need our entire community to know the run hide fight principles," Nussbaum said. 

Griffin also thanked her university partners in Strategic Marketing and Communications for their parts in writing, shooting and putting the video together. It is now displayed prominently on OEM’s website. 

“The more we talk about it, the more we empower our community,” she said. “We all have a responsibility for safety, and we continually work with our community to train and educate them on the steps they can take if they encounter this type of situation.”