Best Practices for Securing Clients During a Mass Casualty IncidentMark JamesWhen you think about attending a major high occupancy event (concert, ball game, political rally etc.), what are some of your pre-event considerations?Pre-event planning minimal considerationsIt is critically important you understand the physical event space as well as the audience who will be attending the show (i.e. demographics and psychographics). How well do you understand the event? Is this a political rally, how supercharged is the audience? How polarizing is the speaker or political group? Is this event being held deep in a rival’s territory? Who are their rivals and/or who stands to gain from your client’s demise? If this is a concert, is their ‘beef’ between artist camps or record labels (i.e. financial disputes, gang relationships)? What are the MCI protocols? What are the on-site capabilities of the response team?When you can't do a full advance or at minimum of a hasty advance how do you gain perspective on a new location to be visited? Consider virtual advances using Google Earth, venue websites or mall maps. Consider training trusted individuals who may have prior location knowledge. Additionally you can enlist onsite management (promotor, security, production management, executive assistants, production assistant/ artist liaisons, etc.).If you are out with the principal, and the family or their team get separated, what instructions have you given them on how you will communicate or reconnect, where will you reconvene? Before we can discuss potential strategies and tactics if is first important that we level set a few definitions. These definitions can help us understand the various contingencies we may have to consider.Active Shooter Event (ASE)An active shooter is an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; and continues to do so while having unrestricted access to additional victims.Examples: Las Vegas Shooter (Multiple Modified Carbine Rifles – Colt, Noveske, LWRC, Smith & Wesson, FNH, Daniel Defense etc.). Buffalo Shooter – Buffalo, NY (Semi-Automatic AR15 Rifle) Active Shooter/Mass Casualty IncidentsAS/MCI range from extensively planned terror related events to unplanned revenge –motivated or random events. We cannot merely focus on strategies to mitigate risks from ASE we must also think other MCI, because outside of the USA 70% of the MCI are with IEDs.Example: Boston Marathon Bomber – Boston, MA (IEDs) Hybrid Target Violence (HTV)(HTV) is defined as an intentional use of force to cause physical injury or death to a specifically identified population using multifaceted conventional weapons and tactics.Examples: Bataclan Theater Terrorists – Paris France (AKS-74s Rifles, Semi-Automatic Pistols and Suicide Vests) West Gate Mall Terrorists – Nairobi, Kenya (Incendiary Devices, AK47s, G-3 Assault Rifles and Grenades) Before the FlashpointThe active shootings at Buffalo, Uvalde, El Paso, Dayton, Paris (Bataclan Theater) Las Vegas, or Charleston left a trail of victims because the shooters were far more prepared than those who suffered in those ordeals. Active shooters generally have a singular focus - cause as much carnage as possible. They often seek to block, or booby trap exits to increase the number of casualties and impede law enforcement’s response. Quick, accurate assessment of conditions is critical to surviving.During the Emergency Take immediate action. Lock and barricade doors. Evacuate your family or client and other relevant personal via preplanned evacuation routes to your preidentified safe haven. The Department of Homeland Security has done a great job of educating the public on the concepts of Run, Hide, Fight but what does that really mean.RUN -Evacuating Once you’ve oriented and put the sounds you are hearing into context, you will need to act. Fleeing must be purposeful. When evacuating consider taking cover - avoid going prone particularly on hard surfaces it limits your mobility and bullets often travel along the floor and other hard surfaces.If left without cover, move to concealment (i.e. hedges, clothes rack, and drywall). While concealment can’t stop a bullet it can hide you from the view of the shooter. Exit the kill zone as soon as tactically possible. Consider leap frogging away from the shooter using cover as you retreat. Consider assisting those with special needs or disabilities if appropriate (remember special needs may include language barriers).Getting out and away from the problem is the best survival option. Consider Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Exits. Consider lower-level windows escape options. If pinned down, try to wait for a lull in the firefight:• the shooter reloading,• weapon malfunction or• getting distracted.Call emergency services (911 in the US) and get help on the way. From the initial onslaught you will be on your own.Expect the Unexpected In a crisis time people naturally migrate toward leadership. Be prepared for other unknown terrified civilians to follow your lead or alter your plan out of fear.After the initial shock and awe shooters often move to the clearing stages, hunting for additional victims. If you are unfamiliar with the layout of the location, look for information such as mall directories or evacuation maps to identify exits.“ In a crisis time people naturally migrate toward leadership. Be prepared for other unknown terrified civilians to follow your lead or alter your plan out of fear.  Hide If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you. Your hiding place should be out of the active shooter’s view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction. Your hiding place should not trap you or restrict your options for movement.BarricadingIf your temporary safe haven is inside of an office building, school, library or similar facility consider barricading in an office as you take cover. Use heavy furniture (filing cabinets, desks, bookshelves) or credenzas to barricade an office door if it opens inward. Once your furniture is in place consider filling them with large books such as manuals. This will increase the ballistic stopping capabilities of the furniture while also increasing the weight making it more problematic for a perpetrator to move.Preparing the structure and occupants: Close the blinds, turn off interior lights, block windows on the door. Turn off radios and computer monitors if possible and silence cell phones. Signs can be placed on interior doors and windows…remember the shooter can also see these signs. Place signs in exterior windows to identify the location of injured person(s). Keep occupants calm and quiet - create a sense that no one is inside the room. Stay out of sight and behind items that might offer additional protection. Consider angles and layers.Choosing to FightDon’t go looking for an active shooter. Try to find cover and a position that gives you a tactical advantage. We are not looking for a duel, we are looking for a controlled ambush. Remember this is a deadly force situation. Stay quiet and be attuned to environmental sounds.A backpack, soft sided briefcase or small duffle-bag stuffed with books may serve as impromptu body armor. If you encounter the threat, do whatever is necessary to neutralize the threat. Other team members should secure something to bound and gag the shooter while awaiting law enforcement. Move others into a position of cover away from the initial line of fire and prepare to defend.Avoid leaving a secure barricade with a firearm visible unless you are going to hunt for the shooter. If you decide to pursue the shooter or bomber it will involve shifting the mindset, objectives, and tactics of both you and the perpetrators.Shifting the Mindset You must shift the active shooter’s mindset from murdering to surviving; from surviving to escaping; from escaping to surrendering. Your objective is to stop the threat. Neutralizing the threat may be accomplished multiple ways and does not always involve injuring or putting the shooter down, the shooter surrendering is threat neutralization. Anything we can do to stop the shooter from murdering and injuring people is winning.If you find yourself inside a MCI and you are armed and forced to encounter a perpetrator wearing body armor, you may be forced to consider alternate engagement zones other than the thoracic cavity (high center mass). You may consider taking the mobility of the shooter by targeting the pelvic girdle; or neutralizing the shooter by targeting the ocular cavity shutting down the central nervous system. Your objective is not to take life, but to protect life.Suicide Bombers Understanding suicide bombers. When suicide bombers feel pressure, they detonate. If you choose to engage a suicide bomber your objective is to engage them outside of the arena, office, or other high occupancy area. Consider engaging them from a distance. Make sure you are outside of the projected blast radius.What do we do post violence or if we have injured in a secure location?Emergency Treatment Considerations: • Treat for shock• Treat for Bleeding• Treat for Blast injuriesWhen we look at civilian terrorist attacks, uncontrolled hemorrhaging will be the highest leverage-able area that lifesaving intervention can take place in the initial moments of a terrorist attack.Most Common Blast Injures • Over-pressurization force (Blast Wave). Ruptured eardrum, pulmonary damage, air embolization, hollow viscus injury.• Injuries from Projectiles (Bomb Fragments/Flying Debris). Penetrating trauma, fragmentation injuries, blunt trauma.• Injuries from displacement of Victim. Blunt/penetrating trauma, fractures, and traumatic amputations.First Responders The first response team will typically be a small unit of officers or a solo officer. They may be in uniform or plain clothes but will generally be identifiable as law enforcement either by uniform, badge, or tactical vest. Don’t expect first responders to render first aid; their initial concern is neutralizing the threat.Interacting with First Responders Do not immediately run toward the officers but listen for their commands. Put down any items in your hands and keep your hands in plain view (fingers spread). Avoid making quick movements toward officers. If you are carrying a firearm, consider holstering your weapon.We hope the above considerations will help significantly enhance you and your client’s chances of surviving a mass casualty incident.Mark “Six” James is Founder and Executive Director of Panther Protection Services, LLC. He is an internationally published author, keynote speaker, security consultant to educational institutions and frequent contributor to print, broadcast and online media. Panther Protection Services is a full-service protection agency focusing on Risk and Crisis Mitigation, Protective Services, Self-Defense Training, and Firearm Instruction. www.pantherprotectionservices.com