In the wake of a gunman’s deadly rampage near a California college campus, Alberta educators have released an educational video that shows students how to effectively respond to a school shooter.
Entitled “Shooter on Campus: Know You Can Survive,” the video uses chilling effects to prepare students for a worst-case scenario.
The video was shot at the University of Alberta, and was screened to a test audience of about 300 people on Monday at post-secondary schools in Edmonton and Calgary. It is also available on YouTube.
In the dramatized video, a man with an assault rifle walks through a school building, hunting down human targets and firing his weapon. The gunshots are intended to sound real, so that viewers can get an idea of what they might be hearing, especially from behind closed doors or from a distance.
“It’s the first time that Alberta post-secondary institutions are publicly talking about the possibility of an active shooter on one of our campuses,” said Philip Stack, vice-president of risk management at the University of Alberta.
"Although these incidents are extremely rare, they can happen and obviously the consequences are extremely severe."
The video’s release comes just days after a deadly shooting near the University of California at Santa Barbara, which claimed the lives of seven people, including the gunman.
The rampage took place last Friday, when Elliot Rodger stabbed three people to death in his apartment. The 22-year-old then jumped into his BMW and drove around the college community, randomly firing at people.
Another three people were fatally wounded, and 13 more injured.
The video begins with an important disclaimer: you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than targeted by an active shooter. Nevertheless, it’s important to know how to respond to any safety issue, regardless of its likelihood.
“When the unthinkable happens, it’s essential to be prepared to act, just like you would in a fire,” the video’s introductory message says.
In dealing with a potential shooter, three crucial messages are highlighted: get out, hide, and fight for your life.
Staff Sgt. Terry Langley, of the Edmonton Police, helped put the video together. He said if the first two options are unavailable, you should be prepared to physically and aggressively attack the shooter.
“If they can’t get out safely, if they can’t find a place to be barricaded and they’re confronted with that immediate threat right in front of them that’s willing to kill them at that moment, the most logical, prudent course of action is to try and fight for your life,” he said.
Makers of the video say it received strong support from test audiences, including parents of students. While some found the content disturbing, others recognized the shock value.
Kristina Anderson, a survivor of the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007 and founder of the Koshka Foundation for Safe Schools, thinks the University of Alberta video is a step in the right direction.
“Ultimately, yes, it’s a very good thing,” she told CTV News Channel.
Anderson said that naturally the video will scare people – but that’s to be expected because it’s a scary topic.
“The more we can do to educate people on how these events happen and ways they can prepare themselves for (them) and potentially react. The more information the better,” she said.
Anderson found the video to be very realistic and emotional to watch. She pointed out that educators need to be careful when presenting information like this, because anyone watching can simply switch it off.
But she said the video is definitely important when it comes to preparing for such an incident.
“Unfortunately, active shooter response is the new fire drill,” Anderson said.
