Safety tips to remember when there is a school threat

Following the recent school shooting incident in Zamboanga City, certified emergency manager Martin Aguda Jr. shared safety tips to remember when faced with a threat at school.

On Wednesday’s episode of “Unang Hirit,” Aguda said that when an active shooter enters a school, knowing what to do in the first few moments can be critical to survival.

Run

The priority is to get away from the attacker if there is a safe opportunity to do so.

“Our first survival technique is always to get out of the shooter’s line of sight,” Aguda said, emphasizing that running or evacuating should be the first option whenever there is a safe escape route.

If a student encounters an active shooter in a hallway, they should immediately look for an opportunity to leave the area and avoid the attacker’s line of sight.

Aguda also warned against pretending to be dead.

“Never play dead,” he said. “The perpetrator knows that they have not been neutralized, so you could still be targeted.”

Hide

If escaping is not possible, the next option is to hide. Students should enter a classroom, lock the door, put a barricade at the door if possible, turn off the lights, and stay out of sight.

“As much as possible, they have to remain quiet so the attacker will think that there is no one inside the classroom,” he said.

“If the door is made of wood, bullets can penetrate it, so it is also important to take cover behind concrete or cement structures,” he added.

Fight

Fighting should be considered only when there is no safe way to run or hide and the attacker has entered the room.

“If the attacker actually gets inside and forces their way in, by all means, they can swarm or overwhelm the attacker,” Aguda said.

If fighting becomes unavoidable, he advised people to use available objects to protect or defend themselves.

When is it safe to evacuate?

Even after the immediate threat appears to have passed, students should not simply leave their hiding places without confirmation that it is safe.

Aguda said people should wait for instructions from law enforcement or police before coming out.

“We should wait for a knock or for instructions from law enforcement or the police telling us that it is safe to come out,” he said.

He stressed that authorities must first assess whether the hallway and surrounding areas have been cleared of the attacker.

“When law enforcement arrives, we should follow their instructions because the perpetrator could potentially blend into the crowd of students,” he said.

“If they tell us to put our hands up, we should follow that instruction until we reach the evacuation area, and we should not take any action that goes against the instructions of the police,” he added.

As it expressed concern over the recent school shooting incident in Zamboanga City, the Department of Education (DepEd) said it is now coordinating with its mental health partners to provide psychological first aid and psychosocial support to individuals affected by the incident.

“We urge the public to refrain from spreading unverified information and sharing sensitive photos, videos, or details about the incident, especially since minors are involved,” DepEd said in a statement.

Earlier, City Mayor Khymer Olaso reported that two students died, one of them the alleged shooter, following the incident at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

For its part, the university said it was “saddened by the incident” and declared Wednesday as a day of mourning and prayer. —JCB, GMA News