Run, Hide, Fight
It is important to recognize the active attacks and threats that have dominated the headlines across college campuses and the country in recent years, and to recognize that violence can happen anywhere, including on our own campuses.
University Police and Public Safety (UPPS) urges the University's faculty, staff, students and visitors to familiarize themselves with Penn State's Active Attacker Response protocol based on the Run, Hide, Fight™ model. The model offers three steps if confronted with an active attacker - RUN if you can, HIDE if you can't, and FIGHT if needed.
RUN
- Make sure it is safe to leave the area.
- Use your senses (hearing, sight, etc.) to determine the safety of the situation.
- Leave calmly and in an orderly manner.
- Do not gather personal items.
HIDE
- Find an office, classroom, closet, desk, or other barrier within or behind which to hide.
- Stay quiet and silence your cell phone.
- Close and lock any doors. Turn off any lights.
- Barricade any doors by using furniture or other heavy items.
- Keep away from doorframes and windows.
- Try not to hide in groups.
- Prepare for your response if you are found by the active attacker. Consider what items may be used as weapons.
FIGHT
- Fight only when you are in a life-or-death situation or you could get hurt.
- Find objects that may be used as a weapon.
- Attempt to incapacitate the attacker; commit to your actions; work with others to disable the assailant.
Run, Hide, Fight™ is meant to provide options for response to a life-threatening attack and the guidance provided above is not all inclusive. Further, these options may not come in the order in which they are stated here. Educating yourself on the model and action options will help you determine your best plan of action.
The Run, Hide, Fight™ model is used with permission by the City of Houston, which developed the program using funding from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The program is endorsed at the local, state and federal levels, and by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. It is also the program adopted by the majority of Penn State’s Big Ten peers.
