UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State University Police and Public Safety is reminding all students, faculty and staff of the steps they can take to help keep themselves — and their fellow Penn State community members — safe.
“As part of the national conversation around safety and preparedness, we are encouraging all Penn Staters to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately, familiarize themselves with Penn State’s official Active Attacker Response Program, and sign up for PSUAlert text messages to stay abreast of the latest emergency information from the University,” said Charlie Noffsinger, associate vice president for University Police and Public Safety. “By paying attention to one’s surroundings, recognizing the signs of suspicious activity, and contacting law enforcement if something doesn’t seem quite right, everyone can do their part to help keep Penn State’s campuses safe.”
Based on the Run, Hide, Fight model developed by the city of Houston, Texas, Penn State’s Active Attacker Response Program offers the same three action steps if confronted with an active assailant, making it easy to remember and act upon in an emergency: run if you can, hide if you can’t, and fight as a last resort.
“Run, hide, fight is a straightforward model that makes it easy to memorize and recall, especially in a stressful situation,” said Noffsinger. “Being able to think clearly and act swiftly and decisively in the face of an emergency, especially in the first critical moments before police arrive on the scene, is paramount. That is why we also encourage everyone to think ahead and have an action plan in mind should they be confronted with an active attacker.”
University Police and Public Safety regularly reminds the University community about the Penn State Active Attacker Response Program and its action steps — run, hide and fight — because emergency preparedness is critical and requires everyone’s ongoing attention.
The run, hide, fight concept is endorsed at the local, state and federal levels, including by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. University Police and Public Safety routinely offers Active Attacker Response Program training to campus groups, and training can be requested on the University Police and Public Safety website.
University Police and Public Safety has robust policies and procedures in place for active-attacker situations, and Penn State police officers train regularly for such potential circumstances. However, it is important that community members take the time to familiarize themselves with the Active Attacker Response Program, as it is designed to provide options to help survive an attack in the first crucial moments before police respond.