UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — As a new semester begins, University Police and Public Safety is reminding Penn State community members to familiarize themselves with the University’s official Active Attacker Response Program and to sign up to receive PSUAlert notifications via text message in the event of an emergency.
Based on the Run, Hide, FightTM model developed by the City of Houston, 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 act upon should anyone find themselves in a life-threatening situation anywhere,” said Charlie Noffsinger, associate vice president for Penn State University Police and Public Safety. “In such an emergency, it is critical to act quickly and decisively, and that’s why we encourage our community to review the protocols and have an action plan in mind ahead of time.”
University Police and Public Safety regularly reminds the University community about the Penn State Active Attacker Response and its action steps — run, hide and fight — because emergency preparedness is critical and requires everyone’s attention.
“The beginning of a new semester also is a good time to remind the Penn State community to stay vigilant and say something if they see signs of suspicious activity,” said Noffsinger. “We all have a responsibility to help keep our communities safe.”
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 such 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 vital that community members take the time to familiarize themselves with the University’s Active Attacker Response Program because it is designed to provide options that may help them to survive the first crucial moments of an attack before police arrive on the scene. Depending on individual circumstances, it is important to note that the run, hide and fight action steps may not always occur in this order, so memorizing them all as possible options, regardless of order, is urged.