Are you prepared if SHTF at work?

So you’ve been prepping for disasters, whether natural or man-made. You’ve most likely stored your supplies in a secure spot at home or set your cellar or basement up as an emergency shelter. But are you prepared should SHTF while you’re at work? (h/t to Survivopedia.com)

For most people, a significant part of every day is spent at work. It is only natural, therefore, to assume that the worst would happen while you’re earning your living. When it comes to workplace survival, one of the first threatening situations that come to mind is a mass shooting or terrorist attack. Such tragedies are deadly, of course, but they are survivable if you know what to do.

Despite what the media will tell you, shootings are not that common, but it won’t hurt to be prepared for them just in case. Now it’s easy to imagine grabbing your gun and running toward the gunfire, but the problem with shootings is that they tend to happen in gun-free zones. If you work in a church, school, or any area where carrying guns is prohibited, here are tips to survive a mass shooting or terrorist attack:

Know what a gun sounds like

You might think this is a no-brainer, especially if you own a gun, but sometimes, gunshots can sound like other loud noises or vice versa. The main difference between gunshots and the sounds of construction-work or nail guns, for instance, is that the former tends to be random. They rarely follow a specific rhythm. It’s important that you can confirm the presence of gunshots even without having to see the shooter, so keep this in mind.

Exit the area

As mentioned previously, there is a high chance you won’t be carrying your gun when a mass shooting occurs. Your priority needs to be getting out of the place in one piece. Listen for the sound of gunfire and run in the opposite direction. If the shooting is occurring in the room to your left, go to your right. Should it happen in the room above you, take the stairs and go down. Putting as much distance between yourself and the shooter is key.

Find an area to hide

But what if you can’t run? The sensible thing to do is to find an area where you can hide away from the shooter. What you’d want to do is to improve your chances of survival by buying enough time until help arrives. Needless to say, hiding underneath a desk won’t be enough. You might work with your colleagues to build a fortress of sorts or barricade a room with furniture. But don’t be at ease just yet as bullets can easily penetrate wooden doors or plaster walls. Stay as low as possible to increase your chance of not being hit.

Gang up on the shooter

There is a 13 percent chance that the victims can neutralize a shooter. Naturally, your chances of fighting off your attacker would be close to nil if you’re alone, but in a group, the shooter would have a much harder time picking out which one to attack, so do use your numbers to your advantage.

Know how to apply first aid

Injuries are a huge possibility in a mass shooting. Even after you have neutralized the shooter, you’d still need to treat the wounded – or yourself – to ensure survival. Knowing how to treat bullet wounds or apply basic life-saving techniques like a CPR will be a huge help, at least until medical intervention is available.

Find more tips on dealing with a shooting incident and other SHTF scenarios at Survival.news.

Sources include:

Survivopedia.com

Health24.com