We typically hear of active shooter events only when they are very serious – many people are harmed or killed – or they happen in a very public area. But, when it comes to active shooter events, especially in medical facilities, there is a lot we may not realize or be aware of.

For instance, here are some active shooter facts you should be aware of:

There are reports of active shooter events in U.S. workplaces virtually every week.
In the past, most active shooter events happened in businesses, factories, and corporations. In recent years, more are occurring in medical facilities.
Since the year 2000, there have been more than 200 active shooter events in hospitals or medical facilities.
Active shooter events happen in both rural and urban hospitals.
The World Health Organization defines a healthcare attack as “an act of verbal or physical violence or obstruction or threat of violence that interferes with the availability, access, and delivery of curative and preventive health services during emergencies.”
Whereas most facilities have a limited number of entrances and exits, a hospital typically has many entrances and exits, all open to the public and all used throughout the day. This means that these medical facilities are often more vulnerable to all types of attacks, including active shooter incidents.
Most active shooting events happen in hospital emergency departments. Surprisingly, according to one report, many involve a police or security officers’ firearm, stolen to shoot victims.
An active shooter and a spontaneous shooting incident are not the same. An active shooter is a legal term and, as defined by the FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is “someone who is actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.”
In most cases, an active shooter has pre-planned their attack. On the other hand, a spontaneous shooting is usually not planned. It may be triggered by an argument, altercation, or something similar.
Both types of shooting events are driven by emotions. When an active shooting event occurs, we usually find out the motive quickly. It could be a grudge, a termination, or someone that feels they have been wronged.
When a spontaneous shooting event occurs, and the shooter is killed, the reason for the shooting is not always known. Often family and friends have no explanation as to what triggered the event. In most cases, an active shooter has already determined they will die because of their actions. This is not the case in a spontaneous shooting incident.
Typically, an active shooter event lasts about 19 minutes. Normally, it ends because law enforcement personnel have stopped the shooter, the active shooter’s gun jams, or they have run out of bullets.
When an active shooting event occurs, most of the damage and harm to building users happens in the first five minutes.
When there is an active shooting event in a hospital or medical facility, it is often because a patient is unhappy with a surgeon or has complications due to a surgery. The doctor may blame the situation on the patient, which can trigger the shooting.
Most spontaneous shootings in hospitals involve one or two shots at specific individuals. This could be a spouse, a manager, or a colleague. In a hospital setting, the shooter may be a patient, employee, or a visitor. One study found that healthcare workers, psychiatrists, and social workers are more likely than other hospital employees to be the victim of an attack.

We could point out many more facts about active and spontaneous shooting events. But here is something else we need to know: large medical facilities can be very vulnerable to a shooting event. However, the steps they take to prevent a shooting event are often nothing more than “security theatre,” largely ineffective in terms of protection.

What TAL Global suggests, and what has proven successful for our medical and corporate clients, is providing trained security professionals in these facilities. These professionals are taught de-escalation techniques and deliver “hands-on” security if and when needed, allowing them to handle virtually any potentially violent behavior.

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