Active Threat Planning: What Organizations Get Wrong (And How to Fix It)

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The phrase "Run, Hide, Fight" has become widely recognized — and that's a good thing. But awareness of a general concept is not the same as being prepared. Most organizations have done the minimum: they've put up a poster, maybe sent a company-wide email. What they haven't done is build a real, tested, location-specific active threat protocol. Here's what that actually looks like — and where most organizations fall short.

The Problem with "Run, Hide, Fight" as a Complete Plan

Run, Hide, Fight is a framework created by the Department of Homeland Security to give the general public a starting point for thinking about active shooter situations. It's valuable as a concept. But it was never intended to replace an organizational response plan.

A framework tells you what to think. A plan tells you what to do, where to go, who is responsible, and how everyone communicates. Without the plan, "Run, Hide, Fight" leaves your employees making high-stakes decisions with incomplete information in the worst moments of their lives.

What a Real Active Threat Protocol Includes

Location-Specific Shelter and Lockdown Procedures

Generic plans tell employees to "find a room and lock the door." Real plans identify the specific rooms in your specific facility that offer the best protection — rooms with solid walls, no windows to the exterior, doors that lock from the inside, and limited access points. Every floor, every wing should be mapped.

A Clear Alert and Notification System

How will employees know an active threat situation is occurring? A fire alarm won't cut it — in an active threat, you don't want people flowing into hallways. Your plan needs a specific alert tone, announcement phrase, or communication system that tells employees this is an active threat — not a fire. This system needs to be tested.

Communication with First Responders

When law enforcement arrives, your employees' behavior matters. How do they communicate their location? What do they do when officers arrive at their shelter room? How do they identify themselves as non-threats? These are critical gaps in most plans — and they can have life-or-death consequences.

Accountability Procedures

After an active threat event, emergency responders need to know if everyone is accounted for. Your plan needs clear procedures for reporting headcounts, identifying missing personnel, and communicating that information to incident command.

Procedures for Visitors, Clients, and Contractors

Your employees receive training. But what about the vendor in your lobby, the client in your conference room, or the contractor on the loading dock? Your active threat protocol must address how you protect and direct people who don't know your facility or your procedures.

Training Is Non-Negotiable

A documented protocol that has never been trained on is nearly worthless under stress. When the adrenaline hits, people don't think — they react based on what they've rehearsed. Active threat response training doesn't need to be a traumatic ALICE drill. It can be conducted through scenario-based discussion, video training, and tabletop exercises that walk employees through their decisions in a controlled environment.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most organizations avoid active threat planning because it's uncomfortable to think about. That discomfort is understandable. But the organizations that have survived these situations are the ones that had plans, had trained, and had practiced. The ones that hadn't — even in low-probability situations — often wish they had.

You don't need to create fear in your workplace. You need to create confidence. A well-designed active threat program does exactly that.