Journalists: It is time to use a consistent set of terms for active assailant attacks.
And emergency management professionals, public safety officials, school officials, and others: this applies to you as well.
There is a big difference between a lockdown and a lockout. Sometimes, the crisis communications messages coming from the site or primary source can be limited, and communities need consistent (and constant) reminders of how action words associated with active assailant attacks (real ones and fictitious ones, too) have different meanings, as well as different actions for 1) first responders to perform, 2) the adversely impacted public to take, and 3) nearby friends and families to comply with, as well.
‘Active Shooter’ has become click-bait in some cases, and it is doing more harm than good. Also, when public safety officials (in a community, a school district, at a corporate campus, college/university, hospital, etc.) issues crisis communications using one phrase, and then it is mixed up with another by local media outlets – chaos and errors can occur. The same is true for partial messaging and a lack of closure for the initiating message. If you say ‘at 8am local time, the campus is on lockout, due to police activity in the open areas, until further notice. No visitors in or out, at this time”, you will also need a closure message when it is safe to return to campus for those who were locked out, or when it is safe to leave the campus for those who were locked in.
Do you know the difference between a lockdown and a lockout, and how it matters greatly as to where you are at the time?
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