Shootings In The Workplace

Workplace shootings. It can’t happen to you, right? Yet it happens more often that we’d like and it does happen to someone (or more likely multiple people). As a truck driver, you might think it’s less likely, but just because your workplace is on the road, doesn’t equate to fewer shootings. A few Star Fleet contractors have unfortunately witnessed this tragedy first hand. Specifically a few months ago when Michael Vance went on a shooting spree in Oklahoma and shot a motorhome driver while one of our contractors (Rudy) and his wife slept in their truck next to the motorhome.

“I got woken up by hearing a door shut at about 1:50 am. I heard people talking and then yelling and then a loud noise. I had to put things together, but eventually knew it was a gunshot & not a tire exploding (which can sound similar). A few seconds later a second shot goes off. Then I heard someone yell, ‘Help! Help! I’ve been shot in the leg!’ I got dressed and out of the truck & saw a car driving off. I was the first to get to the guy screaming and saw blood all over his leg. Then a woman came to help and she was a nurse and we made a tourniquet out of a belt he had on. The police got there and everything was roped off and we had to give statements and I gave an interview to a TV and radio station. The man survived and what I found out later was the car I saw driving off when I first got out of my truck, was actually the shooter.”

Michael then later killed another man who was the brother to another one of our contractors.

I’m not here to discuss the ‘why’ it happens, but rather what you can be on the lookout for and do if it ever happens to you. The response protocol according to the Department of Homeland security & the Bureau of Justice Administration is the acronym ALICE – alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate.

Alert authorities by calling 911 once it is safe.
Lockdown the building as much as possible. This includes interior as well as exterior doors and windows.
Inform authorities of what is happening as it’s happening. This helps dispatchers relay the most up-to-date information. If possible, keep co-workers updated using your internal system.
Counter the attack by fighting back if the tools and circumstances allow.
Evacuate the premises if it is both possible & safe to do so.

Utilizing this protocol can help reduce or mitigate the number of victims, no matter where you are, if an active shooter situation does occur.