No matter the location or the industry vertical, every facility is completely unique in its security challenges and needs. There is, however, one thing every facility has in common: Any facility can be a target of armed intruders. With the frequency of shooting incidents and other acts of violence increasing, workplaces are more important than ever to be prepared.
While workplace violence can’t be predicted and it is impossible to plan for every potential scenario, it is possible to take proactive steps to lower your risks.
What is a Hostile Intruder?
A hostile intruder is anyone that enters a facility and threatens the personal safety of its occupants. Specifically, an active shooter/ hostile intruder is an individual actively engaged in harming or attempting to harm people in a confined and populated area by any means. This includes but is not limited to using firearms (most frequently used), bladed weapons, vehicles, or any tool such circumstance in which it constitutes deadly physical force. In most cases, there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. Most active shooter situations are unpredictable, evolve quickly, and are over within minutes.
Prevention Strategies and Solutions for Southern California Facilities
Like facilities across the nation, there are some important considerations in preventing hostile intrusion at your Southern California facility. Here are the top strategies for keeping your facility and occupants safe.
Conduct a Risk Assessment
First, conduct a thorough risk assessment of your facility to identify areas where security can be increased. Involve security professionals in this process.
Secure the Perimeter of the Property
The next important step in preventing an active shooting is keeping unauthorized individuals at the perimeter. Steps to doing so may include security measures such as:
- Use security fencing and gated entry
- Install adequate lighting around the facility
- Employ the use of outdoor video surveillance, analytics, and 24/7 monitoring
- Install intrusion detection
Secure the Inside of the Facility
- Use access control to secure different and sensitive areas of the facility, including between your facility’s lobby and main or working area. Make sure when temporary access is granted — to contractors or short-term employees, for instance — that ID badges, passwords, and security codes are recovered, changed, or revoked after the engagement ends.
- Use indoor video surveillance to serve as a deterrence and provide situational awareness. Use analytics to help identify suspicious behaviors and monitoring to help initiate action when it detects suspicious behaviors.
- Employ the use of intercoms and other facility-wide communication systems to inform and direct occupants in an emergency event.
- Train all members of the workplace to identify potential warning signs and the process of reporting them to appropriate parties, whether it is security staff, human resources department, or a supervisor.
While no prevention plan is absolute protection against a hostile intrusion, having the right solutions in place is imperative in the ability to prevent and react to an event.
About Sierra Group
As a united, multi-disciplined service-focused company specializing in electronic physical security, we have a unique 360° perspective that gives us the ability to help you meet your specific security needs with laser precision.
If you are looking for a security integration and management company or are interested in learning more, please contact us. Our goal is to help you reach yours.
Learn more about the Sierra Group difference here, or reach out to us at:
Chris Jeske
ESD Manager
818-266-7462 (cell)
1-(888)-880-4949 ext. 230
cjeske@callsierra.com
www.callsierra.com
