Why Ohio State is telling students to ‘run hide fight’ from attacker

Ohio State University reported an active shooter situation Monday morning. While mass shooter situations have become tragically common in the U.S. recently, something about the warning stood out.

“Run Hide Fight,” stood out to many, but it isn’t the first time that phrase has been used for an active shooter situation. In fact, it’s become a national standard.

A video bearing the same name was produced by the City of Houston, Texas in July 2012 and funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security. The video has been viewed more than 5 million times, and many now say it’s the national protocol for what to do in an active-shooter situation.

The video tells civilians they should first find a way out, or run. If people can’t run, then they need to hide, and if they can’t hide, then prepare to fight. It encourages people to have a plan in place before an active shooter comes, as a plan could be the difference between being killed or getting out alive.

“First and foremost, if you can get out, do,” the narrator of the video states. “Always try and escape or evacuate, even if others insist on staying. Encourage others to leave with you, but don’t let them slow you down with indecision.”

If you can’t run, the protocol tells potential victims to find a hiding spot in a room, preferably with a door that locks, or behind large objects and to keep quiet and silence your phone. Absent a way to hide, it says grab a large object, arm yourself however you can and prepare to fight.

The video has been produced in multiple languages. There are also posters and pocket cards promoting the standard, which has prompted some controversy among university students, some of whom say the posters promote a culture of fear and paranoia, according to the Corvallis Advocate.

“The posters make me feel like it’s a constant threat,” Bailey Williams, who was a junior at Umpqua Community College when she made the comments on Facebook. “I don’t feel like it solves any problems. I think it normalizes school shootings and if you just follow what the posters say you can survive the ‘fire’ with your own actions.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2016 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Why Ohio State is telling students to ‘run hide fight’ from attacker."