BARRICADE.   EGRESS.  CONTROL.  OPPOSE.  NOTIFY

Immediately following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, BSR realized that training for active shooter events was severly lacking practicality. Historically, in these types of events, citizens training during an Active Shooter Event (ASE) was not being retained or used efficiently or effectively. BSR's goal was to create a program that is flexible, practical and hands-on, involving student participation, demonstrations, practical exercises and workstations.

BSR launched their B.E.C.O.N. Active Shooter Emergency Preparedness Program in 2013.  B.E.C.O.N. stands for Barricade, Egress, Control, Oppose and Notify and consists of a series of non-sequential strategies to apply within an emergency situation. Since it’s inception in 2013, the program has been developed to service any organization including Places of Worship, Schools, Hospitals, Workplaces, Law Enforcement, Government Facilities and civilians. BSR’s B.E.C.O.N. program has serviced each of these organizations to include court security personnel, 4-H Camp staff, Hospice and Community Colleges.

As the Active Shooter Scenarios evolve, BSR and the B.E.C.O.N. program will continue to provide the best practices with the most relevant, hands-on Active Shooter Emergency Preparedness training. The B.E.C.O.N. Course offers a 30 min awareness briefing, a 1 hr. course, a 2 hr. course, a 4 hr. course and an 8 hr. course.

Utilize whatever you have available in the room to construct an effective barricade. This makes entry into the room either impossible or forces the intruder to negotiate it.

Just like your standard fire drills, if there is a threat in the building, you get OUT immediately.

If you know where the threat is located and you have a means to evacuate, do not let people’s indecisions to leave inhibit you from pressing forward. Help direct them to come with you, but get out of the building quickly. Look for alternate exits and if feasible, egress through a window.

Control remains constant throughout the planning, preparation, event and post event phases of an emergency situation.

When the emergency situation occurs, some may be indecisive and unwilling to respond. Let you’re training kick in, step up. Take charge of the situation, be proactive, assist and have the confidence and the will to do so.

Having an effective and retainable training plan for your staff will give you that level of confidence to respond proactively, saving your life and the life of other.

Only as a last resort, it may take an act of aggression to stop the Active Shooter from killing you or others.

Becoming the attacker is not expected but may just be the action required to survive the situation. If the intruder enters the room,  are you going to cower, or fight?

B.E.C.O.N.'s reality based hands-on training will give you confidence to respond proactively that an online course simply does not provide.

Put out “Real-time” information as quickly as possible. Use a cellphone, handheld radio, public address system or just by yelling.

The more information you tell people the more options you give them to respond proactively. What is more informative? “There is a shooter in the building!”, or “There is a shooter at or near the main office, North wing!”.

Simply through the information provided or the proximity of shots heard, we can make a collaborative decision to lockdown/barricade or egress. Remember, seconds count!