Which of the following notifications is the best example for HOTEL occupants if there is an active shooter incident occurring on the 5th floor?

Which of the following notifications is the best example for HOTEL occupants if there is an active shooter incident occurring on the 5th floor?

• A. Attention gun shots are fired on the 5th floor. Avoid danger. Move to a secure area immediately. If you can, stay in your room, lock your door and move away from the door
• B. There is an active shooter on the floor. Please shelter in place.
• C. An active shooter has been reported on the 5th floor. Evacuate immediately if safe.
• D. Security has been notified. Proceed to the lobby for regroup.

Answer: (A)

In an active shooter situation, the priority is to reduce exposure and protect yourself with clear, immediate actions. The best notification gives concrete steps for sheltering in place and creating barriers between you and the threat. It begins by acknowledging the danger on the floor and then instructs you to move to a secure area, lock your door, and stay away from it, while also noting that if you can, remaining in your room is safer. This combination of situational awareness and specific protective actions helps occupants quickly position themselves out of harm’s way and minimizes visibility and access for the shooter, buying time for responders. Other messages are less effective because they either offer only general shelter-in-place language without precise steps, push for evacuation when it may be unsafe to do so, or direct people toward a common public area like the lobby, which could be exposed to the threat.

In an active shooter situation, the priority is to reduce exposure and protect yourself with clear, immediate actions. The best notification gives concrete steps for sheltering in place and creating barriers between you and the threat. It begins by acknowledging the danger on the floor and then instructs you to move to a secure area, lock your door, and stay away from it, while also noting that if you can, remaining in your room is safer. This combination of situational awareness and specific protective actions helps occupants quickly position themselves out of harm’s way and minimizes visibility and access for the shooter, buying time for responders.

Other messages are less effective because they either offer only general shelter-in-place language without precise steps, push for evacuation when it may be unsafe to do so, or direct people toward a common public area like the lobby, which could be exposed to the threat.