The Mass Shooting Tracker reported that in 2019 there were 374 mass shootings in the U.S. Given this reality, it is essential to take all possible steps to protect your employees and visitors from harm. It should be a core requirement of every organization’s security plan to give serious consideration to how they will thwart an active shooter. Putting a security plan in place to guard against on-site violence begins at the perimeter, and security entrances are a strong first line of defense against the threat of an active shooter.
California now requires that hospitals conform to minimal security standards by laying out required guidelines. This law is confined to the state of California, but it has national implications. Some hospital security executives believe that it is just a matter of time before these standards begin to appear in Environment of Care Standards required by the Joint Commission.