What would you do in a situation that would be dire to your safety? The Lake Land College police department along with Marketing and Public Relations (MPR) has released a video that deals with just that.

Todd Short, a sergeant on the police force, is heading this area, as he has prior knowledge working at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on their task force. The video highlights the importance and steps in getting out of any sort of emergency. The possibility of being bitten by a shark is higher than a shooting on campus, but you can never be too prepared. 

Knowing when and where to run is important in a situation involving fire. Knowing your emergency locations based on your building is something we encourage you to look out for. Placement of fire extinguishers and emergency exits are posted all over campus, especially in bathrooms. 

Hiding is very important if a situation arises when an intruder is in your area. Being able to barricade yourself in a room and hide from a potential bad guy could be crucial in saving your life. Short recommends people keep their phones on silent and not leave their spot until they get a Laker Alert through the new RAVE emergency alert system. Make sure that in any room you’re in you find something to barricade the door if it doesn’t have a lock on it, and find something you could use to defend yourself and others. 

This brings us to fight. If someone is able to breach your hiding location, know how to successfully disarm the perpetrator. Being able to get them in the prone position with arms and legs apart from each other is best when apprehending a potential suspect until the police arrive. 

Make sure to look at your surroundings in any building on campus. We are in a circle so getting turned around is very easy. A word of advice that everyone should know if a shooter does arrive, is to run in a zig-zag if you are fleeing the scene, keeping yourself and others quiet and looking for those Laker Alerts.