The Three Pillars of Survival (Plus One)

By Lt. Joseph Pangaro, CPM, CSO, and PASS trainer

Among the trainers, advisory board members, and other stakeholders at PASS, we have a simple saying that  keeps us focused on our mission: It can happen anywhere.

We live in a day and age when an active shooter, mass killer, or lone wolf terrorist can strike anywhere at any time, so we have to understand the potential for the danger we face individually and as a society no matter where we live. Uncomfortable, but true.

Getting the right mindset is critical if we are to survive a violent event; taking advantage of the technology and equipment that is available to us is just as critical and something that can’t be ignored or avoided. Once we accept this premise and decide to get a survival mindset, we have already begun to increase our chances of survival during a deadly event.  

As a person who provides threat assessments for all kinds of facilities, I am often asked how to look at securing a school in simple terms that can be easily remembered. To that end, I have summed these actions up into the “Three Pillars of Survival,” points to remember during a life-threatening situation like facing an active shooter, mass killer, or terrorist attack.

Pillar One: Preparation – Mental and Physical

We must have a response plan, and we have to practice our responses before we face danger. The first pillar is personal: We  must confront our fears about being in a deadly situation and find a way to overcome them.  This is not easy, so how can we do it? One way we can overcome our fear is to visualize ourselves in a bad situation and ask what we would want to be able to do in that situation. We don’t want the first time we consider survival to be when danger shows up at our door. Preparation is all about thinking ahead to figure out what to do before it happens.

All of us need to prepare by training, practicing, and educating ourselves on the best ways to respond to danger.  

Pillar Two: Communication

We must be able to communicate danger to our brother and sister officers, students, and staff as quickly as possible, and we must be able to exchange vital information during a violent incident.

There are many excellent products on the market today that can provide that second pillar of protection, allowing us to communicate with those we protect when it is most important.  The PASS Guidelines have a complete component-level category on communications at every layer.  

When it comes to communication, the police and other emergency services workers must also be able to talk to each other; communication is the key to the best possible response, and if we who are hiding or fighting for our lives can communicate to the police, then our chances of survival grow exponentially. Being able to exchange timely information in a crisis is vital to survival.

Pillar Three: Notification 

People in trouble must be able to notify the outside world that they need help, and they must be able to do it quickly, easily, clearly, and in some cases, silently.

Notification and communication are linked in our plan for survival, and both are just as important as the first pillar, preparation. The programs and equipment offered today are extremely reliable and cost-effective, and they provide instant and ongoing communication between those fighting for their lives and those who would save them.  PASS defines the methods and code-compliant technology with our guidelines.  

These are scary conversations, ones I know we all wish we didn’t have to engage in, but that is not the world we live in today. To avoid confronting these three pillars of survival is to invite tragedy into our lives and the lives of people we are sworn to protect. Avoiding this conversation and the actions required only leaves us unprepared and vulnerable; all of us must get ready to react while at the same time hoping we never have to, but if we are aware and prepared, we may just survive when the violence comes.

Plus One: Mental Health

We must all consider the mental health component of our students, staff, and visitors to any facility. By adding a mental health counselor to our schools and workplaces, we can better monitor the interactions between our students and staff. We can identify threatening comments, writings, drawings, or social media posts and intervene before violence takes place.

Some schools are doing this now as part of their overall wellness plans, and it is a great addition and one of the most important things we can do for safety and security.  

Why? Because it can happen anywhere. The biggest obstacle to being prepared is avoiding uncomfortable truths. This is a necessary mindset for those responsible for keeping us, our kids, our schools, and our businesses safe. 

“It will never happen here” serves no one. While based on statistical fact to a large degree, that mindset might get people killed. I ask my training audiences all the time: “When and where will the next active threat occur?”

No one can answer that question. If they could, any number of us would go there and stop the violence and be a big hero, but that will never happen because no one knows when or where the next horrific attack will come. The only thing we can do is be prepared. The Three Pillars of Survival (Plus One) are simple guides. Learn them, act on them, and be safe.   

Let me know what you think. Email me at Joe@Pangarotraining.com.

The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) bringing together expertise from the education, public safety, and industry communities to develop and support a coordinated approach to making effective and appropriate decisions with respect to safety and security investments. You can download the complete PASS Guidelines here, or check out our PASS Safety and Security Checklist for quick tips on how to get started.  These resources—as well as white papers on various topics including barricade devices, lockdown drills, and more—are available at no cost.