PSA shows how to survive an active shooter situation

The Framingham Police are running an educational PSA on how to survive an active shooter event.

“It may feel like another day at the office,” the PSA, “RUN. HIDE. FIGHT,” starts. “But occasionally life feels more like an action movie than reality.”

While the authorities are working to protect us, the narrator says, “but sometimes bad people do bad things.”

The statistics it states are daunting, and it acknowledges that motivation and warning signs are hard to predict.

“And unfortunately, you need to be prepared for the worse.”

In the next scene, a man in all black pulls out a shotgun and opens fire in the lobby of a large office building.

The PSA tells people that there are three basic tactics for survival: Run, hide or fight.

It stresses that anyone with the ability to flee should, regardless of other people insisting that you stay put. It suggests you encourage others to flee as well, so long as they don’t slow you down with panic or indecision. Getting out of harms way needs to be priority number one.

If you can’t get out of the area, finding a hiding spot is the next move the PSA suggests. Turning out lights and locking doors after silencing cellphones are the best means of ensuring safety while seeking shelter.

The last resort is to fight for your life. Arming yourself with improvised melee weapons with a full commitment to taking a shooter down is the last, most desperate course of action.

According to ShootingTracker.com, there have been 351 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, from the Jan. 1 shooting in Memphis, Tennessee to the Dec. 2 shooting in San Bernardino, California.

The FBI defines “active shooter” as “a term used by law enforcement to describe a situation in which a shooting is in progress and an aspect of the crime may affect the protocols used in responding to and reacting at the scene of the incident.

Unlike a defined crime, such as a murder or mass killing, the active aspect inherently implies that both law enforcement personnel and citizens have the potential to affect the outcome of the event based upon their responses. Or, an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.”

There is no time to freeze. The PSA stresses that victims are generally selected at random.

A representative from the Framingham Police did not immediately return requests for comment.