Gun violence has become a leading cause of death in the United States of America. It has become a reality that consumes the lives of tens of thousands of people each year. The year 2018 has seen so far more than 100 mass shooting incidents.
Many of these violent incidents have found their way into educational institutions such as schools and junior colleges as well. This year, the month of May alone witnessed five shooting incidents in learning establishments which occurred in the states of California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia and Indiana. The incident at Texas, at the Santa Fe High School, claimed the lives of ten people, including eight students and two faculty members. Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Texas and Georgia are the states with the highest incidence of mass shootings in educational institutions.
As a direct consequence of all these recent developments, the last one year has seen a mercurial rise in the number of active shooter coverage programs being introduced in the insurance market. These programs have also become increasingly economical and cost effective. This only suggests that active shooter programs are no longer being considered a luxury that only the exclusive and elite can afford, but rather a necessity that should be made affordable and accessible for all.
A number of insurance providers offer active shooter coverage programs for schools as a primary policy option with a liability limit. Many of them provide coverage that ranges in the order of millions of dollars. These programs include extensive pre-incident and post-incident services.
Pre-active shooter incident services include an initial risk assessment, a security assessment and consultation services. These services aim at establishing tight entry and exit control protocols to enhance security measures on campus. Security personnel, faculty and administration members are also provided focused training to identify potential active shooters. Many educational institutions in some states like Colorado are even considering training their faculty to carry arms and deal with active shooter situations proactively as a risk mitigation measure. This is because more often than not, schools have to deal with an active shooter situation for a good half hour to forty five minutes before police forces can arrive on the scene and take control of the situation.
Emergency communication strategies are also clearly defined so that faculty and administration know whom to notify and through what means. It is crucial that this level of notification happens almost instantaneously in the event of an active shooter incident on campus.
Architectural experts provide valuable inputs to remodel the existing premise design for enhanced safety precautions such as an elevated surface along with interior and exterior spaces that are improvised for greater visibility to easily identify an approaching suspect, bullet proof safe rooms for cover, high walls and so on. Bulletproof glass, although expensive, can also be used to protect extremely vulnerable areas in buildings.
Post-active shooter incident services consist of
- Crisis management services – this includes a 24 hour emergency support framework, counseling and recovery solutions that are immediately put into action.
- Extensive coverage for litigation costs and legal liabilities – an eventuality that is bound to follow a shooting incident, especially one entailing fatalities.
- Medical aid – to provide immediate care and support for those injured.
- Public relations – this involves keeping the local community and the general public constantly aware of the situation through regular updates on social media and other forums, besides safeguarding the educational institution from reputational damage.
- Accountants – to manage charitable contributions coming in from well intentioned citizens, government institutions, NGOs and other social welfare organizations.
- Psychological/Psychiatric assistance – to help people who have survived shooter incidents recover from the shock of the event and resume normal life as soon as possible.
Insurance policies describe in great detail the type of weapons and firearms covered under the program. Furthermore, educational institutions can also opt to insure themselves against property damage and disruption to activity in schools. Recently, new items such as vehicle attacks have also been included in the policy coverage offered by many insurance companies.
Active shooter insurance is still a relatively new addition to the market that is becoming increasingly affordable owing to the unfortunate rise of gun violence in the country, especially in learning establishments where the future of the nation lies exposed and vulnerable. Not surprisingly, active shooter insurance has become an increasingly prominent component of an educational institution’s administrative plans that necessitates serious budgetary considerations.