LEARNING TECHNIQUES TO FIGHT THREATS

Last year, Mt. Hood students took part in a survey where campus safety was revealed as one of their top concerns.

In response, campus leaders created an Active Threat Awareness event: Fardwosa Duale, campus safety and sustainability representative for MHCC’s Associated Student Government (ASG), wanted students and staff to be better informed on what to actually do in an active shooter or similar threat.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow so we should be ready for anything,” said Duale.

That point was made again just two days earlier, in another fatal high school shooting near Denver, Colorado.

Duale, along with Wayne Feagle, from Mt. Hood’s Public Safety department, led the Awareness event on May 9 in the Student Union.

Feagle first discussed the “Run-Hide-Fight” guidelines adopted from the federal Department of Homeland Security, with the help of a video. The guidelines go over techniques that can be used by anyone in the event of an active threat:

RUN – is described as running away from the threat, but it is recommended to do this only if you know where the threat is: Make sure you are running away from the threat, and not toward it!

HIDE – hide behind or inside anything that will allow your whole body to not be visible. Stay quiet and silence all electronics. 

FIGHT – if the threat seems to be getting closer to where you are, the best option is to fight. Pick up any large item like a chair, desk, etc. and improvise, using it as a weapon to defend yourself and those with you.

Feagle noted, “Our biggest concern is that people may just ‘freeze’ if something like this happens. We hope everyone now understand there are ways to survive in an event like this.”

As for heading off potential danger before anything actually happens, Feagle also explained the Threat Assessment of Students of Concern.

This assessment is used when a person feels that an individual may be a threat to themselves or to the school. Threats can include threatening behaviors, relationship violence, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, discrimination, hate crime, bullying, academic dishonesty, or other student misconduct.

If anyone on campus is having these concerns, they can bring it to the threat assessment team, found in the Public Safety office (Room 2330) or by calling 503-491-7911. Concerns can also be submitted online at mhcc.edu – find the Public Safety tab and click on Threat Assessment of Students of Concern and a link to fill out the form will be prompted.

The team will then evaluate the actions needed.

Feagle emphasized the importance of bringing concerns to authorities: “Realize there are threats out there. The more knowledge you have, the better prepared you will be to save your life and even the lives of others,” he said.  

Duale recommended that students to get to know their college very well, and be updated on RAVE alerts (via phone or other device) to be informed of any current threats.