I raise the topic because the tenant safety organization at my workplace is pondering what to do, and how to prepare people for a 'situation'. It's a mark of the times that this kind of hazard - someone going on a rampage with a gun - is no longer unthinkable. It's not an easy thing to plan for, either.
My apologies to anyone who may have experienced gun violence - I'm going to go over some scenarios, and hope it will not be too traumatic. If you have experience to share, please do so. When I was talking about this with some of my co-workers, several of them said their kids are already getting training in this in school.
Some thoughts below the Orange Omnilepticon.
The problem of planning for some kind of shooting event in the workplace turns on a number of elements. How easily can your workplace be secured? How hard is it to control access? Is there a security force on site, or do you have to wait for local law enforcement to respond? Do you have surveillance cameras on site? Some other kind of safety systems?
How do you alert the people in your worksite? Is there some kind of PA system? How many people have to be warned? Is there a procedure to follow if someone becomes aware of a possible threatening situation? Do you know what phone numbers to call if something starts happening in your workplace? Does your workplace have a policy about personal firearms? Do you know if anyone is carrying?
Who in your building has medical training to cope with injuries? Any people with EMT training, or as volunteer firemen? How do you get them where they need to be if an incident occurs? What kind of emergency medical supplies are available in the building? Where's the nearest hospital, trauma center, emergency clinic? If there's a specialized trauma center near your workplace, sending shooting victims there ASAP could be critical.
What kind of scenarios are being considered? A shooter inside a building is one situation with its own complications; a shooter outside is a very different case. Is there a place in your worksite where you could take shelter, lock or barricade it from the inside to prevent a shooter from getting into a room? From reading the GunFail compilations here by David Waldman, it's clear that building materials (walls, doors, etc.) do not give as much protection from flying bullets as most people believe.
Where are your escape routes? Where would you try to get to? One scenario is of a fire alarm being pulled during an incident, causing an exodus from a building - which might not be a good idea if there is a shooter waiting outside - or more than one. And what happens if someone happens to have their own personal firearm available and tries to play Good Guy versus Bad Guy? How can you tell who is who in the heat of the moment?
I don't have easy answers to any of these questions, or even hard answers. It's going to take planning and education of everyone involved to come up with a set of procedures to follow IF something happens. But we'll have to - because it's no longer 'unthinkable'.