Vancouver police have unveiled an intense educational video designed to prepare residents for active shooters and other deadly threats.
While these types of incidents are exceedingly rare in Canada, they do happen. Police Chief Adam Palmer pointed to the 2014 shooting in Yaletown that ended in a firefight with police near Science World, and the Toronto van attack that killed 10 people last month.
"We're not trying to fear-monger or anything like that, I just think that putting our head in the sand and pretending everything's going to be fine also isn't an option," Palmer told reporters Wednesday.
"It's like preparing for earthquakes or anything else – it may not happen for 150 years, but you have to be prepared for it."
The dramatic video, which features a pulse-pounding soundtrack, begins in an office building as people are arriving for work. A gunman enters the lobby, pulls out a shotgun and opens fire, killing a security guard and others.
On another floor, alarmed employees work out how they can protect themselves.
The video includes a number of tips – including a reminder to mute your cellphone if avoiding an active shooter – but its main message boils down to three words: run, hide, fight.
"These will be high stress situations and we don't want to complicate the messaging, so we've boiled it down to three things to remember," Palmer said. "You may do all three, you may two of the three, you may do one of the three, but those are the three things you have to know."
When there is a clear and safe escape route such as a fire exit, police recommend bystanders run away. When there isn't, people are advised to hide. When neither option is available, Palmer said the best chance of survival is to fight back, using whatever is on hand as a weapon.
"This is a last resort, but you have every right to defend yourself under high-risk situations like this," Palmer said.
It's unclear whether a particular incident inspired police to produce the video. Palmer said they started thinking about putting it together about a year ago.
Though it specifically portrays a gunman murdering employees in an office space, Palmer said the same lessons apply to incidents in shopping malls, churches, schools or outdoor spaces, and to attacks involving knives, vehicles or "anything else that can cause harm."
Some might question the need for such a video in Vancouver. The 2014 shooting in Yaletown was targeted – involving a disgruntled employee trying to murder his former boss – and didn't result in any fatalities, distinguishing it from the mass shootings seen with some regularity south of the border.
Palmer acknowledged gun violence in Vancouver is "relatively low" compared to other cities, but said it's better for the public to have some basic lessons in mind should a worst-case scenario play out.
"The public needs to know what to do … because it will take several minutes for police and first responders to arrive," he said.
The police chief estimated the video cost around $20,000 to make. It was funded by the Vancouver Police Foundation, and produced with help from E-Comm, BC Emergency Health Services and Vancouver Fire and Rescue.
