by Brianna Crandall — July 17, 2017 — ASIS International, the worldwide association for security management professionals, recently announced it will develop an Active Assailant Supplement to its existing ANSI/ASIS/SHRM Workplace Violence Prevention and Intervention Standard (WPVI). With the addition of this supplement, security professionals will have an enhanced standard for practical methods to develop an effective approach to prevention, intervention, and response to an active assailant — either acting alone or in a group.
Gene Ferraro, CPP, PCI, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, chair of the standard technical committee and chief executive, Forensic Pathways, Inc., pointed out:
Workplace violence is one of the most significant security and personnel safety challenges facing organizations today. Of the many facets of workplace violence, active assailant is the most concerning, because it is the deadliest. Globally, in both the public and private sector, security professionals are searching for solutions. This standard will provide much needed direction and guidance.
The supplement will include security design considerations, protocols, and response strategies, as well as procedures for detection, assessing vulnerabilities, and managing and neutralizing immediately life-threatening behavior perpetrated by an active assailant. While the original WPVI standard focused on prevention and intervention, the supplement addresses on-site response specific to an active assailant or shooter event.
Michael Crane, CPP, vice chair of the technical committee, added:
As the leading association for security management professionals globally, ASIS has the expertise and practical experience within its membership ranks to lead this effort. By tapping into this knowledge base from across the public and private sector — as well as reaching out to key stakeholders across the security spectrum — we will deliver a standard that provides actionable information and guidance to effectively address these low probability, but high consequence, situations. Ultimately, proper preparation and planning will diminish casualties and save lives.
Technical committee formation will take place July 17-August 25. For more information, see the Active Assailant Supplement page on the ASIS Web site.
