Do you have a plan?

Of course this isn't a post that I want to write or feel all that comfortable sharing. There's a reason I'm not putting labels on this post. But as days go by and things keep happening, I think it's important to think about it. On Monday morning, my mom sent me this article from the Washington Post. Certainly this wasn't taught in library school, but now I'm afraid it's something to think long and hard about.

At my previous library job, we had police come in and talk with us about what to do in case a shooter entered the building. I had two plans - one if it was the morning/early afternoon and there were no teens in my room and two if there were teens in the room.

At my current job, it's a little bit harder. The floor plan is much more open and I have a few ideas, but I need to think more about it.

So I came up with a list of questions to think about:

1. How long does it take police to respond to a 911 call?  However long that is, is too long and so much can happen in that time frame.
2. Is there a safe place to herd people towards?
3. Is there anything I can do to slow things down?
4. Do I make myself a target to save the kids in the room?
5. What if I'm in the stacks and I don't have my cell phone on me, will there be someone else to make the call? And how much extra time will that add?
6. Will the book stacks be enough cover if you crouch low enough?
7. Where do you run to - how far away is safe enough and where do you meet everyone else?
8. Does your library already have a plan in place? Are they working on one?

Are there other questions to ask?