GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The message from the Department of Homeland Security is: Run, Hide, Fight.
Those are the steps you should take to get yourself away from an active shooter, with running being your first option and fighting being the last resort.
But experts who talked to WFMY News 2 explained preparedness is more complex than remembering those three words.
"We teach have a plan wherever you go," explains Marko Galbreath, with T4Tactics, out of Lynchburg, VA.
Galbreath teaches active shooter training around the country and says it's good to keep run, hide, fight in mind, but it's not a one size fits all approach. What's more important, he says, is situational awareness.
He recommends recognizing body language and knowing the layout where you are. He gives an example of being at a football game.
"Okay, here's where we're sitting, here's what's around me. If I need to, this is an area of cover to stop a bullet. This is an area of concealment where I can hide."
He also says one of the biggest concerns are smartphones. If you're in an active shooter situation, you want to focus on getting away from the threat. Taking pictures or videos could reveal your hiding spot. If your phone makes a noise, it could also alert a shooter.
"While that shooter is still actively involved in shooting people, the only thing a phone should be used for is texting and calling 911. That's it."
Galbreath also gives a tip for parents to teach situational awareness to their kids at a young age. He recommends making it a game. For example, if you go out to eat, ask your child to pay attention to the room. Then after you leave, quiz them. Ask if they remember certain furniture, certain faces.
"What you're doing is having the kids put their phones down and look at your surroundings," he explains.
When it comes to gunshots, know they sound different indoors and outdoors.
"They're going to be louder, more sudden and you're going to notice the increase of the noise with the reverberations off the walls and what not," explains John Tinker, Retail and Range Manager at Calibers Indoor Shooting Range in Greensboro.
Tinker says different guns make different sounds, too, and it can be difficult to distinguish them from fireworks or a car backfiring.
But if you start to hear a sequence of pops, know that that's a sign of gunfire and a sign you need to get away from the loud noise. If you're not sure, you can always call 911.
"Better to be safe than sorry," Tinker says.
For more information about Calibers Indoor Shooting Range, click here.
For more information on T4Tactics, click here.