Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) is a standard civilian response framework or active shooter protocol designed to maximize survival during mass shooting events, active attacks, or dangerous threat situations. Made to be easy to remember, it gives clear steps for dealing with a crisis situation.
A prepared approach begins with mental readiness and proactive awareness, stressing that being aware and ready to act is the first step to responding. As there is increased public awareness of gun violence and mass shooting events across the country, many people have been looking to learn how to protect themselves. ADD is one of several active shooter protocols that individuals and organizations can use to respond during a crisis. This article explains what the Avoid, Deny, Defend protocol is, why organizations choose it, and how it can be used in different settings.
Key Takeaways
- The Avoid, Deny, Defend protocol gives civilians guidance for quickly responding to dangerous active threat situations by putting more distance between themselves and the threat, building barriers, and, if necessary, defending themselves aggressively.
- The ALERRT Center at Texas State University created this protocol, which is widely used because it is clear, flexible, and complements how police respond to emergencies.
- Being mentally ready, paying attention to what’s going on around you, and knowing what to do as a civilian can greatly increase your chances of surviving an active attack.
What is the Avoid, Deny, Defend Protocol?
The Avoid, Deny, Defend protocol (ADD) was developed by the ALERRT Center at Texas State University, which trains law enforcement officers across the country in rapid response tactics. It consists of three core actions for responding to an active attacker situation:
- Avoid: Create distance between yourself and the threat.
- Deny: Create barriers to block attacker access.
- Defend: Protect yourself with aggressive action if confronted.
ADD is a sequential but flexible protocol that can be quickly adapted as a situation evolves and used in most settings. It fills the gap between the first gunshots and when first responders arrive, giving many citizens a sound plan for survival.
This section explains each step in detail.
Avoid: Create Distance and Escape
In any active threat situation, your first priority is to respond quickly by trying to escape. Move away from danger immediately. It requires a high level of attentiveness and situational awareness, using clues from your surroundings to help guide you in your response.
If avoidance is possible, make sure you:
- Leave your belongings behind and use the nearest exit plan
- Keep your hands visible while moving to safe cover
- Encourage others, but don’t let them slow your escape
Pre-plan so you are aware of all exits. In places you visit regularly, such as workplaces or houses of worship, get to know the building’s layout and keep an emergency exit plan in mind. When visiting somewhere new, try to identify two exits in every room you enter. This will maximize your preparedness and capacity to respond during a crisis.
Deny: Lock Out the Attacker
Sometimes, escaping isn’t an option. The next best way to protect yourself is to deny the perpetrator access to your location. This is an effective strategy that buys time until law enforcement can increase its presence and take over. To ”deny” might include any of the following actions:
- Barricading doors with large objects and furniture
- Using distance and structural barriers to your advantage
- Silencing phones, turning off lights, and staying out of sight
- Spreading out in the room and remaining quiet (if you are in a room with others)
If you are in an environment that follows “lockdown”-style protocols, such as elementary schools, where the vast majority of the population will be unable to defend themselves, “deny” is a key step in securing your environment.
Defend: Protect Your Life
Defense is the last resort when the attacker breaches your space, and your personal safety is at risk. If it comes to this, be prepared and committed to take aggressive action. To defend yourself, use items from your surroundings to improvise weapons. This could be chairs, fire extinguishers, laptops, photo frames, sharp objects, or anything that may distract, stall, or neutralize the attacker.
Individuals with armed conflict de-escalation experience (for example, in law enforcement or the military) may feel more comfortable getting close to the attacker and attempting to disarm them.
As a last-case scenario, fighting the attacker head-on is a terrifying situation that nobody wants to be in. But it can potentially save your life and the lives of others. If it comes to the defense stage, don’t stop until you are safe or law enforcement can take over.
After the Incident
Keep your hands empty and visible as officers arrive on the scene. This will help with the evacuation process and minimize any disruptions to the response.
Once safe, provide officers with any relevant information you have about the attacker’s location, description, and the situation (i.e., they’ve taken hostages, are barricaded, there are multiple attackers, etc.). Stay on site and follow any directions you’re given until you are allowed to leave. This helps to ensure that first responders account for everyone, and in environments where your physical presence is documented (like schools or workplaces), this prevents unnecessary panic and searches when you’re out of harm’s way. When relevant, follow pre-designated reunification plans.
If first responders haven’t been able to reach you yet, and you’re able to do so, apply basic bleeding control and give first aid to those in need.
Why Organizations Choose This Protocol
Some law enforcement professionals and public safety agencies favor ADD over alternatives like “Run, Hide, Fight.” This is often because of the flexibility and agency the terminology offers: For example, “Deny” emphasizes actively creating barriers as opposed to hiding (passive).
Additionally, the ALERRT Center offers a range of training courses built around ADD, such as the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) program and the Civilian Response and Casualty Care (CRCC) course, that aim to support organizations and individuals in being best able to act during an emergency.
When the everyday person—a college student, nurse, retail worker, or bank employee—feels more prepared to act during a crisis, their community becomes stronger. From a small business with 7 employees to an office building with 70, easy-to-understand terminology, such as “Avoid, Deny, Defend,” makes active shooter response preparation as accessible as possible to the widest range of people.
Use Cases Across Environments
Community members may apply ADD principles differently based on context.
Office Buildings
Office building administrators should establish security protocols based on risk assessments. These should include things like access control (which controls who can get into the building), lockdown procedures, and reunification plans.
Routine safety meetings can ensure maximum preparedness for workplaces. At these meetings, security protocols can be reviewed with employees, lockable offices identified, and practice evacuations conducted.
During a crisis, the knowledge gained in these meetings can help to guide the Avoid, Deny, Defend principles. For example, an employee can exit through a back door (“Avoid”) or use boxes to barricade the door to a storage closet (“Deny”) that they learned about in training. If confronted with the attacker, they can use chairs, staplers, trash bins, and other office supplies to defend themself.
College Campuses
College campuses are prime examples of settings where ADD protocols may be most effective. They have multiple buildings, each with several classrooms in it, and have large populations of students that must be prepared. Unlike K-12 schools, where regular drills can be held during the school day, students in higher ed have irregular schedules that involve class, work, and extracurricular activities, both on and off campus, throughout the week. Avoid, Deny, Defend can be trained and understood quickly and is available for use throughout their schooling and beyond.
Campus police should hold annual active-shooter response training in the fall, when students return to campus. Online training is often recommended for all new students, and visual aids (like posters) should be displayed throughout campus.
Here is an example of how ADD can be used on college campuses during an active threat scenario:
- A student receives a notification from the college’s Emergency Notification System (ENS) that there is an active threat in the library where they are currently studying. They hear sounds of danger upstairs. Because the immediate threat is not on their floor, they determine that they can run towards an exit and flee the building.
- If the exit is locked and they are unable to leave, their next option is to prevent the attacker’s access to the space. They can work with others to lock the doors to the stairwell, hide in a private study room, and barricade the doors with the table and chairs.
- If the situation escalates and they are directly confronted with the shooter, they can use available objects, such as books or backpacks, to defend themselves.
Colleges should invest in an emergency notification system to give the community the greatest opportunity to protect themselves during a crisis. Campuses can be very large, and ENS can get information to everyone in seconds, via text messages, app push notifications, PA systems, desktops, signs, etc.
Public Venues
There are two groups to consider when implementing Avoid, Deny, Defend at public venues like theaters and stadiums: staff and visitors.
Staff should be trained on active shooter protocols regularly and be advised on any and all security protocols the venue has so that crises can be managed and employees feel confident in what they should do. Venue administrators should keep in mind that most guests will probably not have formal training in ADD, so maximizing the number of people prepared is essential. Planning for active threat situations should also consider medical issues, like how to respond to injuries and medical emergencies during an incident.
Guests attending should always consider where the exits are upon arrival. They may not have access to a floor plan with all exits listed, but they can stay situationally aware as they attend their event. Preparation, even just through making a mental note, is essential.
Empowerment Through Preparation
What you do matters. The Avoid, Deny, Defend protocol is often chosen because it is simple, flexible, and supports how police respond. Its clear three-step method gives civilians the power to make quick, life-saving choices during active shooter situations, filling the gap until officers arrive.
Learning and practicing Avoid, Deny, Defend can make communities stronger and keep people safe. Being aware and confidently knowing what to do can potentially even save lives. To learn more about other protocols (Run, Hide, Fight; ALICE; the Standard Response Protocol; and ASPP PRO), how they compare, and their best use cases, read our guide to active shooter protocols.
If you or your organization is looking for strategies to improve your security posture and response capabilities, Omnilert is here to help. We are proud to support organizations across a range of industries with active shooter detection and crisis response. Our DHS Safety Act-designated AI Gun Detect technology aims to detect visible firearms within a fraction of a second, helping to enable earlier action and speed up emergency response. Click here to learn more about our security solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Avoid, Deny, Defend protocol?
The Avoid, Deny, Defend (ADD) protocol is a response framework developed by the ALERRT Center at Texas State University. It outlines three key actions that people can take during an active shooter or active attack event: “avoid” the threat by keeping your distance and escape if possible, “deny” the attacker access to you or your space by creating barriers, and “defend” yourself using whatever you have at hand if you are confronted.
Why is Avoid, Deny, Defend chosen over other active shooter protocols?
Many people like ADD because its steps are clear, flexible, and easy to remember, giving them the power to act quickly and decisively. Some protocols focus on hiding, but ADD encourages people to actively create barriers and defend themselves when needed, which can fill the time while waiting for law enforcement’s response.
How can I learn how to use the Avoid, Deny, Defend method?
The ALERRT center offers a range of courses to learn active shooter response, including the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE) course. Ultimately, being prepared starts with being mentally ready and aware of your surroundings. Wherever you are, know where the exits are and have a plan for getting out, just in case.
