The Hartford Consensus II also recommends that tourniquets and other medical equipment be prepositioned in appropriate public locations, similar to how automatic external defibrillators are, and that the public be taught how to use them.
In response to questions about training the public, including school teachers, how to protect themselves and others from an active shooter, Dr. Jacobs responded that the best thing to do is to "run, hide, fight." He stated that the time necessary to hide was typically only 15 minutes before the situation is under control.
"I can tell you that a military-grade bullet, shot at point-blank range into anybody, but especially little people, is devastating," Dr. Jacobs said. The weapon used in the Sandy Hook shooting was a military-style semiautomatic Bushmaster .223 rifle. "While you don’t really want to take on an AK-47 or a Bushmaster," Dr. Jacobs said that if it were necessary to confront the shooter, "be as aggressive as possible."
Surgeons can play a part in ensuring the Hartford Consensus is adopted nationally, said Dr. Wade, by becoming "energized" and meeting with their respective local authorities to discuss ways to protect their communities.
"Be a good citizen," Dr. Rotondo told the audience, suggesting they communicate with other hospitals in their hometowns and develop strong relationships with their local leaders to help prepare for such a disaster. He also mentioned that the ACS committee on trauma is available to the surgical community to help activate change.
The committee’s next step, said Dr. Jacobs, is to work with the entertainment industry to start incorporating the THREAT model into movies and television shows so that a measured response to the type of violence that has become a fact of American life can be modeled for the citizenry.