200 Colleges, Corporations Embrace Safety and Training After Shootings at N. Illinois, VA Tech, Omaha Mall

SPOKANE , Wash., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Next month marks some of America's darkest anniversaries including Virginia Tech, Columbine and Oklahoma City . The most recent mass shootings in Virginia, Illinois and Nebraska are moving leaders in business and academia to action. Across the nation, university administrators and corporate risk and security officers are now taking action to limit workplace violence that costs employers $36 billion and affects two million Americans every year. A new training program, called Shots Fired, launched last September, provides critical guidance on how to recognize and survive an active shooter incident and has already been adopted by major corporations, such as AOL, Adobe, Boeing, Conoco-Phillips, FedEx, McKesson, NASDAQ, Pfizer and State Farm in addition to more than 175 public and private universities.

"Colleges and universities have spent a great deal of time and money since Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois in trying to make their campuses safer," says Allen J. Bova, Cornell University's Director of Risk Management. "Showing the Shots Fired video to our employees is one of the best things we can do. Every employee that has viewed it says there should be mandatory viewing for every student, staff member and faculty member. It empowers people and meets a real need," adds Bova. Nearly 200 U.S. colleges have licensed the program, including the Universities of Colorado, Nebraska, San Diego , and Wisconsin, as well as Brigham Young, Oklahoma State, Rutgers, and Southern Illinois. Additionally, multi-campus systems such as California State University and the University of Texas have also licensed the program.

"The goal of Shots Fired is to equip everyday Americans with a survival mindset to quickly evaluate options and make life-saving decisions during an active shooter or hostage incident," according to Randy Spivey , Executive Director of the Center for Personal Protection & Safety, and creator of the Shots Fired, When Lightning Strikes DVD and training program.

For more information or to view the Shots Fired DVD, go to: www.shotsfiredDVD.com

SOURCE Shots Fired