ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As authorities continue to learn more about the mass shooting in Illinois over the weekend and the others in recent weeks and months, how can you be sure of your safety in a public place as more mass shootings continue to happen in public places?

“Understanding that these are a possibility and unfortunately, I don't want to say a likelihood, because statistically speaking, it's a very small chance, but unfortunately these things seem to be on the rise," Monroe County SWAT Commander Lt. Josh DeRuyter said of mass shootings.

What You Need To Know

  • Police say you should have an exit plan when you are in public places, in case there is a mass shooting situation

  • Officials say you should get a building, vehicle, tree, or other objects between you and the threat

  • You should be thinking through and formulating a "just-in-case" plan can help avoid panicking or freezing, police say 

Communities are still coping with the effects of the recent mass shootings at a grocery store in Buffalo, an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas – and now at a parade in a Chicago suburb.

“People are becoming more creative in regards to the way that they are harming our fellow citizens,” DeRuyter said. “So be prepared ahead of time and knowing what you will do is important.”

DeRuyter says chances of survival increase if you are prepared.

“The first time you want to think about that as not when you're faced with a crisis,” he said.

In all likelihood, most people will never encounter an active shooter situation. But for those who do, there are things that can be done to increase the chances of getting out alive. DeRuyter says you should be sure you have an exit plan should something go wrong.

"Being aware of what's going on around you, being aware of your physical surroundings, the geography of where you're at," he said. 

The Run, Hide, Fight method is what’s encouraged by DeRuyter and other law enforcement.

“The Run, Hide, Fight methodology really does apply to everything,” DeRuyter said. “Running to get away from the threat, hiding if you can’t, and then fighting back when you have no other options still apply. But for large-scale offense, I would say anything that’s out in the public, it's the same mindset that you'd apply inside a building however, you have to expand it and update it constantly.”

But to run, hide or fight, you have to think clearly. DeRuyter says when you are in a public place, look around, be aware of your surroundings, know where you would run and hide and how you would fight if necessary. Having a plan helps to avoid panicking or freezing.

“Getting a building or vehicles in between you and whatever is causing harm is a way to do that as well,” DeRuyter said. “So, be aware of your natural surroundings. Trying to put things between you so that gives you more time to get away is all-important.”

There’s important information you need to know about when law enforcement arrives on the scene as well.

“They're going to be pushing towards wherever the threat is,” DeRuyter said. “They will be bypassing people that are injured initially. They will likely be ignoring anyone that comes by them if they don't appear to be a threat or in the description of the suspect. There's a potential that you could be detained. You could be ordered on the ground.”

Active shooter events are fluid and each one is different, DeRuyter says.

“You can never anticipate everything,” he said. “So you have to be able to adjust the way you evaluate things. It's a constant process.”

But DeRuyter encourages folks to not allow events like these to stop them from going places, as long as they remain aware.