PHOENIX (CBS5) -
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself what you would do in a shooting situation? Well, the city of Houston basically put out a survival guide about how to react in a mass shooting situation, and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office says it is a must-see.
It's actually a public service announcement produced by the Houston Mayor's Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security, depicting an active shooting scene.
In the video, people are urged to run from the situation if possible, hide next to something if you can't and, as a last resort, fight back.
"Improvise weapons, disarm him and commit to taking the shooter down," the narrator said in the video.
"It absolutely addressed the issues that everyone needs to be aware with, especially with the number of shootings we've had in the last month," said John Kleinheinz, the captain of the SWAT team with the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. He said people shouldn't think it can't happen to them.
"You're not paying attention to the situation that you're in and you can become a victim."
But is a step-by-step survival guide really needed in this day and age, or will it just cause panic and paranoia?
"I don't think it creates panic as much as it answers the question, 'What would I do if I were in that same position?'" he said. He also said MCSO goes to schools to make sure they have plans in place in case there's a shooting.
This PSA video has been very popular, with nearly 1 million hits on YouTube and requests from other cities and businesses to use it. [Click here to see the full PSA.]
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
