In wake of WA mass shooting, here’s advice for staying safe at outdoor music festivals

With the rave community and Washington state still reeling from the deadly shooting at the Gorge Amphitheatre Campgrounds on Saturday, June 17, safety protocols have been on many people’s minds.

Full coverage of the shooting:

Soldier accused of killings at Gorge campground was high on mushrooms, police say

Update: U.S. Army specialist accused of shooting at Gorge campground

2 dead and 3 injured, including suspect, in shooting at The Gorge concert campground

The shooting occurred less than a year after the Grant County Sheriff’s Office arrested a different man on suspicion of planning a mass shooting at another Gorge music festival, as he had two loaded pistols in his car outside the festival venue. The Sheriff’s Office later recanted, clarifying the man’s intent was not a mass shooting.

No matter the threat, a possible violent attack at a music festival is a terrifying concept, leaving many wondering how they can continue to partake in the entertainment without compromising their safety.

Staying safe at music festivals

Most seasoned rave-goers are familiar with the many safety aspects involved with dayslong music festivals. They might even have their own safety routine, done at each festival to remain safe in case of emergency, to prevent dehydration, isolation, overdose and other risks.

Some safety tips are relevant for any emergency. Never go to a music festival alone or with people you don’t know. Use the buddy system if you leave your group. If you can, try to have everyone get there early and check out the layout of the festival. Where are the exits, water stations, bathrooms and medic tents? Make sure you all know where to find each.

Many festivals also have a welfare team, in case you aren’t having a good time but don’t need medical attention. This group can help you out, so check where they’re located too.

It’s also a good idea to designate a meet-up spot, where your group will go in case of emergency in order to stay together. If separated when an emergency occurs, your whole group would still be able to easily and quickly find each other, without using phones or drawing attention to yourselves.

Make sure everyone in your group eats full meals and drinks plenty of water during an outdoor festival. The risk of dehydration is extremely high, even more so when under the influence. If you start to feel too hot, find some shade and take time to cool down.

It’s extremely important to have a designated sober buddy. Regardless of the substance, if everyone in your group is under the influence, you’ll be at risk in case of emergency. Consider taking turns being the sober buddy for parts of the festival to share the load.

Why are events targeted?

The United States Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) refers to large events, like music festivals, as mass gatherings. When a lot of people gather in a specific place for a specific reason, it’s considered a mass gathering to CISA.

These gatherings can seem like attractive targets for terrorism and other mass crimes. CISA states this is because of the relatively easy accessibility to many potential targets.

CISA has many resources for individual and group safety, including translated active shooter preparedness resources.

Active shooter at a music festival

Most active shooter incidents last between 10 and 15 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This means law enforcement generally is not on scene until the shooting is over. It’s important to be prepared for an active shooter situation mentally and physically.

When the shooting occurred at The Gorge, attendees were told by alert to “Run, hide or fight suspect.” These are the same three options posed by DHS for active shooter responses.

▪ Run

If you can evacuate from the area, do so. But you should have a route mapped out that blocks you from the shooter’s view, don’t just run blindly. Help others if you can but don’t waste time tracking down belongings. Keep your hands visible as you move, to clearly show everyone who sees you that you are unarmed.

Once you’ve evacuated, try to prevent other people from entering the area, if you can do so safely. Call 911 and inform them you are in a safe area.

Do not try to move injured people. Especially where bullets are concerned, it’s very easy to accidentally do further damage when moving a wounded person, so wait for trained professionals to help them.

▪ Hide

If you can’t get to an exit without the shooter noticing, don’t try to run. Opt for hiding somewhere outside of the shooter’s view where they’re unlikely to find you. The more protection the better, see if you can get somewhere hidden that provides protection from shots fired, like a secured room. You don’t want to be trapped or restricted from moving. Lock the door if you can and create a barricade at the entrance with heavy furniture.

If the shooter gets closer to your hiding space, make sure your phone is silenced and all sources of noise are off. Stay as quiet as possible and hide behind large items.

▪ Fight suspect

If you can’t do either of these, stay calm. Call 911 if you can. If you can’t talk, just leave your phone out so emergency services can listen to what’s going on.

If your life is in imminent danger and the shooter is in close distance, take action. Act aggressively, throwing things and improvising weapons. Yell at them, commit to the aggression, as this poses a threat to the shooter. If you think it’s possible, you could try to disarm or incapacitate the shooter.