How to Respond in the First 30 Seconds of a Crisis

Why the First 30 Seconds Matter

Crisis hits fast. You don’t get a warm-up. You get a few seconds. That’s it.

In active shooter events, the average police response time is 3 to 5 minutes. But most of the violence happens in the first minute. According to the FBI, 69% of active shooter incidents end in under 5 minutes, and 36% end in 2 minutes or less.

You’re on your own for those first 30 seconds. Your reaction matters more than any help that may be on the way.

Don’t Freeze: Understand the Brain Under Stress

Your brain does weird things under pressure. Tunnel vision. Time distortion. Memory gaps. You don’t think clearly. You react.

That’s why training matters. Not just military or police training. Real, usable, civilian training. Practice locks in your muscle memory. It gives your brain a script to follow when everything else falls apart.

Lieutenant Jeb Bozarth, a retired SWAT commander and veteran, once told a group of teachers during a school safety training:

“If you haven’t walked through what you’ll do, you’ll just sit there. I’ve seen it happen. Even grown men with security jobs. They freeze because their brain didn’t have a plan.”

Step One: Notice What’s Off

Before the crisis, there are signs. Most people miss them.

Start paying attention to small stuff.

• Someone pacing in a place they shouldn’t be.
   
• A car parked where it doesn’t belong.
   
• A bag left behind that no one seems to own.
   

This is called baseline awareness. It’s the idea that every space has a normal “feel.” When something doesn’t match, it stands out—if you’re paying attention.

Action tip: Start noticing the “normal” at your school, job, store, or gym. What does a normal Monday look like? Sound like? Smell like? You can’t spot a problem if you don’t know what “normal” looks like first.

Step Two: Move First, Think Second

If you hear gunshots, screaming, glass breaking—move.

Don’t wait to confirm. Don’t go live on social media. Don’t ask the crowd. Crowds are usually wrong.

Action tip: Pick a direction and get to cover or out of the building. Move your feet first. You’ll catch up with logic later. Movement buys you seconds. Seconds can keep you breathing.

A survivor from a nightclub shooting once said the only reason she’s alive is because she “ran toward the kitchen instead of stopping to look.”

That was her first 30 seconds. And it worked.

Step Three: Commit to a Simple Plan

Have a plan before something happens. Doesn’t have to be complicated.

Use the Run, Hide, Fight model.

Run

Best case. Get out. Break windows. Push people. Break stuff. Be loud. Be fast. Be rude.

Hide

If you can’t run, get out of sight. Lock the door. Block it with furniture. Turn off lights. Silence your phone. Get low and stay quiet.

Fight

Only if you have no other option. Grab what you can. Fire extinguisher. Chair. Mop handle. Swing with everything you have.

You’re not trying to win a fight. You’re trying to survive one.

Talk to Your People Now

Have the conversation today—not after the headlines.

Action tip: Walk your family through exit plans at school, malls, or events. Talk to your kids in simple terms: “If something scary happens and people run, you run too. Don’t wait for me. Don’t look back.”

Make it routine. Like wearing a seatbelt.

Practice With Real Movement

Your body needs practice to work under pressure.

You don’t have to join a gym or a tactical school. You just need to move in the places you spend time.

Action tip: Go to your workplace and ask:

• What door would I use to escape?
   
• Where would I hide if someone came in right now?
   
• Could I lock this door in 5 seconds?
   
• Is there anything in this room I could use as a weapon?
   

Walk through it. Try it. Once. That’s often enough to give your brain a path to follow.

Control Your Breathing

Panic ruins plans. But breathing controls panic.

There’s one trick that works almost every time: Box Breathing.

Here’s how:

• Breathe in for 4 seconds
   
• Hold for 4 seconds
   
• Breathe out for 4 seconds
   
• Hold again for 4 seconds
  Repeat it. Quietly. While hiding. While moving. While prepping to act.
   

Special forces use this. It works. Fast.

Mistakes People Make in a Crisis

They Wait

People freeze because they don’t want to overreact. But in a crisis, waiting is a gamble. The earlier you move, the better your odds.

They Film It

Too many people take out their phones. Don’t. It wastes seconds and makes you a visible target.

They Follow the Crowd

Groups move slow. Think for yourself. If the crowd is panicking in one direction, look for a side door.

It Doesn’t Take Much to Be Ready

You don’t need to live in fear. You don’t need gear. You need awareness, a simple plan, and the will to move.

Every school. Every workplace. Every home should spend 5 minutes a month walking through a basic plan.

Here’s your to-do list:

• Walk around your most visited places and find exits
   
• Talk to your family about what to do if something bad happens
   
• Practice locking a door and blocking it fast
   
• Mentally rehearse the Run-Hide-Fight plan once a week
   
• Take one local course on threat response or situational awareness
   

You don’t need to become a hero. You just need to not be the one who freezes.

Your life—and someone else’s—might depend on that first 30 seconds.