We’ve all been there: a quick trip to the mall, where the spouse goes one way, you go another, and the kids are split between the two.  What happens if you find yourself in a public place during an active shooter event?  How would you find your family if you got separated?  ITS Tactical has a great article written by Jeff Gonzalez, former Navy SEAL and head of Trident Concepts, that lays out exactly how to set up a link-up plan. (By the way, you should be reading that site daily!)

First and foremost, keep it simple; “meet at this location, at this time.”

A major mistake is what to do if you’re at the predetermined location, or rally point, but no one else has arrived. Now what? You need to have a condition, something like “wait five minutes, then move to this location.” There are actually a lot of reasons why someone might not have been able to make it to the rally point, such as having to cross a major danger area, like the attack site, that didn’t exist beforehand.

If members of your group, or even you yourself, don’t make it to the rally point by the given time, the next step is to fall back to a secondary rally point. The objective with each successive bounding action to the next rally point, is to ensure you’re moving closer to your escape with each movement. The predetermined time limits give you and the rest of your group the opportunity to link up during a fluid and chaotic situation. It doesn’t hurt to even rehearse this plan at a local mall or school event, just make sure everyone knows it’s a drill.

He’s also got some advice about how to return accurate fire.  I suggest you at least take a quick look.

Before you accuse us of being paranoid, think about it.  You have a plan for what to do if there’s a fire in your home, right?  You have a plan for what to do if an intruder breaks in, or if a disaster happens.  Why wouldn’t you have a plan for what to do if something happens while you’re out in public?  Take the time and make a plan.  You never know—your family’s lives may someday depend on it.