ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office hosted a seminar in St. Augustine Tuesday night to teach residents how to respond in an active shooter situation.
It was the first seminar held by the Sheriff's Office since the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando last week.
The training session focused on teaching people how to react and what to expect.
The Sheriff's Office used powerful images to get its message across to the 200 people who attended. Surveillance video of the 1999 Columbine High School shootings was played on screen.
"It's to show, this could happen. This is real. This is not a movie and we're trying to make sure our public understands that the threat is real and the better they prepare now, the better survivability they'll have then," Sgt. Jim Priester said.
What people know is simple, Priester said.
His first tip: Run.
"We want you to run. And it's not run to the parking lot and look back at the building. It's run until you can't see the building anymore, get out of the area," Priester said.
The second tip: Hide.
"That's not hiding under a folding table. That's not hiding. Hiding is going in a room where you have a safe room, where you can barricade the door, where you can silence your cellphone and be undetectable," Priester said.
The final tip: Fight.
"Whatever you can get and use to help yourself or help your friends and family survive, that's what we're telling you to do," Priester said.
The next seminar will be held July 7 in Ponte Vedra Beach.