Protect Your People and Organization From Active Assailant Threats

JULY 5, 2022

Active shooter/assailant and mass shooting incidents are becoming a more frequent occurrence in the U.S., striking anytime, anywhere.

FBI data shows that active shooter incidents — described as an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area — increased 98.6% between 2017 and 2021. Mass shootings, defined as a gun violence incident in which four or more people are injured or killed (excluding the perpetrator), have tripled since 2013. As these incidents continue on an alarming trend, organizations should take steps now to prevent and respond to an active shooter event.

Historically, companies have looked to more traditional insurance policies such as general liability/umbrella, workers’ compensation, and terrorism to seek coverage following an active shooter or mass shooting event. But those policies may provide limited coverage, if any, following this type of event.

For example, although the Federal Terrorism Insurance Act (TRIA) has been in place since 2001, no event has yet been declared a terrorist act. Terrorism policies are often triggered only for loss arising from a political, ideological or religious motivated event, which may not apply. General liability and workers’ compensation may provide some coverage for liability to employees and third parties, but there may be significant gaps depending on the program structure, exclusions and sublimits, and statutory requirements.

These policies also do not provide pre-event resources or address additional expenses and business losses that typically arise after an event. These policies are limited to the insured location and would not respond if an event occurred at an adjacent property.

Because of such limitations, the insurance market has taken a more holistic approach to these exposures and developed policies that provide risk mitigation resources and seamless, comprehensive coverage. There are several products now available, but it’s important to understand differences that may exist in a policy to ensure the broadest wording and best fit for each company’s unique situation.

Introducing ThreatSafe

The ThreatSafe program, designed by USI Insurance Services to help clients prepare for and recover from an active shooter or mass shooting event, provides critical planning and response resources, and addresses key coverage gaps. The solution offers a broad range of coverage options, including:

• Active Assailant, Loss of Attraction and Threat (ALT): Three of the most common perils combined in one form.
• Active Response: Active Assailant with the addition of a sub-limit for liability associated with an active assailant event.
• Auto Terror Protect: Umbrella insurance for terrorism-related auto events that wraps around any existing motor and third-party liability policies. First- and third-party coverage plus additional supplemental costs and expense.
• Crisis Prevention and Response (CPR): Pre-crisis planning and training to minimize the threat of incidents, plus fast response and communication support to minimize physical/reputational damage
• Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN): Coverage for physical loss and damage caused by demolition, decontamination and prohibition of access orders, and blast damage.
• Workplace Violence and Stalking Threat: Business interruption plus additional consulting expenses as a result of an act of workplace violence or a stalking threat.

All coverage options are secured through USI’s underwriting partners and leverage USI’s decades of real-life crisis/terrorism underwriting and claims experience to offer favorable program structure and terms. Features include:

• $250,000,000 limit for terrorism-related exposures.
• Additional capacity available on a case-by-case basis.
• High limits for other named perils, including strike, riot and civil commotion (SRCC).
• Flexible deductibles.
• Worldwide coverage.

Additional Resources

Organizations have different exposures to active shooter risks; preparation and response planning is unique to each organization and specific industries. Contact USI or access these resources for additional information:

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — Active Shooter Preparedness and Active Shooter Recovery Guide
• Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) — Emergency Action Plans and Procedures eTool
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Emergency Response Resources
• Ready.gov — Recovering From Disaster
• FBI — Active Shooter Resources