Act to survive gunman on a spree

News of a 17-year-old student storming his Germany high school and killing 15 serves as a solemn reminder of the peril students everywhere still face in the classroom.

Experts say the danger from the increasing number of shooting attacks is so chaotic, that even before the first responding officer arrives, a person can take several actions to increase their odds of survival.

If you're ever found in such a situation, law enforcement officials say there are steps you can take to help you live through an event such as the one Derek O'Dell almost didn't survive.

Moments after O'Dell heard popping sounds down the hall, a gunman stepped inside his college German class at Virginia Tech, shot him and fired a barrage of 9mm slugs through most of his classmates.

In the 10 years leading up to the Virginia Tech massacre, 42 gunmen across the United States gunned down 210 students and faculty during school, killing 78, according to data compiled by the Deseret News.

And since the 2007 VT massacre, seven gunmen have shot 79 students and faculty at school, killing 43.

Obvious gang-related shootings were not included in the data, which is specifically intended to follow active-gunmen-type shooters.

Dave Grossman, a West Point professor and founder of Killology science, coined the "active" shooter neologism in the late 90s to distinguish modern killers, who actively and indiscriminately aim for the most possible bloodshed without concern for themselves, from the deal-striking, hostage-taking oriented type in the past who typically killed for gain.

"These killers are on a spree, out to kill as many people as possible, and 'take no prisoners' could well be their motto," Grossman said.

The chances of meeting a gunman may be low but a student is 17.6 times more likely to die from a bullet at school than by a fire, according to a comparison of U.S Fire Administration statistics.

In perspective, school shooters kill more students each year than 93,500 school fires do in 17 years.

International codes, U.S. and state laws closely regulate fire safety; Utah elementary schools are supposed to drill monthly, high schools bimonthly.

But because laws do not mandate school officials to practice gunmen scenarios, besides perhaps a broad statement saying they must "drill for other emergencies" once a year, faculty and students are largely left to voluntarily or self-prepare for such a circumstance.

Law enforcement interviews, analysis from past gunmen behavior, and a ballistics test conducted by the Deseret News, BYU police and the Utah County Sheriffs Office, all reveal advice for someone in danger at each level of a an "active" threat: from hearing the ominous pops, to escaping, to barricading and finally to a face-to-face melee.

First, believe it