LAX shooting: I was in Terminal 3

As one of the hundreds of people in Terminal 3 at LAX when the shooting began Nov. 1, my first signal that something was wrong was the sound of a stampede. There was a brief instant before passengers and airport employees hit the gate area, fleeing from the security checkpoint.

Then, the throng stormed into the waiting area for gates 31 through 33. A TSA officer whose face, like everyone’s, showed deep terror, led the way. He sprinted past the newsstand — I think I asked what was going on, and someone may have said, “Shooter” — and made a sharp left out the emergency exit.

I ran with the crowd. We surged through the double emergency exit doors and rushed onto the escape stairs on the exterior of the glass-walled terminal. The steps took us into the underbelly of the airport, then onto the airfield. Only then did the crowd slow, when we were beneath the massive wings of an airplane. People were gasping, pacing and asking questions.

When a second mob suddenly surged out of the terminal again, our crowd scattered. Exposed on the wide-open tarmac, I played out a variety of scenarios in my mind. Most of them were extracted from snippets of news stories. I tried to remember what had saved people’s lives.

A few police cars, with sirens wailing, raced across the runways. But, as I sought an escape route or hiding place, there were many employees going about business as usual. I warned them, surprised that a mass emergency code hadn’t been put into effect, that all airport personnel hadn’t been alerted according to a protocol. Due to the increased frequency of mass shootings in recent years, and LAX’s role as a high-traffic, high-profile airport, I thought that security experts would have an impressive plan for a swift alert and response.

Eventually, I waited hundreds of yards from the terminal from which I’d sprinted, with baggage employees. No information came over their radios. The number, identity and location of shooters remained unknown to us. As far as we knew, the situation remained volatile. Metal baggage carts were potential cover.

Fortunately, the situation was brought under control. After a few minutes, a shuttle arrived for passengers. Then, Terminals 1 and 2 were evacuated, and I joined this group. We waited outside for 30 minutes to an hour before being shuttled to a holding facility where we joined other passengers. Eventually, the Red Cross brought water and snacks, and police arrived to question witnesses.

LAX has been criticized for chaos in the aftermath of the shooting. While the situation — most specifically, the breakdown in communication — was far from ideal, it also was not pure chaos. As we all know, the first priority is to eliminate imminent danger, which LAX law enforcement did swiftly.

However, given this opportunity to scrutinize how their emergency plan panned out in real time, I hope experts at LAX reconsider their handling of crowd management and increase rapid, mass communication. Better-organized communication among non-law enforcement employees, and between employees and civilians, would improve response time and bring large numbers of people to safety more quickly.

My thought process as I ran from the shooter also made me realize that I needed to take a hard look at my own emergency preparation. Despite the prevalence of tragedies of mass violence I learn about in the news, I had never thought through how I would actually respond, in what seemed like an improbable situation. I’m likely not the only person who doesn’t look for evacuation routes in public places, and I’m often plugged into my electronics, making me less alert to my surroundings.

Since last week’s shooting, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a number of experts about how we can best equip ourselves for emergencies. Anna Burton, assistant general manager at the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, says: “The first order of business, whether you’re at home or traveling, is to be aware. Where are you? And, what is your plan?”

Chief Communications Officer at the American Red Cross Los Angeles Region Terri Corigliano says: “When faced with an active shooter, you should immediately get out of the area, find a safe place to hide and call 911 if you are able.” She also advises carrying identification and money or a credit card separate from your wallet or purse. (I wish I had done this because I left everything in the terminal.) Further, Corigliano recommends taking a Red Cross first aid/CPR course, to be prepared to help until first responders arrive: “It could save your life or someone else’s.”

Burton emphasizes that there’s much overlap between how you can prepare yourself for the unlikely event of an active shooter scenario and preparation for more likely events, such as natural disasters. “Southern California is long overdue for a significant earthquake,” she says. “Do you have an emergency kit in your car? If you’re traveling, do you have a mini-emergency kit? Ask yourself, do I have enough medication for myself and my family?”

When asked about how to best assist others, Burton encourages individual assessment: “Ask people what their needs are and how you can help. It can be as simple as putting their hand on your shoulder or carrying their bag.”

You can also mentally prepare so that you will be equipped to respond in the case of a large-scale emergency. The City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department uses the video “Run. Hide. Fight.,” produced by the Department of Homeland Security and the city of Houston, to educate employees about what to do in the case of an active shooting.

Ask yourself, as I’m asking myself: How would I react? How should I react? And how, through preparation, can we best respond to keep safe others and ourselves?

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Marissa Tinloy is a freelance writer based in the greater Los Angeles area. She’s working on her first novel.