Suburban business owners prepare active shooter emergency plans

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Schools, movie theaters and hospitals are no longer the only ones preparing for mass shootings.

Wednesday morning in Libertyville, business owners were told by police to have a plan and prepare their employees for such an event.

Business owners from Mundelein and Libertyville are coming up with emergency plans, specifically for active shooters.

Police are here this morning teaching them exactly what to do.

A class at Libertyville Manor Extended Care was planned well in advance of the deadly workplace shooting that happened in Aurora on Friday. The message to business owners from law enforcement is to have a plan in place.

The Mundelein Police Chief Eric Guenther said it's vital that businesses are ready for these types of situations and there are basic things employees need to do if they find themselves in a workplace shooting.

"Run, hide, fight," Guenther said. "If you can remember those three terms. If you can get out, get out. If you have to hide, then do so. Hide and find a place where you can barricade yourself safely and if you have no other option be prepared to defend yourself."

Libertyville Manor Extended Care is in part a senior center and administrators said they wanted to put this seminar together with business owners from the community and police as they continue to see acts of violence around the country.

"We'd rather have something in place than be sitting there afterwards saying we should have done this," said Michael Babicz of Libertyville Manor.

The business owners will now go and draw up their own emergency active shooter plans and then Mundelein police will help refine them.