PLIVO is the Norwegian acronym for Pågående livstruende vold (Ongoing Life-Threatening Violence) and may, for example, involve an active shooter incident or terrorist attack.
An incident involving life-threatening violence is likely to be over within a matter of minutes. You therefore cannot assume that help will reach you while the incident is still ongoing. You must assess what is safest to do based on the situation (personal preparedness).
Immediate Emergency – When an Incident Is Happening Now
If you are near an ongoing violent incident, act immediately according to the principle: RUN, HIDE, REPORT.
1. RUN (Evacuate)
- Assess your escape route: If you have a safe and clear route out of the building, evacuate immediately.
- Leave your belongings behind: Do not waste time packing your laptop, bag or other personal belongings.
- Help others: Encourage others to leave with you, but do not allow their hesitation to delay or prevent your own escape.
- Get to a safe distance: Move well away from the building and seek cover behind solid structures, such as terrain features or solid walls.
2. HIDE (Barricade)
- Find a secure room: If your escape route is blocked or unsafe, immediately enter the nearest room that can be locked, such as a group room, classroom or office.
- Barricade the door: Lock the door. Physically block the entrance with heavy furniture such as desks, cabinets, bookshelves or chairs.
- Take cover inside the room: Move away from doors and windows. Stay as low as possible, preferably behind solid objects that provide protection from projectiles.
- Turn off lights and equipment: Switch off lights and projectors.
- Put your phone on COMPLETE SILENT MODE: Turn off all sounds and disable vibration. A vibrating phone on a hard surface may reveal your hiding place.
- Remain completely silent: Avoid whispering and unnecessary movement. Wait for instructions from the Police or the Crisis Management Team through official communication channels.
3. REPORT (When It Is Safe to Do So)
- Call the Police on 112 as soon as you are in a safe location or have securely barricaded yourself.
- Provide as much accurate information as possible:
- Exact location: Campus (Fredrikstad or Halden), building, floor and room number.
- What is happening: What type of violence is taking place? Is there shooting, a stabbing or a hostage situation?
- Perpetrator(s): Number of people, clothing, appearance, language and type of weapon.
- Injured persons: Are there injured people? How many, and what injuries can you see?
- After contacting the Police, call HiØ’s Security and Emergency Preparedness number on +47 22 88 14 53. The security provider (Securitas) will initiate the internal notification procedure and activation of the Crisis Management Team.
CRITICAL WARNINGS
- DO NOT ACTIVATE THE FIRE ALARM! During a PLIVO incident, the fire alarm must never be deliberately activated as an evacuation measure. Activating the alarm may cause students and employees to enter corridors and communal areas, potentially exposing them to the perpetrator.
- DO NOT GO TO THE DESIGNATED FIRE ASSEMBLY POINTS! Do not go to the normal fire assembly points (M1–M4). These are open, exposed areas, such as car parks and lawns on campus, where people may be particularly vulnerable. Instead, move well away from campus and seek safety in surrounding terrain or nearby buildings.
WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVE
The Police’s first priority is to stop the threat in order to save as many lives as possible. Officers may enter with weapons drawn and act quickly and decisively. For your own safety:
- Keep your hands clearly visible: Raise your hands and keep your fingers spread so that the Police can immediately see that you are not carrying a weapon.
- Follow all instructions immediately: Do exactly what the Police tell you to do, without hesitation or argument.
- Avoid sudden movements: Do not run towards Police officers for protection or make unexpected movements that could be interpreted as a threat.
- Do not hold objects in your hands: Make sure you are not holding a mobile phone, pens or other objects that could be mistaken for a weapon in a high-stress situation.
- Understand the Police’s role: During the initial response, Police officers may pass injured people or others in distress. Their immediate priority is to stop the perpetrator and neutralise the threat. Medical treatment and rescue operations will begin once the area is considered sufficiently secure.
Prevention – Personal Preparedness and Training
Emergency preparedness and safety are a shared responsibility. You can improve your own safety by taking some simple precautions:
- Complete the training at Sikresiden.no: Visit Sikresiden.no for safety information aimed at students and employees. The website provides animations, short e-learning courses and checklists relating to PLIVO incidents.
- Familiarise yourself with your surroundings: When you are in classrooms, lecture halls or higher-risk areas such as the workshops in “Smia” (S114–S122), make a habit of identifying alternative escape routes and rooms that can be locked or barricaded.
- Agree on an emergency contact: Make an arrangement with a fellow student, neighbour or family member regarding whom to contact or cooperate with if a crisis occurs or telecommunications are disrupted.
Reporting – Preventing Incidents
The most effective form of crisis management is preventing a situation from escalating into violence.
- Report threatening or unusual behaviour: If you experience or observe unacceptable behaviour, serious threats, threatening conduct or unusual behaviour on campus, report it promptly through the university college’s “Si ifra!” reporting system.
- Urgent Securitas assistance: If you feel unsafe on campus, call the university college’s 24-hour Security and Emergency Preparedness number on +47 22 88 14 53 for immediate security assistance.
- National security threats (Total Defence Year 2026): In accordance with the Ministry of Education and Research’s requirements for increased awareness of societal and national security, suspected unlawful knowledge transfer, attempted sabotage or intelligence activity targeting the university college’s research environments must be reported directly to management or the Security Adviser.