Is The Recession Accelerating Desperate Behavior?

Lloyd's latest 360 Risk Insight report, released today, is a powerful reminder that with the global recession comes more risk and responsibility.

Pressures from the recession are manifesting in many ways globally, increasing political unrest and ramping up threats such as the piracy and kidnapping events we've seen in the news lately, the report said.

Sadly, these pressures can also hit right here at home, witnessed by what seems to be an increase in shootings at schools and other public places. In fact, just minutes ago as I write this, I received a shocking alert about a shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

This morning the top headline in my local paper told of a gunman barging into the office of a school superintendent—located in a middle-school in my county—and threatening to shoot him if he didn't change the school's H1N1 policy. Evidently the gunman, a former New York City policeman, has a child suffering from the virus.

The gunman, however, got more than he bargained for. The superintendent is a former hockey player. He tackled the ex-cop and wrestled the gun away. He then pinned the would-be assailant to the ground until police were able to break the office door down some 20 minutes later—a real story of heroism, and one that this town won't soon forget.

While this story had a positive outcome in that no lives were lost, many were affected. There were a number of students who spent hours huddled in their classrooms. There were also nervous teachers charged with keeping the students secure and frantic parents waiting for the word their children were safe.

This event and others underscores the need for emergency planning, which has become a mantra for risk managers—both public and private. A detailed template exists in project SAVE—the Safe Schools Against Violence in Education—written into law in New York after the Columbine school shootings. There are others as well, including guidelines developed by the National Education Association (NEA) and the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN).

While most entities have plans in place, the only question is how much they've been tested and updated. And updated, and updated, because sadly, sometimes the only way to know how effective they really are is under fire.