When an event like the movie theater shooting in Colorado happens, it can be shocking. But there are steps you can take to prepare for such events.

“Unfortunately, in the world that we live in now you never know what's going to happen,” says Dan Cunningham, Vice President of Executive Protection Systems in Winchester. “You always think that, 'It's not going to happen to me,' but you have to put yourself into the mindset of, 'Okay, what am I going to do if something happens while I'm here?'”

Cunningham spent 23 years as a military police officer. He's now with Executive Protection Systems, a company that helps people prepare for emergencies..

“A lot of people have probably never heard a live gun shot, so when that started happening, they probably didn't even know what it was,” says Cunningham. “I would venture to say that when the initial bang went off, a lot of people were looking to see what it was, to see what was going on. They could have even thought it was part of the movie.”

He's got advice on what to do if you're faced with a similar situation.

When you first get into a movie theater or any spot where you'll be for a long period of time, find the closest exit to you.

When you see smoke or hear gun fire, your instinct may be to look around and find out where the problem is happening.

Cunningham says it's safest to immediately get to the ground before determining your next move.

A man used that strategy at Friday morning's mass shooting in Colorado and it worked to his advantage.

“It took me a second to actually realize what was going on, and as people were running away, I hit the ground so I wouldn't be hit,” he says.

Cunningham says having these tips could save your life.

“You have to be able to anticipate things that could go wrong,” he says.

Dan added that hindsight is 20-20 so it can be tough to anticipate things like this, but being prepared is very important.

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