When an Intruder Gets In: How to Get Out, Hide and Report
▶ PLAY FREE NOWNo download · Phone or PC · 3–5 minutes per run · 10 languagesIf someone breaks into a building in the middle of the night, decisions made in the first few minutes decide the outcome. This is compiled from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS·CISA) “Run, Hide, Fight” guide (including its Korean edition), US university campus police intruder-response guidelines, the Korean National Police Agency’s 112 text and silent reporting guidance, and fire-service guidance on evacuation equipment (emergency rope descent devices). If you are in real danger, call 112 (Korea’s police number) or your local emergency number.
1. Three steps: Run → Hide → Fight only as a last resort
- Run: Think of an escape route first, and if there is a safe way out, leave your belongings and get out. Report once you reach a safe place.
- Hide: If you cannot get out, hide where the intruder cannot see you, and lock or block the entrance.
- Fight: A last resort when your life is in danger. If the intruder is after property, hand over the valuables and protect yourself (Korean National Police Agency crime-victim protection and support guidance: first, get away from the offender).
2. When hiding: lights, door, phone
- Turn off the lights and draw the curtains. A single line of light under the door says “someone is here.”
- Lock the door and block it with heavy furniture. The lock button on a guest-room door handle can sometimes be unlocked from outside. Jam a door wedge under the door or push a desk against it. When dragging furniture, put a blanket under it to reduce the noise.
- Turn off not just the ringtone but the vibration too, and cover the screen’s light.
- Stay low away from the door and windows, out of sight (for example, in a locked bathroom) — not right in front of the door. Do not answer.
3. Reporting to 112 when you can’t speak
- Text 112: Briefly write the address, building and room number, where the intruder is and how many there are, and that you are hiding. The lodging’s info sheet or the address in a map app helps.
- Knock-Knock 112: If you call 112 and cannot speak, press any number button. When the police send a “Visible 112” text link, tap it to consent.
- You can also text a colleague or family member to report for you. Add that they should not call you.
4. When to get out
- If the intruder has moved away to another floor and the emergency exit or outside stairs are safe, that is the time to get out.
- If the intruder is near the escape route, or the police are already nearby, stay hidden and wait.
- On the third floor or higher, do not jump out of the window. Use the emergency rope descent device by the window in lodging facilities.
- Once out, go not into the dark woods but to a lit building with people in it. On a cold night, grab a coat and shoes first.
5. How to use an emergency rope descent device
- Open the descent device box by the window. Raise the support arm and hook and lock the ring.
- Throw the reel (rope) out of the window.
- Put the belt under your armpits, at chest height, and tighten it.
- Climb down slowly, pushing off the wall with your hands. First check that the support arm is solid.
6. If you hear “Police!” · When the police arrive
- Even if someone outside the door says “police,” do not open the door until it is confirmed that it really is the police. Ask 112 by text and they will confirm.
- When the police arrive, put down whatever is in your hands, open both hands and keep them visible, and follow instructions. Do not run up to the officers, grab them or shout.
- Once safe, tell them what the intruder looked like and where they went, and what was damaged or taken. Do not chase the intruder or go back for your things.
Practice with a simulation
Reading a list is different from remembering it in a pitch-dark room. “Intruder at the Night Lodge” is a free browser game where you make these decisions yourself, against the clock (the lodge, the intruder and the characters are fictional). See the game guide.
Sources
- US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) · Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — “Active Shooter: How to Respond” and the “Active Shooter Quick Reference Guide” (Korean edition): Run, Hide, Fight; when law enforcement arrives
- US university campus police intruder and lockdown response guidelines — turning off lights, staying away from doors and windows, not opening the door before confirmation
- Korean National Police Agency — 112 text report, “Knock-Knock 112”, Visible 112 (Bokjiro guidance) · crime-victim protection and support
- Fire services — how to use evacuation equipment (emergency rope descent devices) · evacuation equipment required in lodging facilities of three floors or more
FAQ
If an intruder gets in, should I hide or run?
If there is a safe way out, get out first (Run); if not, hide (Hide). Fighting is a last resort when your life is in danger (US Department of Homeland Security, “Run, Hide, Fight”).
What should I do with my phone while hiding?
Turn off not just the ringtone but the vibration too, and cover the screen’s light. Report by texting 112.
Is locking the door enough?
The lock button on a guest-room door handle can sometimes be unlocked from outside. Block it again with something heavy, like a door wedge or a desk.
How do I report to 112 if I can’t speak?
Text 112 your address, room number and situation, or make a “Knock-Knock 112” report by calling 112 and pressing any number button. Consent to the link the police send (Visible 112).
If someone outside says “Police!”, can I open the door?
Not before it is confirmed. Ask 112 by text, or wait until the officers tell you your name and the details of your report.
How should I act when the police arrive?
Put down whatever is in your hands, open both hands and keep them visible, and follow instructions. Do not run up to the officers or grab them.
How do I use an emergency rope descent device?
Raise the support arm, hook and lock the ring, throw the reel out of the window, tighten the belt under your armpits at chest height, and climb down pushing off the wall with your hands.