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The National Fire Protection Association has developed an active shooter response standard called NFPA 3000.
It's aimed at first responders, as well as community leaders and business owners.
Harris County Fire Marshal Laurie Christensen, who took part in its creation, and NFPA Southwest Regional Director Bob Sullivan hosted an information session at Houston's Crime Stoppers building Monday.
"The whole point of the standard is to provide a framework and guidance to all the different responding groups, the different responding agencies, and give them a common game plan to go by," Sullivan said.
Christensen said what makes this emergency response standard different from others is that it includes more stakeholders.
"One of the things we want to realize is, especially during the Las Vegas shooting, had it not been for the citizens and the civilian responders, we truly believe we would have lost more casualties," Christensen said.
The program is meant to cover not just shootings, but any type of event involving an active assailant, from the planning to the responding and recovery phase. It leaves it up to communities to incorporate parts that make the most sense for them.
For a fee, people can sign up for an online training.
Why is the Fire Marshal's Office taking the lead on this? Christensen said her office is the link between law enforcement and disaster response.
"Unfortunately, this is a new preparedness that we're having to get ready for," she said. "And our goal with the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office was, let's be that conduit that bridges that gap between all the responders and the community."