While roaming the halls of a Massachusetts hospital, you may hear people over the loud speaker system paging for doctors, nurses or other hospital staff's assistance.

You may hear the color code warning system from time to time. I was visiting a patient in the psych ward of a hospital in Massachusetts a few times and have heard staff alerting of danger.

What exactly do these colors signify?

My girlfriend works as clinical operations in this hospital when she was alerting me to stay away from the hospital as they had announced a "code silver". She had never heard that announced before in all her years working in health care.

Code Silver in Massachusetts Hospitals Can Spell Grave Danger

Code Silver is initiated when there is an active attacker with a weapon within the hospital. In this emergency, all people within the hospital are to take shelter to ensure no one is in an area of danger. -hasc.org

What do you do in a code silver situation?

Run. Having an escape plan is always a good idea. Hide. Do not hide in the shooters view. Block or lock any entry way. If you must fight, fight! This is the last resort if your life is ever in imminent danger.

If you see law enforcement, give them all the details you know about the shooter and always show your hands.

Hospitals in Massachusetts adopted the universal color code warning system in the U.S.

• Amber Alert/Code Adam: infant/child abduction
• Code black: bomb threat
• Code blue: heart or respiration stops (an adult or child’s heart has stopped or they are not breathing)
• Code brown: used to indicate severe weathers
• Code clear: announced when emergency is over
• Code gray: combative person (combative or abusive behavior by patients, families, visitors, staff or physicians); if a weapon is involved code silver should be called
• Code green: emergency activation.
• Code orange: hazardous spills (a hazardous material spill or release; unsafe exposure to spill)
• Code pink: infant abduction, pediatric emergency and/or obstetrical emergency
• Code red: fire (also someone smoking in facility; alternative: massive postpartum hemorrhage)
• Code silver: weapon or hostage situation
• Code white: neonatal emergency, aggressive person or evacuation dependent on hospital. In some hospitals, an aggressive person is called as a Code Violet.