The Animal Kingdom

Think back to the documentary on television where the lioness is hunting.  She stalks a herd of deer as they approach a water hole.  She waits in the same place because she knows that the deer, being highly predictable, will come by at the same time every day. They must do so to drink.

As she moves in, she stays well hidden and singles out her target; usually the very young or very old, the sick member of the herd or the animal least aware of its surroundings! They are easy or “soft targets”. The inattentive animal doesn’t look up from grazing and hardly scans its surroundings. This is the animal that is also not listening and clearly does not know what is going on behind it. The lioness is much attuned to the body language of the inattentive. So are human predators!

If she is not hunting under her preferred cover of darkness, she will try to have the sun behind her so the herd is blinded making her even more difficult to see. She moves in as close as she can and then launchers her attack from behind, her victim’s blind spot.  If possible she will run her prey toward a terrain feature such as a steep embankment to be sure she channels it in the direction of her choosing. By the time her victim realizes what is going on its too late and the attack is complete.

If her intended prey starts to pay more attention to its surroundings and moves back into the middle of the herd where it will find safety in numbers, the lioness will wait, pass over what has now become a “hard target” and look again for an easy mark. This is called the victim selection process and is not unlike the process human predators go through. Victims are chosen, the process is not random and the attack plan well thought out.

Human predators operate in much the same way. Their ideal target too exhibits the three elements that make them “a victim looking for a place to happen”;  lack of awareness of surroundings, predictability of schedule, and placing themselves alone in an isolated environment.

Some Tips and Safety Strategies to Consider now that it is Getting Darker Earlier

• If you run with one or two buddies, you are safer and have made those isolated areas less of a threat.  This is even more important in early morning and evening low light hours.
• If you walk or run on different trails on different days at slightly different times with you buddy team you have exponentially hardened your target profile. Remember, predictability is one of your enemies.
• Hearing is your parallel primary protective special sense. It’s on par with vision, so leave the head phones at home. People who have had close calls often tell us they heard someone coming up behind them before they saw them, giving them time to react.
• If you must run alone, choose busier well light streets and run FACING traffic, making it difficult for a vehicle to pull along side. Also let someone know your route and the time you expect to return.
• Always know where your “safe havens” are located. This could be a busy coffee shop or retail area, a well light parking lot or even a knowing at which homes along the route people are home.
• Always bring your cell phone with you and be sure to keep track of any areas where there is weak or no signal.  Place it in a small Ziploc bag if you are worried about moisture.
• If you carry pepper spray, carry it in your hand with a wrap band. It will only be of help to you if you can bring it to bear and discharge in an instant. Buy fogger sprayers NOT stream dispensers!
• One of the best “things” you can bring on a run or walk is a dog. Regardless of size, they are good early warning systems and are just another layer of complications for a would be assailant.
• If it’s cold wear earmuffs, NOT a hoodie which robs you of peripheral vision. Hoodies can also be grabbed and used as a “handle” by which to control you.
• Remember that the most important area to be aware of is the blind spot behind you. The place ambush or blitz attacks are launched from.
• Carrying a small personal alarm is preferred by some as is a small very high intensity flashlight that can temporarily blind an assailant and illuminate those dark areas that offer great hiding places.  These items can be easily clipped onto your waistband which is where your cell phone should be too.

Social Media and your Personal Safety

• Do not plan runs or announce rendezvous points to your exercise buddies  via any social media or networking platform
• If you want to post about a pleasant exercise outing, do so after the fact and keep the details, especially the route and location very vague.

 The Danger of Complacency

At this very moment and as you read this would be criminals or predators are not your primary enemy. Complacency is.  Do not fall into a false sense of security telling yourself “We live in a good area” or “Nothing bad ever happens here”.  Anything can happen anywhere. Don’t take chances. Implement your strategy and engage it with discipline. Be smart. Be safe and stay healthy!!

Property Risk

Reuters recently cited findings from a study by Legal & General, a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The company was looking into the impact social media has on risk with regard to property and content. The report was called the “Digital Criminal”

Legal & General polled 2,092 people:

• 38%- posted where and when they were going on their next vacation
• 33%- posted where and when they would be on the upcoming weekend

Of 100 “friend requests” sent out during the study

• 13 percent were accepted on Facebook – without any checks.
• 92 percent on Twitter — without any checks.

Obviously Legal & General’s concern is revolves around risk to property and theft as people share way too much information online to include photos of the interior of their homes and valuables.

(More on the Reuters article written by Belinda Goldsmith)

 Employees and Family Personal Safety

It goes without saying that broadcasting where we will be or where we presently are at in real time, gives another set of criminals, those that would want to do harm to you, a family member or one of your employees, easy targeting opportunities.

Despite good access control and security which makes your place of work much safer,  social media is offering alternate non-worksite targeting venues and opportunities as employees broadcast where they will be and at what times.

A perpetrator might be a disgruntled worker or the batterer of one of your staff. The incidences of opportunistic targeting, which can lead to stalking, also increase with careless use of social networks.

 Social Media Security and  Safety Tips: Common Sense but Not Commonly Adhered To

• Spend a moment vetting “friend” requests. The fact that you have “mutual friends” with someone you know well means nothing given the information revealed in the above study.
• Never let people know where you are or will be; only where you were of have been! This includes posting photos upon return from an outing or vacation.
• Try and be vague about where you have been and what time you were there. This makes it more difficult for someone to build a predictive profile on your habits and patterns.
• Be cognizant of which photos you are included in and ask friends not to “tag” you.
• Never tag your children in any photos.
• Turn off the GPS feature on your Smart Phone before you use its camera. If not, the coordinates of where the photo was taken will remain embedded in the image code.
• Think like a criminal. The layout of your home and valuables that appear in the background of any photo are useful pieces of information.
• Be sure to disable the GPS feature on individual apps as well. If not, your location will be broadcast with each post or Tweet once again leaving a convenient trail as to your patterns and habits.
• Ask yourself who benefits when you “Check in” via a location based app? We have polled audiences during our trainings. 95% of them say they really don’t care where you are and what you are doing. The only people that care as much as you are the criminal element mining social networking platforms for easy targets.
• Is the “Out of Office” reply really necessary?  It is often the data point that alerts prying eyes to start tracking you online, since they know you are not at work.

Social Media Security and Safety Training for Companies

Social media safety and security are a growing concern. As more people engage in social media the amount of information being shared in relatively open forums continues to grow.

Best practice is to post information and photos after an event rather than letting people know where you will be or where you are right now. It is also a good idea to be cautious about “checking in” when using locations based services. Geo location is a growing concern amongst social media safety experts.

If you exercise the discipline of only posting after an event, keep this tip in mind; if you frequent the restaurant or establishment mentioned in your post, you are still leaving a criminal with enough information to start building a predictive profile on you.

What do I mean by this? Simply put, our predictability is one of our primary vulnerabilities. It provides criminals a good map of when and where we will be.  This information helps them streamline their planning and victim selection process whether it may be a burglary or a violent crime on a person.

Humans are creatures of habit. We tend to walk and drive the same routes and stick to schedules that become quite obvious to those who might be observing. This is why those charged with protecting dignitaries and high profile people continuously change the routes, vehicles and departure times while transporting their clients.

Even if you are careful, but mention several times over the course of a few weeks that you are home from a specific location; a restaurant you frequent, your gym, your child’s school or a more regular after work activity, you have supplied enough information for someone to predict when you will be back at one of those locations.  This information greatly enhances the targeting opportunity.

So keep in mind, even if posting after an event, keep the specifics and location vague. Predictably is our Achilles Heel.  Again keep the specifics and location very vague!!

You might think that only friends and family in your social media network are privy to anything you share. You also might think that your friends have vetted the friends they share their platforms with.  Think again!

A Reuters article on a British company, Legal & General published some statistics from a study they did several years ago.

Their study revealed that only 13% of Facebook users vetted a friend request and a staggering 92% accepted new follows on Twitter without doing any checks!!

They also found that 38% of people on Twitter and Facebook would post about an upcoming vacation.

Social Media Safety Training Available onsite or in webinar format / One hour duration

Related:

Back to School Safety Tips — Social Media, Device Security, Malware by Christopher Burgess (For the Huffington Post )

Password- Creation and Usage – Online Safety & Security by Christopher Burgess

Psychologically we are able to fathom a cagey burglar breaking in and stealing something when he knows we are not home. The notion that two or more criminals would burst in and invade when they know we are home is chilling.

This is not just a property crime. Home invasions include a display of power and a desire to control and terrorize, rob, kidnap, rape, assault or flat out murder the victim(s).  A growing number of invaders wear soft body armor and brandish intimidating weapons.  More often than not these are hardened criminals with extensive records who will not hesitate to resort to violence. The good news is that overall, home invasions tend to be on the decline, but solid safety and security protocol should always be in place. After all, favorable statistics mean nothing if heartless criminals target your dwelling.

Here are some things you can do to harden your home and make it less vulnerable to a home invasion.

If the home is recessed from the road, does the driveway have good lighting? A British study reveals that dusk-to-dawn low level lighting is thought to be a more effective deterrent than motion detector lights. I like both! Be sure the garage, parking area and sides of the dwelling are also well lit. Prune or remove bushes and shrubs that offer natural cover, especially near ground floor windows and all entrances.

If your property is fenced, take the time to close and lock gates. Ask yourself if your 230 pound nephew on football scholarship can kick in your front or side doors. If the answer is yes it’s time to beef up the frame, the door itself and all hardware. Deadbolts should have no less than an inch of travel into the frame.

Applying modern laminates to the glass makes breaking through a window more difficult.  Sliding glass doors must be reinforced. Windows to the basement should have bars.  A bed of small river pebbles strategically placed in front of windows make a quiet approach more difficult.

If you have an alarm, use it. Criminals know that most home owners never arm their systems. Know how to use the panic features. If you have a wireless panic button fob, keep it on you. Teach your children how to use the panic button too. When you park in the driveway, bring the remote to the garage in with you. Always lock your internal garage door. This is a common entry point since invaders know we tend to leave that door unlocked.

It is best to close drapes at dusk, dawn and during night time hours.  During their surveillance phase, criminals will feel less sure about attacking if they cannot establish who is at home, in what rooms, and if they can account for everyone in the dwelling.  Be aware that an invader might have done pre-crime surveillance of the home when delivering something, or working as an installation technician etc. Instruct children to never open the door for a stranger and be wary of any unexpected visitor, even during the day.

Don’t leave stepladders on the side of the house. They offer easy access to upper floors.  So always lock upper story patio doors and easy to access windows.

Keep all doors to the home locked, even during the day.  You would be surprised at how many people don’t, stating, “But we live in a safe neighborhood”.  Long gone is that nostalgic and care free Norman Rockwell existence. Anything can happen anywhere at any time. If someone is determined to get in, make them work for it. Anything that allows you detect and delay an entry buys you time to react. An unlocked door gives you neither.

Designate a “Safe Room” with a sturdy door where you can retreat with your cell phone if need be. Be sure that you receive a cell signal in this room. Keep an index card with your home address, a flash light, bottles of water and a fire extinguisher in the safe room. If you are not calling from a land line, the 9-1-1 operator will not know your address. You can easily read your address from the card if you are in a state of fear.  Make your children aware of this room and why it exists. Practice moving to it efficiently as a family. If you live in a larger or two-story home, you may want to setup more than one safe room.

Remain alert when leaving or returning to your neighborhood.  If you think you are being followed do not drive home. Proceed back to a well lit busy area or a police station and call for help.  In the case of the home  invasion and murder of Dr. Petit’s family in Cheshire Connecticut last year, the perpetrators first noticed Mrs. Petit and her daughters when they were in town shopping and then followed them home.

If you don’t already have one, get a dog. Large or small, they are excellent early warning systems with far better special senses than ours.  Dogs are also consistent in their vigilance unlike us humans who become complacent, take short cuts and eventually forget about the golden rules of home and personal safety.

Missed Opportunities with Red Flags and Warning Signs

We want to thank Rick Shaw, founder and CEO of Awareity for providing this timely guest blog entry.

Already in 2011, tragedies in Tucson and Omaha have reminded each of us about the consequences of missed opportunities involving red flags and warning signs.  Lives were lost and lives will be changed forever because of these and many other tragic incidents.

We are now learning numerous red flags and warning signs existed involving the gunman in each tragedy, which has many people asking why these two tragedies were not prevented and how can we prevent future incidents like these from occurring?

Some people are suggesting new gun control laws in Arizona or new laws that do not allow guns within 1000 feet of government officials.  In Omaha, some are suggesting school metal detectors and cameras.

Unfortunately these suggestions are knee-jerk reactions that miss the point.  The ‘big picture’ issue is prevention and what organizations need to do differently to improve their prevention and intervention efforts.

For example, what are schools’ responsibilities for sharing information with appropriate entities in the community and how can we ensure all dots are connected across multiple locations, multiple levels of law enforcement, mental health professionals, etc.?

Organizations need to encourage and empower people (students, faculty, staff, law enforcement, parents, employees, community members, etc.) to report suspicious incidents, red flags and warning signs as soon as they identify them.

All personnel should be trained to look for early indicators – behaviors and warning signs (bullying, intimidation, threats, harassment, targeted violence, etc.) – that require immediate reporting.

Organizations need to offer anonymous incident reporting options and the ability to automatically deliver incident reports to the right people…even if the right people are in multiple locations or at multiple organizations.  Once incidents have been reported it is also critical to ensure all necessary follow-up actions are documented, appropriate authorities are notified and red flags do not continue to fall through the cracks.  Traditional and status quo incident reporting systems rarely offer this level of holistic functionality.

Organizations need to centralize and securely share information more effectively across silos, organizations and communities.  Sharing has been difficult because of paper-based methodologies and because of lack of awareness involving privacy regulations such as FERPA and HIPAA, as well as political and authority breakdowns.

Organizations need ongoing training based on individual roles and responsibilities, more comprehensive policies and procedures, increased awareness on how to recognize behavioral changes, secure access to professional threat assessment and behavioral analysis teams, and effective ways to continually connect the dots (people dots and process dots). Organizations need to empower their people (and third-parties) with proactive prevention tools that replace status quo and reactive approaches that are not working.

With improved situational awareness, improved information-sharing and proactively identifying red flags, organizations will be able to prevent incidents, rather than reading about them in the news.

About Awareity  & Rick Shaw

Awareity’s Founder and CEO, Rick Shaw has over 27 years of experience with managing risks, technology, processes, clients and people at both large and small organizations. In addition to Rick’s
experiences, hundreds of case studies, incidents and failures have played a key part in Rick’s vision and the development of Awareity’s innovative and forward thinking web-based services.  Rick is passionate about helping schools and organizations implement comprehensive safety procedures, behavioral intervention teams and threat assessment team programs that ultimately help them prevent expensive and embarrassing incidents.

Rick’s Blog

Rick can be reached at rick.shaw@awareity.com

She states her daughter was riding in an elevator with her on the way to their room on the 5^th floor of their hotel.  An ordinary-looking young man entered the elevator when it stopped on the second floor. The elevator doors opened again on the third floor at which time a young women boarded.

The executive said she got a bad vibe from the young man and woman but was not able to pinpoint why.  Her gut-feeling that something was amiss was intensified when she noticed these apparent strangers make very brief eye contact, as if communicating with one another.

The doors opened on the 5^th floor; the young man and woman exited before the executive and her daughter. The young man went left and the young woman right, again looking as if they were not together.

The executive pulled her daughter back into the elevator just as the doors began to close. Her daughter looked confused by her mother’s actions until she explained.  The young man and woman were working as a team but entered the elevator on separate floors to camouflage this fact. The executive’s daughter was looking down at her Smartphone during the elevator ride and missed the subtle cues her mother noticed:  the incongruent body language, darting eyes and very brief eye contact.

Because her mother was paying attention, she connected the dots and understood these pre-crime indicators for what they were. This information led her to understand that the man and woman going in opposite directions upon exiting the elevator were not as they appeared.  On the surface, it looked like two people that did not know one another, but, in fact, it was two people setting up to position and trap the executive and her daughter in the quiet hallway.

Law enforcement reminds us that criminals are working more frequently as male/female teams, often to look like couples. This is because so many of us assume females are less inclined to engage in crime, especially violent crime and because a couple will draw less attention from law enforcement than a pair or group of young males.

Human beings are the most cunning predators of all.  Remember to “think outside the box” Not every situation is what it appears to be. An observant person will be able to pick up on subtle cues that something is amiss. Those that are not paying attention miss those critical moments in which a ruse may be seen for what it is and too often become victims of an avoidable crime.

The days are getting shorter and with the holiday shopping season upon us, we will head to the mall to purchase gifts for our friends and loved ones. Others make their way there too, but with a far different agenda. Even in good economic times, it is well known that criminals see high concentrations of distracted shoppers in mall settings as easy targets.

Most of us multitask, walk to and from our vehicles “heads down”, often chatting on the cell phone, listening to the iPod or merely daydreaming, an oblivious state of mind often referred to as “Condition White”.  For criminals, victimizing shoppers in “Condition White” is like “shooting fish in a barrel”.

Harder targets tend to operate in what has been described as “Condition Yellow”, a frame of mind in which you are relaxed yet aware of your surroundings and employ sound strategy.

People in “Condition Yellow”:

• Walk with their heads up, shoulders back and scan their surroundings making them more difficult to surprise.
• Dress down, blend in and wear comfortable footwear that allows them to move quickly.
• Always know what is going on in the blind spot behind them.
• Back into their parking space allowing for a rapid egress if necessary
• Remain aware of who is around them while shopping and remember to scan the upper balconies from time to time knowing criminals often do their surveillance from the high ground.
• Are good at reading body language and do not deem their instincts as silly or irrational if they get a “bad vibe” from somebody. They will remain in a well lit, busy area until they are certain that the threat no longer exists or help arrives.
• Carry very little, allowing them to rapidly bring their hands to bear to protect themselves.
• Ask security to escort them to their vehicle if they feel uncomfortable.
• Do not draw cash from mall ATMs knowing this attract unwanted attention.
• Carry bags with the strap over one shoulder and not across their body so the strap cannot be used as a convenient “handle” by which to grab and control with.
• Look inside and underneath their vehicles before unlocking and loading packages. (A small flashlight always comes in handy.)
• Do not turn their back on the world as they load their vehicle.
• Lock their vehicles even for the brief time it will take to return the shopping cart.
• Ignore handbills placed on the windshield knowing this could be a set up.
• Once in their vehicles, lock doors and drive away immediately.
• Are weary of panel vans or utility vehicles parked on the driver’s side or near their vehicles. It is easy to be pulled through the sliding door of a van.
• Make sure they have not been followed from the mall by paying attention to the vehicles around or behind them.

Dial up your “Condition Yellow” and enjoy your holiday shopping.

Larry Kaminer

“Serrated” is the story of Tracy Stombres, a survivor of domestic abuse and violence that culminated in the stabbing death of her mother Vina.

Vina bled to death as she tried to protect her daughter Tracy from her husband, in what amounted to the attempted murder of Tracy herself.

To read this book and fathom not only the violence that was inflicted on Vina and Tracy is one thing. To try and grasp that Tracy’s young son Alex would be witness to this carnage is another.

Domestic violence happens “everywhere”.  It knows no socio economic boundaries and manifests in many ways from verbal abuse, control over finances to isolation from family and loved ones, all the way to actual physical violence.  Domestic violence is not something that happens “to other people” who live far away that we “just see on the news.”

This book took me from an intellectual grasp on the gravity of this issue to an intimate understanding of “a day in the life of” a battered woman.  Better stated, this book connected the dots for me between what we term abuse and how often this coverts to violence. Violence that often times ends in brutal murder.

Tracy Stombres is a survivor in the true sense of the word, clichéd or otherwise.  Her strength to pull herself up and start all over again so many times over, is beyond me.  Her ability to find her way through the fog of the brutal attempt on her life that left her own mother dead is profound.

Somewhere in Tracy’s story lies a lesson for all of us.  For me it is gratitude for the good fortune I have experienced in this life.  More importantly, to share with you a story that I hope compels us as a society to step up to the plate and bring an end to this cycle of violence we have brushed under the proverbial rug for way too long!!

Available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon (The Personal Safety Training Group has no affiliate agreement with regard to sales of this book)

The summer is almost over and as our children  go back to school, this is a good time to review some safety ground rules with them.

Communications: Any safety plan is only as good as its communications plan. This should include having your children call or text you when leaving school and upon arriving at their destination. They should also let you know if their after school plans have changed. Be sure that yours and a reliable backup’s contacts number are programmed into their speed dialer.  Remind your children to trust their instincts and not to hesitate to call for help if they find themselves in an uncomfortable situation even if this means dialing 911.

Awareness: Be more creative when reminding your children about the importance of awareness. Perhaps a short list of sound bites that conjure up more engaging visual associations will result in actionable instruction. How about “Remember to Cover Your Six” (the blind spot behind them) or “Keep your head on the swivel” (as fighter pilots do looking for the enemy) or “Keep your radar up!”   A relaxed state of awareness of our surroundings is the cornerstone of personal safety and children should be reminded not to drop their guard just because they are in familiar surroundings.

Posture and Gait: People who walk with confident stride and posture and who maintain a good heads up awareness of their surroundings are seen as less desirable targets.  In contrast, those shuffling along” heads down” with rounded shoulders and  not scanning their surroundings, are seen as easy prey. This group is usually distracted by a phone or iPod or often daydreaming.  This is not unlike in the animal kingdom where the gazelle that fails to look around while drinking at the river gets ambushed by the lion. Practice attentive body language with your children at home and make it a fun exercise.

Predictability: Our children come and go at the same time and most often walk the same routes to and from school the bus stop and other common destinations. This predictability makes them easier to locate and follow. Drive several safe routes with your child to help them map out their options.  Ask them at breakfast which routes they have planned to use that day which will help get them in the habit of employing this important safety strategy.

“Safe Havens” : Identify and review with your children the locations they know they could retreat to if they feel uncomfortable. Neighbors on your street who you know are home during the day along the walk home from the bus stop should be identified. Simply walking to a busy intersection nearby or entering a busy store of coffee shop if there is someone in their midst that makes them uncomfortable should be encouraged. From here they can call you for help and instructions.

“Fringe” Areas: Simply stated, this is any area where you could find yourself isolated.  This could be a covered parking garage or a quiet soccer field behind the school that no one can see from the road.  A busy school gymnasium that has just emptied out after a Friday night basketball game has now too become a fringe area. If you must return to retrieve something left behind, do so with a friend.  Remind you child to avoid isolated areas and NOT TO TAKE SHORTCUTS such as down service alleys behind grocery stores and office buildings! The long way around on busy streets is always worth the extra effort!

The Buddy System:  Encourage your children to walk in groups whenever possible. They should also buddy up when going to the restroom at the mall.  This is even more important if your child will walk along a quiet road or transition through a fringe area to or from school etc. Never go jogging alone on a park trail. This is where the buddy system is the golden rule that should never be broken. Another tip is to walk facing traffic making it difficult for a vehicle to pull alongside.  Maintaining distance from the curb is also a good strategy.

“Shadowing” When riding the bus home instruct your child to keep an eye out of back window as it gets closer to their stop. If they notice the same vehicle behind the bus for an unusually long period of time or seem to remember seeing that vehicle on a prior day they need to consider if the bus is being “shadowed”. Empower your child to bring any suspicious vehicle to the bus driver’s attention and to stay on the bus until an alternate arrangement has been made.  This is an example of where having a good communication strategy is important.

Intuition: If the mind is the best weapon, then our intuition is our ever present guardian that should NEVER be ignored. Empower your child with the understanding that even if their intuition turns out to be “wrong” from time to time, that there is “no harm in a false alarm” and to continue to honor that “gut feeling”

Larry Kaminer

Given the continued frustration over this, I thought I would re-post below. Thanks.

Jeff Cooper was a Marine Lieutenant Colonel who developed a color coding system, each descriptive of a person’s state of awareness of their surroundings and mental preparedness.

Condition White-

This is a person that is oblivious of their surroundings. In this condition, the first time a person realized they are in trouble is when it’s too late. They “never saw it coming” since they were not paying attention. Petty thieves and predators alike are very good at identifying those who are in Condition White since they make much easier or “softer” targets. Being preoccupied, day dreaming, text messaging while walking in public, walking head down and never looking around are all sure signs of Condition White!!

Condition Yellow-

Tom Givens a weapons expert and trainer describes Condition Yellow about as well as I have ever heard it articulated

“This is a relaxed state of general alertness, with no specific focal point. You are not looking for anything or anyone in particular; you simply have your head up and your eyes open. You are alert and aware of your surroundings. You are difficult to surprise, therefore, you are difficult to harm. You do not expect to be attacked today. You simply recognize the possibility.”

Below is another succinct description of Condition Yellow

“In Yellow, you are “taking in” surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep.”

Condition Orange-

Here you are in a heightened state of awareness and very focused on a potential threat or a situation that you feel could become more serious. You are not in “fight of flight” mode yet, but ready to shift gears to “fight or flight” also known as Condition Red, if need be.

You will remain in Condition Orange until you are satisfied that the potential threat no longer exists, has been adequately dealt with or you have removed yourself form the situation.

You may well feel anything from a mild to moderate “adrenaline dump” which will elevate heart rate and blood pressure, dilate your pupils and shunt oxygen and energy rich blood to you skeletal muscles prepping them for action if need be.

Law enforcement specialists and military trained personal may not experience any physiologic reaction due to their training and how many times they have been in a Condition Orange situation.

Condition Red-

Here you are in “fight or flight” mode and you are ready to do either. The potential threat is now very real and needs to be dealt with. In this state we will experience a full “adrenaline dump” which will dramatically enhance blood flow to large skeletal muscle groups and sharpen our special senses.

This is the situation we do not want to find ourselves in.

This is the situation we can avoid by maintaining our Condition Yellow!!!!

Condition Yellow is Not Paranoia

If you are one of those people who “instinctively” pays attention to your surroundings, know what’s going on behind you at all times and in general take inventory of who is around you and what they are up to, you are gifted with being able to “live in Condition Yellow”

You might have developed your Condition Yellow out of need. Perhaps you grew up in a threatening environment. One of your parents might have been in law enforcement or the military, or perhaps you just “have it” period? Either way you do so with such ease the process is almost subconscious. You read peoples body language and your “gut” tells you what situations to avoid.

You might live with or know someone who lives in Condition White who actually accuses you of being paranoid!!

You are not paranoid. You are merely following your instinctive drive to remain alert. You are the person who also runs “what if” scenarios through your mind. You engage in what safety experts call “pre- incident visualization”

You understand that having a strategy tucked away in your data bank will allow you to react if a situation did arise, knowing that there would be no time right then and there to come up with a solution. The thinking must have already been done and warehoused in your mind for instant retrieval.

Your Condition Yellow is such an asset that I encourage you to share your mindset with friends and loved ones.

Randy LaHaie, safety training expert and SWAT specialist says it best. He states that if we work on becoming more aware of our surroundings, it soon becomes “part of our essence”

Visit Randy’s site for great reading on many safety topics at: http://www.protectivestrategies.com

And remember, awareness of our surroundings is our first and best line of defense!!!

Larry Kaminer