Situational Awareness

[AOK]

Discussion of being aware of your surroundings come up often on these boards and rightfully so. I think an important part for improving our situational awareness is identifying when we are most vulnerable during some our everyday routines and determine ways to reduce our risks of being a victim of a crime. I hope by discussing this subject we may be able to identify vulnerabilities we never knew existed or adjustments that others have made that make more sense than our current practices.

For example, when I would put my son in his car seat I would lose all sense of my surroundings for a brief period. After recognizing this I paid much more attention to where I park the car, how I approach the car and scanning my surroundings, and still briefly taking a look around me while getting my son situated. In addition if there is something I don't "like" I will climb all the way into the car, lock it behind me, and finish getting him buckled in.

I have also made a simple adjustment in how we answer our door at home. Since we don't have a peep hole through our front door we make sure to look through the window next to the door before we open it even though there would still be a glass door between us and the visitor.

When walking through stores I am not only aware of people around but I also try to identify the location of other exits. If there is commotion coming from the front of the store where we entered I am going to a different exit.

I used to never carry when at work. That quickly changed a few years ago after a burglary and a few other minor events occurred there. I now carry a pocket gun when at work.

These are just a few adjustments I have made the past couple years. What vulnerabilities have you identified in your routines and what adjustments did you make?

 

[xXxplosive]

After working in Newark NJ for some 20 years my SA was peak. It was on automatic always. Now that some years have caught up to me I find myself a little slower and my vision a little less accute which makes me even more concerned about my SA for my saftey.

As we become older we are looked upon as easy marks and IMO, our SA should be tuned in that direction as well as our carry options.

 

[JohnBiltz]

You only have so much attention. If you focus on doing something your attention shifts to that and you lose awareness of your surroundings. Its as simple as that. The other side of situational awareness is being able to recognize warning signs when you see them. Those warning signs are not necessarily universal and require experience. Cop eyes tend to be really good at seeing warning signs that things are happening in an urban environment. When I was in the military I could pick out signs of an enemy in the woods that most would not notice.

 

[GrimmLV]

One thing I have started doing is trying to memorize as many details/characteristics of the people that I see in my daily life. Things like the name of the person serving me, the color of the jacket the guy had at the crosswalk, and was that truck driver wearing glasses, etc.

I guess this would mainly help my memory, but it also has helped me identify things that are "off" when it comes to people in parking lots, grocery stores, etc.

 

[Messenger Guard]

The Father of Modern Combat handgunning, Jeff Cooper used a simple credit/debit system for maintaining situational awareness. Whenever someone surprised him he made a mental debit. The converse would be true when he anticipated ahead of a potential assailants move. I'm sure one could tie this system to a tangible reward. I have used this system in daily work. No one needs to be unaware of dangerous situations when they move "financial liability" across the pavement. i.e. Messenger Guard

 

[Hunt480]

There is a different kind of criminal in the streets now that kill for sport. A lot of people are living in lala land when it comes to situational awareness. Its amazing how clueless and naive people are if you just watch.

 

[stanger04]

I believe in if it feels off walk away, maybe it could be me paranoid and profiling but I'm still here. There are a lot of people that come off as dangerous for rep. and are usually not. The people I look for are the ones you would think never would. This goes back to AZ and seeing how the guy made himself obvious but because it is a "safe" neighborhood no one paid any attention to him. I feel people are the same at 60 as they were at 18, if they are good they are probably great as they age, if they are bad then they are probably worse.

 

[xcgates]

I have some problems when getting geared up on my bike. I don't worry too much when at work, as I park in a secured parking lot (military). When out shopping, and I slip on my one piece suit, I check out people around me, put it on quickly, and while zipping up, keep on looking around, easy enough to do when your head is "down". If someone changes patterns, or walks directly my way, I stand back up, and place my hand on my helmet to fiddle around with something innocuous (sp?) I don't get overly excited just because someone approaches though, as quite a few people just want to talk bikes. Also people who want to talk bikes usually have a distinct look in their faces, and look at the bike more than me. Though I suppose someone looking to steal the bike could act similar.

If my engine is running, and I'm mounted, I would never kill the engine unless fully warmed up. This is because if it is warmed up, the engine starts up real fast, and I want to maintain the ability to ride off pretty quick. (That is another thing, unless the slope dictates otherwise, park so you don't have to back up, and don't sort out things you don't have to in a parking lot. Get going as efficiently as possible.)

Oh, and a helmet is a very large, hard object. So if I have it on and someone is acting weird, it stays on, and if it is sitting on the bike, it goes into my hand. Nobody thinks twice, but a good swing would be effective. Same goes for my riding suit, it sure would dampen blows, and in general protect me from a lot of things. (Not guns, but even knifes would have a hard time getting through.)

Granted my regular ride is a mid 80's UJM, with the seat glued together, and a couple lights held together by gorilla tape, so I'm not the most appealing target for someone looking to get rich. Though when I'm at the store I normally am on my Ducati, as it is the practical grocery getter. (Honest!)

 

[Glock Doctor]

Anybody here play, 'What If' scenarios? This is something I learned to do many years ago. I'll do it often, especially when I'm bored, throughout the day. The end result? I know every single place on our property that either I, myself, or someone else could use as a hiding place in order to launch an attack. I'm, also, aware of what the best countermove might be.

By extension the same thing goes for my street and the neighborhood. Additionally, I've, also, identified those times and activities at which I'm most vulnerable; e.g.: walking to the car, warming it up, or upon arriving home.

True story: I scan my mirrors while driving; and the other day I suddenly noticed that I was being followed. At first I thought, 'Maybe?' but, then, I realized this was definitely the case; and I reacted accordingly.

It was years of being habitually cautious that warned me to what was going on. I'm older; and, yes, I've also slowed down. So what? I just tend to act a little sooner now than before. Ya got 'a pay attention. One nice thing about being old is that you've seen it all and done it all. Consequently, it's easier to tell when something, or someone, is wrong.

 

[xXxplosive]

Stranger:

Not so, take it from me, as one ages so do some of your facilties....for one my sight at night isn't what it was 10 or 20 years ago.....big difference in low lit areas so I tend to concentrate more before entering a fringe area (parking lot, alley way, mall exits) where BG's like to do business.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

Situational awareness, or what the intelligence community call trade craft, is very much hightened when I carry and it gravitates around avoiding confrontation at all cost.

I'm more aware when I approach my car-I usually park away from other cars if possible so I have a clear view all around it. Identifying escape avenues is very important. Always face the exit when seated at a restaurant with a wall behind me. Those kind of things which gives you a clear view of what's going on at all times.

Practice being invisible.

 

[skifast]

While I agree SA is important to practice. It is important to practice fighting when you are surprised. In real life, we are not always on. Life(kids, wife, ups, downs, etc.) gets in the way of SA.

 

[shootingthebreeze]

I can't carry all the time, I'm an RN (Michigan) and cannot have a firearm on hospital grounds.
I think having a CPL has made me more aware when I don't carry. I have looked into how to be "invisible" and avoid potential dangerous situations (crowds) as an example-because I cannot carry every day based on my profession-but I think having a CPL has made me more aware.

 

[gaijin6423]

Brand new member to the site, but I have been lurking for a bit.

As someone who has been required to learn and apply good situational awareness on several levels, I find these kind of discussions fascinating. As a bit of background, I have deployed to some unfriendly places in the course of my time in the Marine Corps (I'm out now), and I've had to make some of these kinds of realtime decisions. Additionally, I have just under a thousand hours as a pilot, where SA tends to be equally important, if somewhat of a different flavor.

I think Col John Boyd had it right in either case with the OODA Loop, but with the caveat that the OODA philosophy only truly works well, in my opinion, when mixed with good observational skills, and a heaping dose of practice.

In my case, I practice both my physical monkey skills and my observational/mental skills on a daily basis. The former by way of both exercise and firearm related practice, and the latter by forcing myself to observe and catalog details, and a little game a few friends and I play via email, which is very much akin to a military tactical decision game. On a less frequent basis (it's expensive), I go flying, which expands the SA bubble outwards tremendously, and offers a chance for me to apply mental and physical together, often in a compressed timeline.

All that said, I think that overall, it's easier said than done. It takes real effort, especially initially, to be the 'hard target', and the upkeep isn't free, either. But from my perspective, the effort is both well-spent, and far less than that involved with the alternatives.

 

[leadaddict]

gaijin6423 - Welcome to THR, and thanks for your service!

 

[Carl Levitian]

Situational awareness is important, but as you age it gains in importance. In time, it may be all you have going for you.

I know as I went through my 60's, I became more and more wary of anyone I didn't know, and now at 70 I've become almost paranoid. There comes a time where you realize with a shock, that almost all the people you run into are younger than you, stronger than you, faster than you, and can kick your rear end with little effort or risk. At that point you also come to the realization that if you don't spot trouble soon enough to avoid it, you're in very deep do-do.

In the end, all you will have going for you is a wild turkey type of accute awareness of what's going on around you, and the old man meanness of taking the sonofa----- with you if it comes down to it. Talk of martial arts and fast shooting is one thing for the arm chair comando's, but when you live long enough, it all goes out the window and you're just another senior citizen that has to be extremely wary. Avoidance is everyting.

Carl.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

A fabulous thread.

I had the good fortune of meeting Colonel Cooper at a class some years ago.

He was a guest speaker at that particular class.

I use the terms, Green zone (unaware) Yellow zone (variable awareness as needed)
Red Zone (shots are or will be fired)

I dont believe that enough good can be said about this subject.

It will likely never get old or worn out.

With so many new folks coming to the realization that they need to be a participant in their own safety, it will always be good useful tool.

Snowy

 

[heeler]

Carl Levitan,I understand very much what you are saying.
My late Father passed away two years ago and pushed on working into his 70's.
He was Hell for strong in his better years but finally three strong toughs caught him off guard in an apartment complex and beat him and took what little cash he had on him.
He saw them coming but due to age and physical condition was not able to do much.
Dad never carried.
I wished he had on that hard day.
Hang tough Carl!!

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Carl

You are so right. You have me beat on years by about 12, but time and the foolishness of youth have not treated me all that well.

I used to race Snowmobiles when I was in my 20's and a few crashes took me a "bridge too far"

Being a female, even at nearly 6 foot tall, does not make a lot of difference to the young stud Pukes that will try their best to take advantage.

I too have gotten to the point of being as warry and a fox.

The issue has not gotten to the point of paranoia yet, but its working at it.

The days of kicking butt, oh yeah, they are past memories.

I have a close friend that just made the big 70 mark and he goes out at night to walk his dog still, but never leaves home without 2 guns on him.

He too speaks of the issues of being worried anymore and warry of strangers.

The night time for me is the worst. Last eavening I got home and discovered that I had left some important papers at the gun shop, so I had to drive back to town and retrieve them.

The location is not a bad one, but dark and not too many places open after 7PM.

Careful awareness was definately the plan while opening the shop and then getting inside, quick,lock the door then turn of the sucurity system.

Then reset the security, out the door quickly, do a visual, lock the inner gate, then close the main door and lock it.

My back is to the street while this happens. The time out on the security system does not allow several or often sweeps of the street.

Just have to do it and go.

Normally there are two of us and one does visual while the other locks up.

I understand fully of what you speak.

The city got on us for parking in front of the shop and ordered us to park in the alley behind in the parking spots.

Dark, not lit at all and very secluded.

That did not happen, not even.

I just hope as we grow even older, that the Paranoia does not become so intense that we can't enjoy the years we have left.

Best
Snowy

 

[david58]

Great thread.

I'm only in my 50's, but I got my come-uppance by having my shoulder blown out in a handgun retention class. I learned that the only way to keep my gun from Mongo is to stay far away from Mongo - if he is inside my "draw" distance, I have failed.

Situational awareness is tough. Very difficult to maintain 100% of the time. But I have to practice.

Where I work, we wear safety glasses and hearing protection. No peripheral vision, hearing capability retarded. In that situation one must be aware aware aware, unless you have determined to have faith in forklift drivers, delivery truck drivers, and the like to keep you safe. Head must be on a swivel.

I try to translate that to outside of work. One has to concentrate to be aware. I liken it to open freeway driving, versus driving in Portland (our local big city). Open freeway can kill you if you zone out, but we relax. Easy to be in "yellow" driving in Portland, where peds and bikes are empowered to pop out right in front of you and depend on you to keep em safe. But in the end, freeway or congested city, you have to remain aware, or you could make a mess. Just easier to do in the big city.

Circling back: being older, or injured, or maybe just not real strong or quick is a fact for more folks than the other extreme of trained, strong, and tactical tough. There isn't any reason we in the former list can't be safe and strong, but it depends on a tremendous level of situational awareness, and hopefully never a fast draw, good shooting, a BUG, or a knife - although all are very, very important.

 

[Pussywillow]

While it's true that one can only concentrate of focus to a certainlevel... the majority of people are nowhere near where they could be awareness wise.

At work, I see a LOT of people (the majority in fact) are usually in their own world. I've seen people fidling with their mobile devices and walk into steel poles, the sides of buildings and into traffic.

While being older may slow you down, it also gives you an opportunity to rely on developed reflexes, comprehension and knowledge that you didn't have 10 to 20 years ago. I think it boils down to trained conditioning and selected response. If you TRAIN yourself in the arena of awareness, this will continue to improve, regardless of whether or not you can still run the "100" in 9-seconds.

You can also devote time to physical training and fitness that will delay and prevent much of the dullwittedness that's normally associated with aging.

 

[UWCyclist]

I started working security for a bar when I was 20. It was my only experience in a bar up to that point. I learned from the very get go that being caught unawares in a bar environment can lead to disastrous consequences. Too many fights for really no reason. That liquid courage will get the best of people. When I turned 21, I rarely went to any other bar but work. I know the regulars, the staff, the exits and where everything is should I need it. I've also noticed that I've gained the ability to keep a mental image of faces. I will recognize people that have been at the bar months after their visit.

I was also fortunate enough to join a fantastic judo club here in town that will allow blindfolded practice. I couldn't believe how much I rely on sight to do throws. Blind judoka are amazing in my point of view. We do have training knives with red paint on the edges if we feel like using them. Nothing like standing in the middle of the mat, eyes closed. When the instructor says "go!" you open your eyes and find 1-5 people in various locations ready to attack. Deal with the most immediate threat first, and go from there. The first few times it's terrifying and adrenaline really takes hold. Most students concentrate too hard on getting the perfect technique and flub it as someone comes rushing in from behind, but after awhile you realise a shove to a guy trying to hit you can be just as effective as throwing him with his own momentum.

I say working at the bar has been the best and worst thing that's happened to me. Best because I've gained skills I may not have otherwise acquired, networked with some great people have had for the most part, a fantastic time. Worst because I'm a glorified babysitter for 20 and 30 somethings in a city where alcohol is a part of the culture.

 

[Carl Levitian]

"While being older may slow you down, it also gives you an opportunity to rely on developed reflexes, comprehension and knowledge that you didn't have 10 to 20 years ago. I think it boils down to trained conditioning and selected response."


Exactly, sort of.

As your body ages, and you go through the stage where you finally stop kidding yourself, you experience a change of thinking. You start thinking and watching what you do, how you do it, and what time of day you do it. In short, whole new reflexes develope without you really trying. Then the new way of doing things becomes soooo automatic, it just becomes the new habit. You find new ways of doing things than you did 10 or 20 years ago. But you have to get to the place where you can look in a mirror and not kid yourself. Without really trying, you become very wary. You don't have to think about it, it just happens as you face the growing list of what you can't do anymore.

My wife and I don't do hardly anything like we used to, but then being retired gives up options. We don't go out much at night, and when we do, we pause at doors to scan whats outside. We park under the lights, and keep a lookout as we walk. If we see anything that may be a bogy, we take evasive action. We don't carry those little pocket size OC sprays, we have the larger police size canisters for better range and capacity. We always carry a good strong light. We NEVER use ATM machines. At night or day time. If we don't know who is at the door, it does not get opened. It has deeper deadbolts and lock plates. There's a security peep and an intercom. We're not shy about hurting somebody's feelings by telling them to leave now, whatever your selling, we're not interested. For our dogs last walk of the night, several of the neighbors all walk their dogs at the same time. The dogs appreatiate the social time as well. Our corgi is best friends with one neighbors cairn, and an others pug. While the dogs play and take care of business, we all talk, and then go in for the night.

We do have a neighborhood watch, with several of the younger people walking/driving with a spotlight. The Montgomery county police helped us set it up a few years ago, and taught us what to look for.

Getting old is not for the faint of heart, it does get depressing.

Carl.

 

[xXxplosive]

Carl.....
I hear ya loud and clear..........my sight isn't what it was ten years ago and that's a big factor....night vision especially. You just have to adjust to the way we conduct ourselves daily.

Your right on all accounts.....as some famous guy once said.
"If I knew I was Gonna Live This Long, I'd Taken Better Care Of Myself".

 

[stanger04]

When I made the statement of people getting older, I did not mean to come off as losing any faculties. I meant that anyone can be dangerous, young or old. They're are plenty of people that can look like they are a sweet grandmother or grandfather but may be younger than they appear or in better shape than they show.

I have seen quite a few things involving older men and women, when I worked at a gun shop. I just meant that if someone is a good person they are and if they are a bad person they are, no matter the age.