Where have I been ……..

Late Wednesday night I pulled away from my house. I needed a road trip and had come up with a series of reasons to go. So I was off and running, with Hubby napping in the back of my red van I headed north on I-95. I was Heading off to meet another one of my author friends BJ Sheldon.

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BJ & I sat and talked, hubby decided to disappear to the gym. We were totally fine with that since we were so in the midst of gab. I don’t think there was a topic we skipped. Our trials and tribulations as authors working on manuscripts were of course at the top of our list.

After a few hours of chatting hubby returned and BJ had to be off attending to other things. We then climbed back in the van to explore a few of the landmarks BJ mentioned, especially the haunted hospital on post. Who better than BJ of course to know where the nearest haunted building would be located.

The Walson Army Hospital at Fort Dix.

The Walson Army Hospital at Fort Dix.

Well my ghostly curiosities satisfied we were off again, this time our mission was to get a gift for my sister in law. We stopped off in Lakewood NJ, it has a huge Jewish community. We obtained the gift, found a snack and rolled towards my favorite Sub shop.

Nopt it’s not in Philly. It’s in Parkside PA a tiny town near where I grew up. Phil & Jims makes the best cheesesteaks. With my cheesesteak craving now satisfied I was off and running to the local grocery store for tastykakes  and Herr’s chips. yep more local  Philly flavors. The goodies loaded into my van or consumed we were rolling south to Andrews Air Force base for some much needed rest.

Day 2 will be posted tomorrow.

Guest Post … Kevin Reeve`of On Point Tactical

Given recent events I felt this was information everyone should have.

I am not saying you should stay inside and never leave, I am simply asking that when you are out and about you pay more attention to your surroundings, it could save your life.

Kevin Reeve of On Point Tactical has some very impressive credentials. Read more about him at his website

Yanks….Situational Awareness….by Kevin Reeve, onPoint Tactical

I have a friend who stepped off the curb and was hit and killed by a vehicle running a red light.  He was 40 years old and his life was over in one second.  I almost made the same mistake.  While in England, I checked for traffic and confidently began to step into the intersection, when my companion yanked me back.  I’d looked left instead of right, the wrong direction in a country that drives on the left-hand side of the street.  It was a near miss and my companion chided me:  “That’s why we call you Yanks.”

I have spent a fair amount of time over the past several years trying to define and refine my understanding of the term “Situational Awareness.”

Most of the written material deals with very technical definitions that for me hold little real world application.  As I tried to make them fit my own experience with awareness, I realized that the academic approach was impractical.

So here’s how I defined “situational awareness.”  It is: “paying attention to what is going on around you.”  How is that for practical?   It is more than that, but the basic definition is the ability to scan the environment and sense danger, challenges, and opportunities, while maintaining the ability to conduct normal activities.  In other words, to pay attention to your surroundings while not appearing to be paying attention.

Awareness is a choice.  One has to choose to pay attention.  But once that choice is made, the part of the brian responsible for monitoring the senses, known as the Reticular Activating System (RAS) takes over.  It switches filters on and off that will fulfill your subconscious desire to pay attention.  By simply telling yourself to pay attention to certain things, the RAS will scan for and acknowledge those things when it encounters them.

I have found three main obstacles to developing awareness.  To understand the obstacles with awareness, lets define the most basic tenant of awareness:  BASELINE.  The concept of baseline states that our environment has a baseline, a homeostatic state of what things look like, sound like, feel like when nothing much is going on.

In the woods, this is reflective of the noise and activity level of the area when nothing much is happening.  The normal state.  For example, in the late afternoon, things are normally pretty quiet.  The baseline is pretty flat.  As we move into evening, the baseline changes a bit.  Night feeding animals are coming out, day feeders are going in.  The increase in noise and activity is still the norm.  It is louder and yet still within the realm of normal.  Suddenly a predator appears.  All the prey animals react.  Alarm calls go out, and the noise level suddenly spikes.  This is referred to as a concentric ring of disturbance because it radiates out from the source.

In the city, each neighborhood has its own baseline.  In one area, people move at a certain pace, talk at a certain volume, stand at a certain socially acceptable distance from one another, gesture in a certain way.  This combination of noise and activity constitutes that area’s baseline.  Depending on cultural or ethnic norms, it will be different in various neighborhoods.

Being able to develop awareness is dependent upon first knowing the baseline for the area you are in, and recognizing any variations to the baseline.  These changes in baseline are learned from observation.  One must know the baseline.  One must recognize disturbances to the baseline, and one must recognize if those disturbances represent a specific threat or opportunity.

This requires knowledge of the environment, knowledge of terrain.  It requires that one recognizes predator behavior.  It requires one to see well beyond normal sight.  For example, an aware person will notice things others may miss: a youth in a hoodie across the street whose movements mimic yours. Or a dumpster set in such a way that requires you to pass close to it.  It can be threats or potential threats.  You must constantly monitor and assess.  Over time, this becomes almost a background activity, requiring little conscious thought.

The key to great situational awareness is the ability to monitor the baseline and recognize changes.

As I mentioned before, there are three main obstacles to situational awareness.

1.  Not Monitoring the Baseline.  If you are not monitoring the baseline, you will not recognize the presence of predators that cause a disturbance.  Other events can cause concentric rings as well.  Any unusual occurrence from a car accident to a street fight can create a concentric ring. One of the keys to personal security is learning to look for and recognize these disturbances.  Some disturbances are dangerous, some are just entertaining.

2.  Normalcy Bias.  Even though we may sense a concentric ring that could be alerting us of danger, many times we will ignore the alert due to the desire for it NOT to be a danger.  We want things to be OK so we do not accept that the stimulus we are receiving represents a threat.  He have a bias towards the status quo.  Nothing has ever happened when I do this, so nothing is likely to happen.

3.  The third interrupter of awareness is what we define as a Focus Lock.  This is some form of distraction that is so engaging that it focuses all of our awareness on one thing and by default blocks all the other stimulus in our environment.  This is when someone is texting and walks into a fountain.  The smart phone is the single most effective focus lock ever invented.  It robs us of our awareness in times and places where it is needed most.

To be effectively aware, we must do the following:

1. Monitor the baseline.  At first, this will require conscious effort.  But after a while, I find that I can monitor the baseline subconsciously.

2. Fight normalcy bias.  This requires you to be paranoid for a while as you develop your ability.  Look at every disturbance to the baseline as a potential threat.  This will allow you to stop ignoring or discounting concentric rings and begin making assessments of the actual risk. But as you learn, people will think you are jumpy or paranoid.  That is OK.  It is a skill that will save your life.

3. Avoid using the obvious focus locks in transition areas.  It is ok to text while you are sitting at your desk or laying in bed.  But it is NOT ok to text as you walk from your office to the parking garage.

Any time you are drawn to a concentric ring event, do a quick assessment of that ring, then stop looking at it (the event), and scan the rest of your environment to see what you are missing.

Developing awareness is a skill.  At first it will seem very awkward and self-conscious, but with practice, it will become seamless and subconscious.  You will start to pick up on more and more subtle rings of disturbance, and more complex stimuli.  Eventually, people may think you are psychic as they notice how you seem to sense events before they unfold.

Visit us and learn about our Awareness & Urban Survival classes @ www.onpointtactical.com

Guest post… By Kevin Reeve of On Point Tactical

Given recent events I felt this was information everyone should have.

Kevin Reeve of On Point Tactical has some very impressive credentials. Read more about him at his website. There will be one more guest post by Kevin Reeve tomorrow, I have his permission to repost these blogs as guest posts.

Ann

Apr 19 2013

How To Be Safe in Crowds by Kevin Reeve

I have been asked several times since the Boston Marathon Bombing about how to manage risk in a large crowd environment.  One answer is simple:  Unless you are absolutely required to be in attendance, AVOID large crowded environments.  Of course when there are times when you have limited choice and must venture into that environment, then use good habits of “situational awareness” and adopt a “bias towards action.”

Large groups of people will always attract a certain amount of risk.  Never underestimate the volatility of people in large groups.  Any significant event, even a “perceived” event, can result in a stampede.  People are injured and die every year during Black Friday Sales events when they become victims of a frenzied mob.  A fire, an explosion, an active shooter can all create a mob mentality that takes on a life of its own.

The KEY to surviving any event in a crowded venue will depend almost entirely on your ability to control personal panic, to assess the situation, and to take immediate action.  If you panic, you drastically increase your odds of injury or death.

Here are a few strategies that will decrease your risk. Concentration is initially involved, but after practice, these habits can become natural and seemingly effortless.

1. Maintain your awareness.  Keep your eyes up, off the smart phone, and scan your environment.  This is can be challenging due to the large volume of people.  But try actively scanning.  Look for “out of baseline” behaviors.  People moving upstream, against the flow, for example, are out of baseline.  People moving faster or slower than the baseline, or whose gestures or furtiveness do not match the event.

I have a friend that works in a department store in theft prevention.  In a glance, he can spot someone about to shoplift.  Their behaviors are out of baseline.  A shoplifter will always stand right next to the shelf before he pockets the item, whereas a normal shopper stands back to be able to see the contents of the shelves.  Out of baseline.

2. Identify specific threats or threatening behavior.   Look for menacing behavior or people who by their looks cause you to feel uncomfortable. Trust your gut.  There may be a valid reason why they make you feel uncomfortable.  If you are in proximity, move away.  As always, look for “orphans:”  bags or packages without owners.  Alert security if you see them, but do not stand next to them waiting for security to arrive.

3. Identify exits.  Whenever I enter a room, or area, one of the first things I do is scan for exits.  Are there emergency exits?  Are they alarmed?  Are they locked?  What about windows?  Can they be opened?  Is there a heavy object like a chair I can throw through the window?

4. Look for exits on the opposite side of the room from the entrance or at right angles to the entrance.  Most people will bypass emergency exits in close proximity to them to go back to the entrance they came in through.  This behavior has led to many deaths in ballroom and concert fires.  People who are panicking seek the familiar.

5. Identify cover.  Cover refers to safety from fire.  A brick wall may stop bullets, but sheetrock walls will not.  Solid furniture may seem solid, but even a two inch thick oak table will not stop a 9mm round.  You must find something substantial if shooting starts.  The engine block and front axle of a car for example may provide enough cover for one person.  The car door, not so much.   Inside a building, there is generally not much cover.  Better to head for the exit.

5.  When an event occurs, grab your family members and head for the exit.  Pick up and carry children.  Have your family members, (spouse, others with you) grab a hold of your belt.  Move assertively towards the PRE-SELECTED exit.   Move with the crowd “downstream” but also in a diagonal direction, until can reach a wall inside, or if outside, the edge of the crowd, where you can better control your movement.  Do not be afraid to damage or destroy the fixtures or the building itself to get out, such as breaking open windows or kicking open doors, or breaking locks   Timidity will not be helpful.  Your primary concern must be your family.  Once they are safe, you can decide whether or not to render aid to others.

6. Carry essential gear.  Essential gear for an outside event:  Water bottle.  First aid kit that includes a tourniquet.  Knife. Multi-tool. Sun glasses that also provide eye protection.  Indoor essential gear, add a small pocket flashlight which will penetrate smoke and haze, ( a cell phone light will not penetrate smoke and haze.)

It is impossible to anticipate every event.  However, most events will precipitate the need to MOVE.  MOVEMENT to SAFETY will generally always be your highest priority.  If the event is localized to your immediate vicinity, then safety generally lies elsewhere. The most important trait here is a BIAS TOWARDS ACTION.   Take action to improve your crowd situation.

Kevin Reeve is the founder of onPoint Tactical, an Urban & Wilderness Survival School, teaching awareness and a full range of advanced survival skills.

Visit at: www.onpointtactical.com

Writing in the face of tragedy

This country has suffered not one but two tragic events in the past week. There was the horrific bombing in Boston. Three innocent lives were lost in this act of terrorism, but great kindness was shown with strangers helping strangers. The city will heal. Then just when we started to catch our breath a small town in TX called West suffered from what appears to be a tragic accident. A fertilizer plant had a fire that turned into an explosion. There was another scene of death and destruction rolling on the tv.

In the face of all of this how do you move on?

 I am writing a thriller that includes a number of bombs. I went back through my manuscript to ensure that I had not accidentally written a how to manual. 

My next step was to free write, these words are not yet part of anything, in fact they may never see the light of day, but it felt good to let out the emotions.  As I started writing I didn’t edit or correct anything I just let my emotions and feelings flow freely. Then I got a good meal, took a shower and got back to my novel. 

I am encouraging everyone who has suffered from a tragedy to write, write until you feel the emotions leave or settle to a more normal level. You need not share your words, but allowing the release of these powerful emotions is a good thing.

Powerful emotions are like flowing water they need a place to go, writing gives them a safe outlet.