Tag: personal safety

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Training Review: Behavioural Profiling and Situational Awareness from Emergence LLC

Emergence LLC – http://www.emergencedisrupt.com

Recently I completed the Behavioural Profiling and Situational Awareness online course produced by Emergence LLC and presented by Yousef Badou.

Mr. Badou is a US Marine veteran (with 3 tours in Iraq) who contributed to the development of the behavioural profiling programme used by the USMC.

As an introduction, I thought it was a concise overview of the principles of behavioural profiling and situational awareness.

Developing awareness of the Baseline.

A lot is covered in the ~1 hour online course (especially for the cost, at $9 USD).  For someone new to it, it really opens up a window into the world that your senses disregard if you’re not in tune to your environment.  For the practitioner, it is a good review from the ground up of basics, reframed from another perspective.  He states that if he can, through imparting his knowledge, give you even an extra second (or more) of advantage to act, he will have given you an edge in surviving an event.  This is all predicated upon becoming in-tune with the environment around you and feeling the baseline.

Seeing what stands out even when it’s not obvious can give you that extra second to act and increase your chances of survival.

Mr. Badou’s examples and delivery are engaging and spot-on.  Such as the  recognition of “pre-incident indicators” are all learnable and actionable.  Though a large portion of the material he covered was a review to me, I did like the way he explained some things I hadn’t heard before – the concept of “File Folders”, for instance and how they affect one’s decision making processes.

Seeing the threat early is like seeing in the future.

The entire overview hit the salient points while providing easily understandable context for each.  Broad topics covered are:

  • Introduction to Behavioural Profiling (with physiology and psychology backgrounders)
  • File Folders and Denial (as well as anomalies and perception)
  • Fear and Brain Errors (including the Limbic system), and;
  • Final Thoughts

Mr. Badou references a few different additional sources for further reading in the form of Patrick Van Horne’s Left of Bang, Gavin De Becker’s The Gift of Fear and Dave Grossman’s On Combat – all excellent primary sources for this type of material.

I recommend giving Emergence LLC a look and trying out their introductory offering.  I am also looking forward to further modules they will be putting out – such as Observable Behaviours and Behavioural Indicators.

Till next time, stay warm, stay safe and stay crafty.

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Delta 2 Alpha – The Accent Series

The Accent Series.

By Delta 2 Alpha Design

The Accent Series. Delta 2 Alpha Design.

A little while ago I received a mail call containing a sample of the Accent Series from Delta2Alpha Design.  To read my review of the previous generation of tools, go here.

Happiness in a parcel!

The Accent Series is their newest offering of upgraded versions of The MARK, The LOLLY and The MiK.

The MARK, in colours…

The new tools are delivered in three colours (crimson, blaze orange or day-glow green), clad in a robust carbon fibre skin.

Durable polymer clad in carbon fibre.

They are all incredibly versatile and even more durable than their previous versions.  I found the carbon fibre skin to be more resistant to scratches and abrasions than the earlier version of polymer tools.

The Lolly – polymer last-ditch tool. Earlier version.
Accent version of the Lolly.
I have used the Lolly for opening paint cans when I find myself without a screwdriver. It’s handy to carry in my 5th jeans pocket.

On a recent visit to Ottawa, I found myself in a Tim Hortons for a morning coffee.  The floor was covered in melt and slushy runoff from the recent snow.  Thankfully, I had my Accent Series MARK in my bag (perfect for non-permissive environments like government buildings) and ensured my bag and its contents were well out of he muck.

No dirty, wet Tim Hortons floor for me and my stuff!

The MiK can be used as the MARK can, but with smaller applications.  I do like how it can hold up your phone, hang your bag (or purse) or coat – perfect for bathrooms.  It can also easily fit into the fifth pocket of your jeans for concealment and easy access.

The MiK. Small but sturdy.

 

From the Delta 2 Alpha website:

TheMARK: Offers a convenient way to keep your jacket or bag off of the floor bathrooms when traveling (or everyday life) when there isn’t a hook. It can also be used as a tablet stand.

TheMiK:  Fits conveniently on your keys, and is used a hands free way to prop up your phone. This comes in handy whether you are trying to do a video chat, or just kill sometime watching cat videos (No Judgement).

TheLolly: Can go right next to TheMiK on your keychain. TheLolly is a light duty pocket scraper, and prybar. It has be referred to as a “Fingernail Saver”. It also offers a ¼” bit driver and the key ring slot can be used to drive the Leatherman multi-tool brand bits.

*Each package includes one (1) of TheMARK, TheMiK, and TheLolly; They are sold as matched sets*

All things considered, I feel that Delta 2 Alpha scored a big win with improving an already-sturdy and reliable design with their Accent Series of polymer tools.  I’m very happy with them and equip myself with at least one on a daily basis as they are lightweight, practical and come in handy in a variety of ways.

You can order yours here on their website.

Till next time, stay crafty.

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Staying Safe in Crowds

The crowds are coming.

As the holiday season approaches, we will invariably be heading out more often to places rife with people.  Be it for shopping, get-togethers, enjoying a crisp winter walk or seeing a festive event, the holiday season brings more and more people out for all these reasons and more.

Large groups of people gathered together tend to cause problems relating to safety and security.  They increase the risk of conflict between people in those large groups, they make inviting targets for those who would wish to cause harm (i.e. bad guys) and the larger the group of people in a building, the more difficult and time-consuming it is to get those people out safely, especially under panic.

Violent crowds. Dangerous times.

Examples of these would be as follows:  anytime there is one last toy of a particular kind and a fight breaks out; fights over parking spots at malls, etc.  These types of events may or may not be directly involving you, but have the potential to rope you in if you’re not paying attention.  Another is an active shooter (such as the Jane Creba shooting in Toronto) where something like gang violence occurs and innocent bystanders are caught in the middle.  And then there are times when a machete-wielding lunatic attacks random shoppers, or some fanatic decides to plough down people walking down the street with a truck.  And then there’s fire.  Nothing nefarious, but deadly nonetheless.  They happen.  Use all your senses to stay aware.  None of these are predictable in a useful sense for someone heading out for a day of shopping at the mall.  They just happen.

For the interactions that escalate, I would recommend to let it go.  Is some hot-head nut case really worth that parking spot?  Likely not.  However, this doesn’t mean I advocate not protecting yourself if someone attacks you.

George knows. It’s not worth it.

For the rest, they are “black swan events” which you have to deal with as they unfold.

Here are my thoughts on how to increase your chances of survival in crowded locations in times of danger.

  • Keep an eye open for viable exits:  as you enter malls, concert halls or crowded public spaces, keep an eye on ways out.  Be it a fire or an attack, having a pre-planned escape route can save valuable seconds getting out and saving yourself and likely others.  Better yet, if you’re there a while, hang out near the exits.  You’ll be better positioned to get out should something happen.  Also, if in a mall, take the stairs instead of the escalators.  If you have to move in a hurry you have a better position to move from as those on the escalator are trapped in the chute.

    Exits, exits everywhere! Keep an eye open.
  • Keep moving:  Staying still doesn’t help you much in a time of crisis.  If you’re still, you’re an easy target, you’re not moving away from danger and you’re not able to affect change to your circumstance, thus handing all the control to others (i.e. bad guys).  Move towards an exit, move to cover, move  to a fire extinguisher…just MOVE!  Be a difficult target.  Movement is Life.  In large crowds, most people will attempt to exit the way they came in.  This can cause a stampede-like effect where people get trampled and crushed.  A wave of humanity which is large and panicked cannot be forced.  Instead, take the better approach and aim for one of your pre-scouted exits instead.
  • In the case of an active shooter – TAKE COVER:  That’s right.  as you move, move from one place of cover to another until you exit and create time and distance between you and the threat.  Cover is something that offers ballistic protection (i.e. protection from bullets).  This is cement and concrete.  Furniture, vehicles and the like don’t provide adequate protection from bullets.  Stone, rock, thick steel and cement do.  Look for pillars, walls and the like to save you.

    Hide behind concrete.
  • Be aware of your surroundings:   Use all of your senses.  If a fire breaks out, you’ll likely have an indication before you see it because of smell.  Move to an exit.  When in a crowd, get a sense of the general “feel” of the environment.  Stay at the edges of crowds.  Look for people who don’t look or “feel” like they belong in the same group.  Situational Awareness is your early warning system for something bad happening.  It’s not meant to cultivate paranoia, it’s meant to cultivate awareness for whats going on around you so you have a chance to ACT before being acted upon.

    Keep your head on a swivel.
  • Keep Essentials on you:  Your personal Every-Day-Carry should be on you at all times.  A small knife, multi-tool, lock picks, lighter, cash, cell phone (charged), mini flashlight, some cordage, etc. can help you get out of a tough situation should you need it.

To sum up remember these key points:

  1. Be Aware (of your environment)
  2. Be prepared (with a viable EDC setup)
  3. Identify Exits (note escape routes)
  4. Keep Moving (movement is life)
  5. Take Cover (behind concrete or stone)
  6. Better yet, order online and stay home.

In closing, before you head out, switch on.  Enjoy yourself and have fun, but always remember that by being aware you are fore-warned and fore-armed.  Always have an escape plan.

Be safe.  Stay crafty.

 

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Safety in Crowds and During Events

Happy 150th B-day Canada!

 

Happy 150th Canada!

Today we will look at how to be a bit safer when attending large events and being in crowds.  As we all head out for the festivities this weekend, we will find ourselves in large crowds.  Most people don’t think about what can go wrong in such an environment and are focused on the strong Canadian beer and flood of Canadian Pride.  But if something does turn the tide of the crowd, it can easily go from a fun time to a deadly mob.  A fire, a terrorist attack, active shooter…all can turn the tide quickly.  A stampede of people trying to get out of a night club, or a park that is fenced-in can result in injuries and death as the mob moves.  The panic that a real or perceived event causes is enough for people to take leave of their faculties and just charge.

So, how do you give yourself the edge in situations like this?

Large crowds can be problematic.
  1. Maintain Situational Awareness: Keep your wits about you and observe your surroundings.  Identify the baseline of the crowd.  How does it move? What is the average behaviour?  Is there anyone moving against the grain, or seems out of place?  Is there someone that doesn’t seem to fit?  Try to identify these things by putting your phone away and actively scanning your surroundings.  That doesn’t mean you should be afraid, just aware and in-tune.
  2. Take Note of Changes:  Look for and identify specific examples of “off” behaviour outside of the norm or baseline.  Like the one person wearing wearing a Hawaiian shirt at a funeral.  Also, try and get a “feel” for the mood of the crowd and react to its changes.  If things suddenly go from fun and festive to uneasy and twitchy, get moving towards an pre-determined exit.
  3. Pre-Identify Exits and Escape Routes:  As you arrive to a crowded area or event, take mental note of your evacuation options.  If everyone is coming in through a particular gate or door, look for other options.  Are there emergency and fire doors off to the side?  Are there windows?  Stairwells? Employee doors with “Authorized Personnel Only” signs?  Maybe walk by some of those doors to ensure they aren’t chained or bolted and that they are viable options.  Check for a window you might be able to break to get out.  Most of the crowd will head back the way it came if it decides to stampede.  Alternate exit options will give you a better chance of getting out faster and intact.
  4. Cover & Concealment:  Look for spots that provide cover (ballistic protection from projectiles and shrapnel) and concealment (obscuring you from view).  If something goes down (like an active assailant begins shooting or stabbing people) and the exit isn’t an option, your next best thing is taking cover to protect yourself.
  5. Get Moving!:  If something begins or you feel it might, get moving.  Get to the edges of the crowd or to a wall and make your way to one of the pre-scouted exits you had selected.  Use the crowd momentum and relative direction to funnel you towards your target, moving forcefully in a diagonal path.  You can’t fight the crowd, but you can use it to your advantage.
  6. Carry the Right Gear:  Make sure you tailor your on-person equipment to be viable for the environment.  A small knife and/or multi-tool, bandana, water bottle, lighter, metal-bodied pen and possibly lock picks.  Dress appropriately and ensure you have the necessary tools to support your escape plan.
  7. MOVE!  If it’s go-time, move.  Don’t hesitate, just get moving.  Act in a decisive manner and get to your objective.

Additional point to keep in mind:

  • Stay to the edges of the room or crowd;
  • Keep panic in check, and;
  • If you want to ensure you minimize the risk, DON’T BE THERE!  Watch the event on TV.  You can’t be harmed if you’re not there.

Don’t forget..if you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING!  Let a police officer or security know if you see something wrong.  They’re likely better equipped to deal with it than you are.

Till next time, have fun, stay vigilant and of course, stay crafty.

Happy Canada 150!