Do you live in what might be graciously called the rough part of town? Just moving to a safer area can signifi cantly reduce your potential to become a victim of a violent crime. Think about it.
The ASAP Survival Pack supports two people for up to 72 tough hours with food, water, a GPS and more. Avoid- ing problems? Deterring trouble, or just being smart? All of the above.
robber says, “Hey stupid, put your hands up!” “Huh? What’s going on here?” they
usually say. When I was a cop, almost every report I took from the victims of street assaults, burglaries in progress, robberies or car thefts always said the same thing: “I couldn’t believe it was happening to me.” Believe it, be aware before it happens, then chances are it won’t happen to you. Being in yellow mode means you
An actual picture in my actual house. A strong ready posi- tion means you can deter trouble. In this case, the fi re extinguisher, light and handgun on a neck strap with a reload handy can prevent trouble and help keep us out of it.
are aware of your surroundings and know what’s going on. The fact that there are two guys in that car over there, a dog is nearby eyeing you and your kids are not in the street are situations you are well aware of. If you have your car keys in your hands ready to unlock your car door and your packages are ready to be tossed down if you need your hands free, shows you’re in yellow; prepared, cautious and paying attention. You look if you hear a funny sound, you pay attention to a fast car passing, hear the siren in the distance and could recall the color of the shirt on that “kinda’ weird guy” you saw a few minutes ago. You can function in yellow anytime you’re awake. If you don’t, you’re an idiot and I’ll gladly tell you you’re a sheeple and part of the problem. An interesting aside is the fact if
you’re with a cop, even if off-duty, and they hear a loud noise, or no- tice something weird, they will often glance at their watch. Later, what time they saw whatever was going on might be important. It’s automatic, and normal and shows they’re in yel- low. You should be too. You’re not paranoid, you’re not be-
ing ridiculous, and it’s not over-kill. It’s simply smart, and it could quite easily save your life or the lives of your family. Be aware, be smart, look, pay attention and question why you see things out of the norm and you’ll be a harder target by tenfold. For example, let’s say you see
Looks like fun, right? But don’t go into it with blinders on. Pay attention since nobody is responsible for your safety but you. Condition yellow here, at best.
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a thug hanging around your car. You should now be in orange mode, focusing on the potential threat you have identifi ed. “There, that guy is
a threat,” you say to yourself. Then take whatever action is needed. And probably the best action is almost always avoidance. Walk back to the mall and call the cops. Get yourself out of the line of fi re, away from the danger and to safety. You’re not being afraid, you’re not being timid, you’re just being awfully smart. What if you see a car driving errat-
ically ahead of you? It means you’re paying attention, not yapping on your cell phone or yelling at your kids. A drunk driver? Someone having a heart attack? You don’t know, but you went from yellow to orange instantly as you focused on the possible threat. What can you do? Avoid it. Take the ramp, slow down or anything to get out of the threat zone. You’re not a sissy, you’re smart. If things go past the orange level,
you’re in red, and that usually means you’re having to take some kind of action to defend yourself. If you choose to carry a fi rearm or a less- lethal device, you’ll be deploying it in the red zone. It’s the time-to-take- action point. Keep in mind, you can go from orange to yellow back and forth many times during the day, but chances are, once you’re in red, you’ve got your hands full. If avoidance can get you out of red and not endanger anyone who is relying on you for protection, do it. I’m not going to cover guns and
such, but if you do carry a concealed weapon, I hope you’re smart enough to get the training you need to go with it. If not, well … you’re an idiot. When the time comes you’ll always revert to training, and if you haven’t trained, then you’ll revert to nothing. Think about it.
De-escalation Let’s say you went to yellow, then
orange and suddenly in the middle of a situation you want to avoid, but are were forced into for any number of reasons. What now? What do you do if confronted with a fi ght you have to intervene in, or an irate driver who follows you into a gas station, an an- gry parent at a PTA meeting, the cop
PERSONAL DEFENSE • FALL 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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