Annually, National Situational Awareness Day is observed on September 26th as a reminder of the importance of paying attention and being aware of your surroundings. Situational awareness is a vital skill that must be constantly practiced, which will help you recognize potential threats to your personal safety in the places you frequent most. National Situational Awareness Day was founded by Pretty Loaded, LLC, a company dedicated to teaching situational awareness and personal safety.
Situational Awareness
is the ability to identify, process and effectively respond to what is happening around you and determine how it may impact your safety or the safety of your family. Developing this skill may help you predict and prevent dangerous encounters, as well as help you make the best decision the first time when reacting to potential threats and hazards. Paying special attention to what is happening in front of you, behind you, and to the left and right of you is important. It is equally as important to be aware of what is above and below you, as well.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS MODELS
There are a few models to help you develop a situational mindset.
SLAM –
Stop
Look
Analyze
Manage
Four steps associated with situational awareness are Stop, Look, Analyze, and Manage (SLAM), which is an approach to help you have more situational awareness everywhere you go. Often, this model is used in the workplace, but should be used in all environments.
THE OODA LOOP
Observe
Orient
Decide
Act
Another acronym is known as the OODA Loop, which stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act:
Observe: Use all of your senses to maximize your situational awareness and gather information
Orient: Mentally process what you have observed based on the information you have
Decide: Determine the best response to the threat, including an active choice or pause an action
Act: Take immediate action and execute your decision
This four step decision-making cycle was developed by US Air Force Fighter Pilot and Pentagon Consultant, Colonel John Boyd. This concept was developed for use in warfare and states that if you make your decisions faster than your opponent, your ability to win the encounter is increased.
COOPER’S COLOR CODE OF AWARENESS
A popular situational awareness model was developed by Colonel Jeff Cooper and known as Cooper’s Color Code of Awareness. This concept categorizes awareness levels by colors that detail our level of mental awareness and our related actions:
Level White: Unready and unaware of your surroundings; distracted or daydreaming
Level Yellow: Relaxed, alert, and aware of what’s happening around you
Level Orange: Aware of possible danger creating a heightened awareness
Level Red: Threat identified and action is immediate
Colonel Cooper stated that our awareness mindset should be at Level Yellow on a daily basis, especially in unfamiliar surroundings.
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS CHALLENGES
Some of the challenges to being acutely aware of your surroundings include fatigue, stress, distractions, complacency, and a sense that you are in a safe place. Often, a sense or feeling that something is not quite right is the first inclination that a threat is imminent. It’s called intuition or trusting your gut. To remain present and aware, one must always focus on the environment or domain around you. Never discount or ignore your intuition. To learn more about trusting your instincts and predicting human behavior, consider reading the book, The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker.
LET’S MAKE EVERY DAY SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DAY
It’s important to incorporate situational awareness into your family’s daily routines. It is equally important to teach your children about situational awareness and how to plan and respond to dangerous situations, including tricky people, tricky places and their boundaries. Role playing and practicing their plan is most helpful for children. Understanding the safety concepts related to situational awareness will help children to act quickly when faced with a dangerous encounter.
HOW WILL YOU OBSERVE NATIONAL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS DAY EVERY DAY?
There are several ideas you may want to consider on September 26th in support of the nationally recognized day, such as signing up to take a situational awareness class, develop, discuss and practice your awareness plan, and research and learn more about the topic and methodologies.
Practice Situational Awareness
In general, people who improve their situational awareness skills enhance their observations of everything around them, think more strategically, and react quickly when faced with potentially dangerous situations. The more aware you are, the likelihood of becoming a victim is lessened.
