Situational Awareness

Bigger Stronger Leaner
61

[quote]humble wrote:
Pavel wrote a masterpiece of poetic truth a couple of months ago about this topic. Seriously, I hadn’t read something so poignant in a very long time. He mentioned the deteriorating human condition and how we view ourselves as we age and mentioned a story of a guy who was assassinated. A hitman follows him for 5 mins straight without the guys awareness, literally right behind him, all caught on cctv… The whole time, the victim is fingerling away on his phone… I’ll dig up the article [/quote]

i’d love to read that…

i swear to God, there are days when i wanna yank people’s phones out of their hands and ask them to simply pay attention to where they’re walking or driving for 5 friggen minutes. it’s not like they’re managing billion dollar deals anyway…

62

[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:

[quote]humble wrote:
Pavel wrote a masterpiece of poetic truth a couple of months ago about this topic. Seriously, I hadn’t read something so poignant in a very long time. He mentioned the deteriorating human condition and how we view ourselves as we age and mentioned a story of a guy who was assassinated. A hitman follows him for 5 mins straight without the guys awareness, literally right behind him, all caught on cctv… The whole time, the victim is fingerling away on his phone… I’ll dig up the article [/quote]

i’d love to read that…

i swear to God, there are days when i wanna yank people’s phones out of their hands and ask them to simply pay attention to where they’re walking or driving for 5 friggen minutes. it’s not like they’re managing billion dollar deals anyway…[/quote]

I second that. I keep my head up and swivelling, although I am admittedly a primary offender of the headphone brigade. I’m addicted to music, I cant help it. Have been as long as I can remember being alive, literally first memories haha.

63

this probably needs its own thread but… when you see a cop swinging his baton and telling you that he is gonna fuck you up and you have not even been handcuffed or detained…RUN

64

[quote]Ranzo wrote:

this probably needs its own thread but… when you see a cop swinging his baton and telling you that he is gonna fuck you up and you have not even been handcuffed or detained…RUN[/quote]

White square for me.

65

[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:

i’d love to read that…

i swear to God, there are days when i wanna yank people’s phones out of their hands and ask them to simply pay attention to where they’re walking or driving for 5 friggen minutes. it’s not like they’re managing billion dollar deals anyway…[/quote]

Here ya go guys…

Honestly, if you appreciate writing, this is very poignant.

[b]Back in the late nineties I had the pleasure of strength coaching a seventy-some year-old gentleman named Milton. He had a sparkle in his eye reminiscent of a young boy ready to kick the world’s butt. Milton approached his deadlifts fiercely, ripping 225 off the platform like a bag of groceries the first time I showed him the lift. Guilty of stereotyping, I asked him if he played golf. The young man in an older man’s body gave me a disdainful look and told me that he would take it up when he got old-at ninety or later.

This happened fifteen years ago. Today, golf seems like a hardcore sport. I had a startling revelation–most of the favorite activities of today’s ten, twenty, and thirty-year-olds can be engaged in by folks in nursing homes. In a New Yorker cartoon a boy is playing with his phone and his mother suggests that he go play outside. The boy gives her an amused look: “What is this, 1962”?

Our pear-shaped kids are the reverse of my student Milton-old men and women in young people’s bodies. They bring the timidity of the old age into the age when one is supposed to drink life out of a fire hose. Fighting, loving, climbing trees, lifting kettlebells, throwing knives, making model rockets, running and doing pull-ups before dawn getting ready to join the Marines. Dreaming of Future, Unlimited… Scratch all that in favor of Grand Theft Auto.

Twenty- and thirty-year-olds are equally lame. They walk around like zombies, glazed eyes glued to their prized phones. They cross streets with a nursing home shuffle, infuriating drivers trying to take a turn. They have zero situational awareness and fall prey to any crime or accident. Not long ago, newspapers published a still shot from the security camera that had caught a contract murder in New York City. The image shows the victim in the last seconds of his life, the killer a couple of steps behind him, ready to pull the trigger. What is the man about to die doing?–Walking and fooling around with his phone. What was the last image imprinted on his retina before his status got permanently updated? A photo of somebody’s lunch or a string of semi-coherent LOLs and OMGs?
Go live. There is no app for that.

[/b]

66

[quote]humble wrote:

[quote]cycobushmaster wrote:

i’d love to read that…

i swear to God, there are days when i wanna yank people’s phones out of their hands and ask them to simply pay attention to where they’re walking or driving for 5 friggen minutes. it’s not like they’re managing billion dollar deals anyway…[/quote]

Here ya go guys…

Honestly, if you appreciate writing, this is very poignant.

[b]Back in the late nineties I had the pleasure of strength coaching a seventy-some year-old gentleman named Milton. He had a sparkle in his eye reminiscent of a young boy ready to kick the world’s butt. Milton approached his deadlifts fiercely, ripping 225 off the platform like a bag of groceries the first time I showed him the lift. Guilty of stereotyping, I asked him if he played golf. The young man in an older man’s body gave me a disdainful look and told me that he would take it up when he got old-at ninety or later.

This happened fifteen years ago. Today, golf seems like a hardcore sport. I had a startling revelation–most of the favorite activities of today’s ten, twenty, and thirty-year-olds can be engaged in by folks in nursing homes. In a New Yorker cartoon a boy is playing with his phone and his mother suggests that he go play outside. The boy gives her an amused look: “What is this, 1962”?

Our pear-shaped kids are the reverse of my student Milton-old men and women in young people’s bodies. They bring the timidity of the old age into the age when one is supposed to drink life out of a fire hose. Fighting, loving, climbing trees, lifting kettlebells, throwing knives, making model rockets, running and doing pull-ups before dawn getting ready to join the Marines. Dreaming of Future, Unlimited… Scratch all that in favor of Grand Theft Auto.

Twenty- and thirty-year-olds are equally lame. They walk around like zombies, glazed eyes glued to their prized phones. They cross streets with a nursing home shuffle, infuriating drivers trying to take a turn. They have zero situational awareness and fall prey to any crime or accident. Not long ago, newspapers published a still shot from the security camera that had caught a contract murder in New York City. The image shows the victim in the last seconds of his life, the killer a couple of steps behind him, ready to pull the trigger. What is the man about to die doing?–Walking and fooling around with his phone. What was the last image imprinted on his retina before his status got permanently updated? A photo of somebody’s lunch or a string of semi-coherent LOLs and OMGs?
Go live. There is no app for that.
[/b]
[/quote]

Thanks for digging that up man.

Good stuff,

67

[quote]humble wrote:

Here ya go guys…

Honestly, if you appreciate writing, this is very poignant.

[b]Back in the late nineties I had the pleasure of strength coaching a seventy-some year-old gentleman named Milton. He had a sparkle in his eye reminiscent of a young boy ready to kick the world’s butt. Milton approached his deadlifts fiercely, ripping 225 off the platform like a bag of groceries the first time I showed him the lift. Guilty of stereotyping, I asked him if he played golf. The young man in an older man’s body gave me a disdainful look and told me that he would take it up when he got old-at ninety or later.

This happened fifteen years ago. Today, golf seems like a hardcore sport. I had a startling revelation–most of the favorite activities of today’s ten, twenty, and thirty-year-olds can be engaged in by folks in nursing homes. In a New Yorker cartoon a boy is playing with his phone and his mother suggests that he go play outside. The boy gives her an amused look: “What is this, 1962”?

Our pear-shaped kids are the reverse of my student Milton-old men and women in young people’s bodies. They bring the timidity of the old age into the age when one is supposed to drink life out of a fire hose. Fighting, loving, climbing trees, lifting kettlebells, throwing knives, making model rockets, running and doing pull-ups before dawn getting ready to join the Marines. Dreaming of Future, Unlimited… Scratch all that in favor of Grand Theft Auto.

Twenty- and thirty-year-olds are equally lame. They walk around like zombies, glazed eyes glued to their prized phones. They cross streets with a nursing home shuffle, infuriating drivers trying to take a turn. They have zero situational awareness and fall prey to any crime or accident. Not long ago, newspapers published a still shot from the security camera that had caught a contract murder in New York City. The image shows the victim in the last seconds of his life, the killer a couple of steps behind him, ready to pull the trigger. What is the man about to die doing?–Walking and fooling around with his phone. What was the last image imprinted on his retina before his status got permanently updated? A photo of somebody’s lunch or a string of semi-coherent LOLs and OMGs?
Go live. There is no app for that.
[/b]
[/quote]

Love this. Thanks for sharing!

68
69

Added the link for reference, sorry I forgot it.

70

[quote]Seachel_25 wrote:

[quote]humble wrote:

Here ya go guys…

Honestly, if you appreciate writing, this is very poignant.

[b]Back in the late nineties I had the pleasure of strength coaching a seventy-some year-old gentleman named Milton. He had a sparkle in his eye reminiscent of a young boy ready to kick the world’s butt. Milton approached his deadlifts fiercely, ripping 225 off the platform like a bag of groceries the first time I showed him the lift. Guilty of stereotyping, I asked him if he played golf. The young man in an older man’s body gave me a disdainful look and told me that he would take it up when he got old-at ninety or later.

This happened fifteen years ago. Today, golf seems like a hardcore sport. I had a startling revelation–most of the favorite activities of today’s ten, twenty, and thirty-year-olds can be engaged in by folks in nursing homes. In a New Yorker cartoon a boy is playing with his phone and his mother suggests that he go play outside. The boy gives her an amused look: “What is this, 1962”?

Our pear-shaped kids are the reverse of my student Milton-old men and women in young people’s bodies. They bring the timidity of the old age into the age when one is supposed to drink life out of a fire hose. Fighting, loving, climbing trees, lifting kettlebells, throwing knives, making model rockets, running and doing pull-ups before dawn getting ready to join the Marines. Dreaming of Future, Unlimited… Scratch all that in favor of Grand Theft Auto.

Twenty- and thirty-year-olds are equally lame. They walk around like zombies, glazed eyes glued to their prized phones. They cross streets with a nursing home shuffle, infuriating drivers trying to take a turn. They have zero situational awareness and fall prey to any crime or accident. Not long ago, newspapers published a still shot from the security camera that had caught a contract murder in New York City. The image shows the victim in the last seconds of his life, the killer a couple of steps behind him, ready to pull the trigger. What is the man about to die doing?–Walking and fooling around with his phone. What was the last image imprinted on his retina before his status got permanently updated? A photo of somebody’s lunch or a string of semi-coherent LOLs and OMGs?
Go live. There is no app for that.
[/b]
[/quote]

Love this. Thanks for sharing!
[/quote]

quoting again because it is a must read.

71

I decided to bring this topic back up because of a conversation we are having on the “Bad Ideas” thread. There is a large amount of good “street sense” information in this thread. These are serious and dangerous times, I would encourage all forum members re-read the advise given here and evaluate your own security and situational awareness measures, both for yourself and those you are responsible for.

I would also like to challenge each forum member to review your own growth since this thread was first started. Have you improved in street “awareness”? weapons training? physical training? martial arts training? security for your family ? Security for your residence? Do you have a “mental plan” if an attack occurs while you are shopping for a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas present? Do you have a “disaster kit”? (food , water, medical) to survive for at least 5 days? Do you have any “burner phones” for emergencies? Do you have any medications for your children or loved ones if travel is not possible? just some things to think about.

As for myself, since this thread was first started, I have left Iraq and currently in Afghanistan. My weapons skills have improved with small arms, but, my Kali skills have declined because I lost access to my instructor, my Judo skills have not grown because the guy I work out with can only train once a week. Unarmed training has been reduced to a heavy bag and Kali Katas, so, I have not gained much of anything. Physical training has actually improved on the big three since I dont have access to the arts.

I have spent a lot of time training in a “kill house” so my skills have improved there, as well as the people I train. Been doing an online course in advanced Spanish, that is kicking my ass.

What say you? improved since this thread first started?

72

Nice write up Idaho.

Since this thread was started:

My unarmed fighting skills have continued to improve as has my understanding of fight strategy and coaching methods.

I got injured grappling (guy outweighed me by more than 100 lbs, but I was dominating him, then he just basically powered out of a sweep and aggravated an old injury of mine) so haven’t necessarily “improved” my physical conditioning since the thread started, but my injury did force me to re-evaluated my training priorities and really focus on getting my body balanced and healthy from an athletic standpoint. It has also given me more time to work on weaknesses like flexibility (not that I was horribly inflexible, but it’s an area where I have more room for improvement than some others.

My primitive survival skills have all improved ( shelter craft, fire craft, finding and purifying water, knowledge of edible wild plants, land navigation skills, and construction of traps and snares to name a few areas) since this thread was started.

I now have a very basic “Bug Out Bag”, but this is definitely an area where I also have lots of room for improvement. This is also an area where monetary limitations have somewhat hindered my growth over this past year though (being that I have another mouth to feed).

My edged weapons and impact weapons skills have improved, and my unarmed against a firearm skills have improved, but my offensive firearm skills have not (partly due to time constraints and partly due to lack of access as the local range closed down). Something that again I feel I have plenty of room for improvement in.

My situational awareness continues to improve (an infant/toddler will definitely keep you on your toes), but truth be told my time is pretty much spent either at the gym, at my school, at my instructor’s school, or driving around in my car to get my son to nap these days, so it’s not like I am in a lot of highly dangerous environments lately either.

73

[quote]idaho wrote:
I decided to bring this topic back up because of a conversation we are having on the “Bad Ideas” thread. There is a large amount of good “street sense” information in this thread. These are serious and dangerous times, I would encourage all forum members re-read the advise given here and evaluate your own security and situational awareness measures, both for yourself and those you are responsible for.

I would also like to challenge each forum member to review your own growth since this thread was first started. Have you improved in street “awareness”? weapons training? physical training? martial arts training? security for your family ? Security for your residence? Do you have a “mental plan” if an attack occurs while you are shopping for a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas present? Do you have a “disaster kit”? (food , water, medical) to survive for at least 5 days? Do you have any “burner phones” for emergencies? Do you have any medications for your children or loved ones if travel is not possible? just some things to think about.

As for myself, since this thread was first started, I have left Iraq and currently in Afghanistan. My weapons skills have improved with small arms, but, my Kali skills have declined because I lost access to my instructor, my Judo skills have not grown because the guy I work out with can only train once a week. Unarmed training has been reduced to a heavy bag and Kali Katas, so, I have not gained much of anything. Physical training has actually improved on the big three since I dont have access to the arts.

I have spent a lot of time training in a “kill house” so my skills have improved there, as well as the people I train. Been doing an online course in advanced Spanish, that is kicking my ass.

What say you? improved since this thread first started?
[/quote]

Solid thread bump. I’ll bite.

The Good: 80 hour advanced first aid course. Ongoing civil search and rescue training including an 80 hour intensive on land navigation, disaster preparedness/response, basic survival/bushcraft/tracking, rope rescues, flat water rescue, radio comms, critical incident stress management etc. Working on “grey man” skills (i.e. removing most of my 5.11-I-like-to-think-I’m-a-tacticool-badass kit from regular wear). Pracicing being alert and scanning a room unobtrusively, without looking like robocop. Moving away from tactical/technical outdoorsy looking kit in favor of robust but more nondescript looking alternatives. Still no social media presence with personal info/pics of any kind.

The Bad: Daily practice in awareness/attention/arousal control disciplines but no new training. Some basic firearms handling/marksmanship training, but only enough for familiarity, not proficiency. Ditto for unarmed/intermediate weapons combatives. Fitness level well above general population due to very physically demanding profession, but stagnant due to inconsistent training. Stay sharp with if/then scenarios, cutting the pie, noting escape routes, potential positions of cover/concealment but again, no new formal training. Accumulated a few sundry pieces of disaster prep kit. Solid conceptual grasp of active shooter dynamics and considerations, but minimal practical training.

The Ugly: Still lacking meaningful bugout/shelter in place kit. First aid supplies on hand, but lacking. Do not own a firearm/ammunition. Do not have established networks/SOP’s nailed down for various worst case scenarios. No autonomous food production capabilities (garden, livestock etc.). Only rudimentary grasp of processing game safely. Lacking secondary escape protocol from 2nd floor apartment (although hang-and-drop would probably get it done). No passports, burner phones or get out of Dodge cash on hand.

LOTS of work to do. Thanks for the reminder.

74

[quote]batman730 wrote:
Solid thread bump. I’ll bite.

The Good: 80 hour advanced first aid course. Ongoing civil search and rescue training including an 80 hour intensive on land navigation, disaster preparedness/response, basic survival/bushcraft/tracking, rope rescues, flat water rescue, radio comms, critical incident stress management etc. Working on “grey man” skills (i.e. removing most of my 5.11-I-like-to-think-I’m-a-tacticool-badass kit from regular wear). Pracicing being alert and scanning a room unobtrusively, without looking like robocop. Moving away from tactical/technical outdoorsy looking kit in favor of robust but more nondescript looking alternatives. Still no social media presence with personal info/pics of any kind.

The Bad: Daily practice in awareness/attention/arousal control disciplines but no new training. Some basic firearms handling/marksmanship training, but only enough for familiarity, not proficiency. Ditto for unarmed/intermediate weapons combatives. Fitness level well above general population due to very physically demanding profession, but stagnant due to inconsistent training. Stay sharp with if/then scenarios, cutting the pie, noting escape routes, potential positions of cover/concealment but again, no new formal training. Accumulated a few sundry pieces of disaster prep kit. Solid conceptual grasp of active shooter dynamics and considerations, but minimal practical training.

The Ugly: Still lacking meaningful bugout/shelter in place kit. First aid supplies on hand, but lacking. Do not own a firearm/ammunition. Do not have established networks/SOP’s nailed down for various worst case scenarios. No autonomous food production capabilities (garden, livestock etc.). Only rudimentary grasp of processing game safely. Lacking secondary escape protocol from 2nd floor apartment (although hang-and-drop would probably get it done). No passports, burner phones or get out of Dodge cash on hand.

LOTS of work to do. Thanks for the reminder.[/quote]

Are you with a GSAR team? I’d like to hear more about your SAR training if you don’t mind(how your training is conducted/broken down, etc).

75

[quote]Will207 wrote:

[quote]batman730 wrote:
Solid thread bump. I’ll bite.

The Good: 80 hour advanced first aid course. Ongoing civil search and rescue training including an 80 hour intensive on land navigation, disaster preparedness/response, basic survival/bushcraft/tracking, rope rescues, flat water rescue, radio comms, critical incident stress management etc. Working on “grey man” skills (i.e. removing most of my 5.11-I-like-to-think-I’m-a-tacticool-badass kit from regular wear). Pracicing being alert and scanning a room unobtrusively, without looking like robocop. Moving away from tactical/technical outdoorsy looking kit in favor of robust but more nondescript looking alternatives. Still no social media presence with personal info/pics of any kind.

The Bad: Daily practice in awareness/attention/arousal control disciplines but no new training. Some basic firearms handling/marksmanship training, but only enough for familiarity, not proficiency. Ditto for unarmed/intermediate weapons combatives. Fitness level well above general population due to very physically demanding profession, but stagnant due to inconsistent training. Stay sharp with if/then scenarios, cutting the pie, noting escape routes, potential positions of cover/concealment but again, no new formal training. Accumulated a few sundry pieces of disaster prep kit. Solid conceptual grasp of active shooter dynamics and considerations, but minimal practical training.

The Ugly: Still lacking meaningful bugout/shelter in place kit. First aid supplies on hand, but lacking. Do not own a firearm/ammunition. Do not have established networks/SOP’s nailed down for various worst case scenarios. No autonomous food production capabilities (garden, livestock etc.). Only rudimentary grasp of processing game safely. Lacking secondary escape protocol from 2nd floor apartment (although hang-and-drop would probably get it done). No passports, burner phones or get out of Dodge cash on hand.

LOTS of work to do. Thanks for the reminder.[/quote]

Are you with a GSAR team? I’d like to hear more about your SAR training if you don’t mind(how your training is conducted/broken down, etc).
[/quote]

Yep, I’m GSAR. There are naturally some big differences from one SAR group to another, but here’s my experience.

Everyone does GSAR100, an 80 hour course mandated by the province but delivered by veteran group members. My course is running 1-2 evenings per week for 2-3 hours and every other Saturday for 5-6 hours. After you get through the dry administrative housekeeping sections early on and into the practical stuff, it’s actually pretty interesting. If you’ve got any background in bushcraft/orienteering etc a lot of it will be pretty basic, but it’s still fun IMO.

On an ongoing basis training runs 1-2 evenings and 1-2 Saturdays/month. Evening sessions are usually more classroom oriented while Saturdays are dirt time, usually trying to tie what was covered in the classroom together into practical exercises and/or a full mock search.

Periodically opportunities come up for specialized training sessions (i.e. Light Urban Search And Rescue, Tracking, high angle rope rescue, helocopter rescues etc.) depending on your group and coverage area. These sessions generally run anywhere from 3-5 days and are often pretty cool. There are also opportunities to cross train with other groups/agencies etc, which is always fun.

For a fit person who is used to being out in the weather and moving through bush, none of the training is excessively physically demanding, IME. However it does require a certain seriousness of mind and attention to detail.

Most team members I’ve met are avid hikers/campers and generally not what I would consider your stereotypical emergency services type-A individuals (although there are a number of paramedics in our group). There is also a huge range in ages, with a lot of people closer to what I would consider the higher end of the age range (i.e. 40-60+).

Searches are very much hurry up and wait affairs. A level of patience and good humour are required as it generally seems to take what can feel like an inordinate amount of time to get people broken into teams, assigned search areas and underway. There’s a lot of behind the scenes organization going on, I realize, but it can still be trying at times if you don’t keep your head on straight. Although, if you’re LE this is probably familiar territory for you.

Hope that helps.

76

Sento & Batman730,
Thanks for the replies and I am going to use your improvements to make some changes.

Sento: reading your training , I realize, I have been remiss in not incorporating some unarmed/ disarming techniques in my instruction, no excuse really, since I have access to Redman gear. My environment doesnt have a lot of those situations, but, that is still no excuse not to do at least an hour a week with the troops. I will make that change this week. BTW: With a new baby and recovering from an injury, it’s a credit to your work ethic to improve your skills on the level you did. Much respect.

Batman730: reading about S&R training, I realized, I needed to schedule a rappelling day and do some mock drills on litter carry and combat casualty. to often we get tunnel vision on the just “shoot as fast and accurately as possible” and lose sight of a well trained person.

Thanks to you both, good information for me and others.

77

batman730,

Thanks for the breakdown. I’ve been poking around my local GSAR team to see if it’s something I want to do/can commit to. Attending the training can be difficult due to the shift-work. Your training looks more structured than what I’ve seen. Is ICS training included in the GSAR100 program? What about FA/CPR?

78

[quote]Will207 wrote:
batman730,

Thanks for the breakdown. I’ve been poking around my local GSAR team to see if it’s something I want to do/can commit to. Attending the training can be difficult due to the shift-work. Your training looks more structured than what I’ve seen. Is ICS training included in the GSAR100 program? What about FA/CPR?[/quote]

Yeah, shift work makes a lot of those type of commitments tough, I’m sure. Most groups have an expectation as to what percentage of the ongoing training that you’ll be able to attend (i.e. my group expects 75% attendance over the course of the year). Then of course there’s actual callouts, which naturally happen whenever they happen and last as long as they last.

Of course it’s all volunteer, and people are generally pretty understanding, but if you’re anything like me you’ll find it tough to say no, leave early etc while your team is out there.

ICS certification is not included in GSAR100, nor is FA/CPR. You are also expected to stay current on basic FA/CPR at least. However depending on the training budget most groups try to offer funding for certification from time to time, IME.

79

[quote]idaho wrote:
I decided to bring this topic back up because of a conversation we are having on the “Bad Ideas” thread. There is a large amount of good “street sense” information in this thread. These are serious and dangerous times, I would encourage all forum members re-read the advise given here and evaluate your own security and situational awareness measures, both for yourself and those you are responsible for.

I would also like to challenge each forum member to review your own growth since this thread was first started. Have you improved in street “awareness”? weapons training? physical training? martial arts training? security for your family ? Security for your residence? Do you have a “mental plan” if an attack occurs while you are shopping for a Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas present? Do you have a “disaster kit”? (food , water, medical) to survive for at least 5 days? Do you have any “burner phones” for emergencies? Do you have any medications for your children or loved ones if travel is not possible? just some things to think about.
[/quote]

Great bump dude.

Well. Kind of a messy topic for me I guess, because it’s been a pretty rough year - between a new job and some deep family issues, I haven’t had time to pursue a lot of the things that I wanted to, especially in the great outdoors.

But I can say that I did do one thing right, and that was attending one of Kelly McCann’s courses. I can’t even begin to say how much of an affect that had on me as far as personal, home, and work security - it’s literally too much to list here, but I can say that now I’m looking at much more of the entire picture, as opposed to just the physical violence part. My understanding of situational awareness has gone up ten-fold after this.

The most obvious change that resulted, however, is my incorporation of a day’s worth of combatives work into my training. I’m still boxing twice a week but I’m not competing, so that third day - which is sandwiched in between the two days of lifting - can be better used otherwise. Starting to work elbows and knees and ax hands and bareknuckle boxing into things has changed my perspective a little, and prepared me for what I know could happen at any time.

So in other words, I’m stronger, a better boxer, and I’m better at hitting without gloves. And I’m kinda mean. So I got that as covered as I can have it at this point.

As far as weapons … well, I don’t have the time or money to shoot all the time, but I go when I can, and even if that only amounts to once or twice a year, it’s better than nothing. Since 2013 I’ve probably gone twice, and that’s probably twice more than in the previous year, so what little progress I’m making there is progress nonetheless. I hope to do more in the coming year.

As for a lot of the other disaster related stuff, I don’t worry much about it. Shit’s not gonna collapse - if it didn’t during Sandy’s two to three week power outage, it’s not going to now. Generally I stop short of bullshit crazy prepper stuff. I go backpacking a lot, I go hiking a lot, and I spend a lot of time outdoors, so when it comes down to saving my skin in that situation … I’ll live through whatever there is.

One plus - finally got a 4-wheel drive vehicle. Huge fucking improvement for me, especially considering the snow we’ve been getting the last couple years. It gives me like +10 disaster points. I’m pretty good with keeping a kit in there with the stuff I need to live or stay warm if some serious shit happened, or I got caught out in a blizzard, but I’m always trying to improve on that.

Actually it’s time to work on that one.

80

Been a busy summer for sure. Started well when I was given the command of the County SAR Team, SH(% now I have to put up or shut up. I have been holding trainings and purchasing new equipment and training a hand picked board all summer. Trying to bring everyone up to speed on new software and hardware. Had a chance to take a 2 day defensive handgun class with my son from DEFSOL. Instructor was Ross Botha. Great guy who brings a lot of real world experience to the table. It basically added a new gear to my family training transmission. Have recently begun training some new LEO’s in the sweet science. Still continuing with the older guys as well, its just nice to get some young fast guys in the ring to spar with.

Also invited to participate in regional tactical entry team training. I have been trying to forge this link for years , insisting that they need a tactical medic on there team. Well it seems to have worked, will require some dedicated work in the next year ( can’t fuck it up now). Finally bought some good body armor for the above, when I showed up to training they knew they had a genuine gear HO on there hands. Really no bad stuff to report. Just a lot of hard work ahead.