Oct 4 (edited) • Self Protection
The Need for Proactive Courses Of Action in a Dangerous World
When Time = Life then Hesitation Kills.
We live in an ever-increasing dangerous world. A world where kids are getting picked up from streets once thought safe, and more and more frequently we hear of another school, church or other “Mass Shooting Incident”.
It is a hard truth to accept that our own safety is not simply a factor of how we live. We can often mitigate how much danger we incur as a whole, simply by not doing Stupid things, with Stupid people at Stupid times in Stupid places. However, as many innocent victims in recent crime statistics will tell you, you can do everything right and still be targeted by villains. And life-threatening danger, like it or not, can always knock on our door.
Even without ever interacting with criminal elements, far too many people are affected by roadway accidents, or injuries at work where conditions and our local environment seem to have it out for us. Something as innocuous as falling off a roof or slipping from a ladder has shattered the lives of some that could have been mitigated if more people would have Proactive COA’s.
According to the Military a COA is;
Definition: Course of Action (COA) In incident-level decision making, a Course of Action (COA) is an overall plan that describes the selected strategies and management actions intended to achieve Incident Objectives, comply with Incident Requirements, and are based on current and expected conditions.
What is a Proactive COA? Example listed below.
It is definable action taken, if/when something happens. A Course Of Action that is preestablished so that you act with intentionality. Specific and timely actions that do not necessitate prior thought.
If A, then B. If as in this example, you see someone who’s unmistakably an operator while on the run, (and you happen to be a Navy SEAL commander that’s been targeted as the fall man for a criminal ambush of several US service members) then it’s not time to consider what to do. It’s simply a time to act. Namely, confront said individual in a way that reveals his true identity.
He chose to do this by running his SUV into the following operator’s car.
If said operator proves to be hostile, his COA was that he would rely on his conflict resolution skills and render him inoperable. His training kicked in and he resorted to delivering a baker’s dozen 9mm rounds into his chest and head.
The key takeaway in this example is that, just as the Australian Special Air Service has written on their training wall in big bold letters. “HESITATION KILLS”.
Reaction time is always a thing. The human eye takes on between 0.2 and .02 seconds to see what it’s seeing and send that message to the brain. And it’s a little less from our auditory sense to determine what a sound is and feed the control center the changing info.
The more shocking or unbelievable the information we’re processing is, the longer it takes us to register it. This is why some people will stare at emanate danger with the “deer in the headlights” look in simple disbelief.
This can be mitigated by simply being aware of your surroundings, having some solid SA (Situational Awareness). But also, by wargaming the potential of different hazards and being committed to action before the situation gets worse.
Let’s look at this in action in the common person’s daily life. (Since most of us aren’t Navy SEAL commanders on the run, being targeted by the CIA)
For the mother with a little child, it could be having the awareness of where the MLD (Most Likely Danger) is in the parking lot. Having SA of which vehicles are moving, how fast and if the drivers are paying attention or not. Awareness is key, since all actions are predicated upon true and timely information processing. However, if she doesn’t wargame (play eventualities and her proactive response) in her head than she may neglect to keep her little girl by her side around traffic and leave her daughter to the hazard of navigating traffic by her own devices.
However, if the mother had both Awareness and a Proactive COA of, “When walking in parking lot, I will ensure my daughter is always within reach, and I will look in every direction before crossing possible traffic, so that if a danger presents itself, I will snatch her up and run to safety.” Then the child would be far less likely to be in danger of getting smashed by careless drivers.
Let’s take the example of a young couple pulling into a poorly lit gas station late at night. There’re several rough characters hanging out together. The apparent leader takes special notice that the young couple stopped, makes a small gesture to the rest and they all begin advancing directly towards them.
There are 3 outcomes if the vagabonds have criminal intent.
Outcome 1. The couple remain oblivious, or more likely, see the men moving up on them but chose to ignore the possibility of any kind of conflict. The thugs approach them, sensing their lack of decisiveness and attempt to exact their evil intention on them. (i.e. read here car hijacking, simple hold up, act of violence, attempt of rape, murder or harassment of some kind etc.)
Outcome 2. The young couple have a reactive COA that, if/when obvious or overt criminal actions are taken against them they will resist. The criminals approach, poke, prod and eventually are resisted with equal aggression/force in kind but at every turn the slight hesitation by the young couple encourages and gives opportunity to the multiple assailants. The outcome is better, but avoidable.
Outcome 3. The young couple have a proactive COA of avoidance, determine the vehicle has sufficient fuel to drive to the next gas station and simply drive off before ever getting out of the vehicle.
It can be that simple. The best situations are the one met with adequate Situational Awareness and a Proactive COA. Because when Time = Life then Hesitation… Kills.
Stand ready and be prepared.
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The Need for Proactive Courses Of Action in a Dangerous World
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