Sunday, July 29, 2018

50 Points of Situational Awareness

Every day, where ever you are, situational awareness is a vital part of your safety and security.  Here are a range of questions that can help you improve your situational awareness:

  1. What is the current weather/weather forecast?
  2. What are natural disasters common to the area?
  3. What types of businesses are in the local area?
  4. What are the demographics of the area?
  5. What are ingress/egress options in the area?
  6. What are possible man-made disasters that could happen in the area?
  7. What types of safety equipment is located in the area (fire extinguisher, fire alarm, etc)?
  8. Is there any medical equipment in the area (first aid kit, AED, etc)?
  9. How close is the nearest hospital?
  10. What is the security/police presence in the area?
  11. What are the people/crowd in the area doing?
  12. What is the "vibe" of the crowd?
  13. What events have just happened/are happening/will happen in the area?
  14. What is the political climate in the area like?
  15. What do you hear?
  16. What to you smell?
  17. What do you see?
  18. What are the common reasons for people to be in the area?
  19. Are people in the area dressed appropriately?
  20. What kinds of things are people in the area carrying?
  21. Is there anything that looks incongruous to the area?
  22. Is everyone looking at the same thing/is anyone looking away from the action?
  23. What kind of obstructions are in your area?
  24. Are there warning systems (audio/visual) in the area?
  25. Are you positioned to see as wide an angle of activity as possible?
  26. Can you observe people then close your eyes and remember details about them?
  27. Have you watched/read the local news today and noted anything of importance?
  28. Does anyone in the crowd "stand out"?
  29. Who are the dominant people in the crowd?
  30. Who are the submissive people in the crowd?
  31. Is people's body language appropriate for the situation?
  32. Is anyone acting uncomfortable or suspicious in the crowd?
  33. Can you identify areas of cover and concealment in your area?
  34. Look up, what do you see?
  35. If you had to run out of your area, could you?
  36. If you had to hide in your area, where would you do so?
  37. If you had to fight someone right now, would you be able to?
  38. What sorts of items could be used for weapons in your area?
  39. Are you carrying your EDC bag with appropriate tools and items?
  40. Can you analyze people in the crowd and guess what their next actions will be?
  41. Who in the crowd looks like they would be helpful?  Why do you think this (actions, things they have said, etc)?
  42. Who in the crowd looks like they would be confrontational/aggressive?  Why do you think this (actions, things they have said, etc)?
  43. What time is it and how does the area change at various times (when is rush hour, are people coming to or leaving work, etc)?
  44. Are there any known problems in the area you are in (gang area, pick pocket area, etc)?
  45. Look around and see if there are security cameras.
  46. What are other factors in the area (animals present, an elevator that has been blocked off, someone with a security escort, etc)?
  47. Are you regularly scanning the area instead of keeping all of your attention on your phone or the task at hand?
  48. If you are in an area which is generally higher risk (at an ATM, in a dangerous neighborhood, etc) do you have someone with you to watch your back?
  49. If you had to use your concealed pistol, what would be the tactical challenges in the area and how could you mitigate these?
  50. Is your gut telling you something that you should pay attention to (an urge to leave the area immediately for example)?

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