TPOP Can Teach Your Employees Situational Awareness

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Jan. 13, 2022 - PRLog -- What if you could identify potentially dangerous situations before they escalate to violence?

You can by practicing situational awareness. Situational awareness is the ability to pay attention to your environment and recognize anomalies while you conduct normal activities. In some cases, situational awareness can help with active shooter prevention (https://thepowerofpreparedness.com/2022/01/13/situational-awareness-and-active-assailant-prevention/).

While this may sound complicated, but it's actually something you've likely seen before. When the airline flight attendants go over the safety card before take-off, that's situational awareness. The lighted exit signs at a movie theater are designed to help raise situational awareness.

You can practice situational awareness by creating a baseline awareness of your environment. Note the behavior of the people around you: their gestures, speaking volume, body language, facial expressions, and the distance between people. If you don't have a baseline, it's less likely that you will recognize anomalies.

Next, have a plan of action. Imagine any type of danger: fire, active shooter, etc. What would you do? How would you escape? Create a plan and always be mindful of your exits. If you think about your plan enough, it will become second nature if and when it comes time to use it.

Find a vantage point in the room where you can see the activity around you. A position against a wall can help you scan for anomalies without worrying about what's behind you.

People behaving differently also indicates an anomaly. It's rare that people just "snap" and commit serious violence. In most cases people are on a pathway to violence. Employees should be able to identify behavioral indicators, or warning signs, indicating a co-worker or customer is on this path. Behaviors on the "pathway to violence" can include:

• Extreme emotions
• Making threats either in-person or on social media
• Changes in behavior, such as an extrovert suddenly becoming very reserved
• Increased use of alcohol or drugs
• Holding grudges against specific people or groups of people

Learn more about situational awareness, verbal de-escalation techniques and the Run, Hide, Fight methodology with TPOP's active shooter preparedness training. In less than an hour, your workforce can feel confident and prepared to take on workplace violence.

Let's talk about your specific training needs today.

About The Power of Preparedness, LLC: Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, TPOP creates industry-specific online training for situational awareness, verbal de-escalation, and active shooter preparedness. TPOP's training can be customized by industry, length, content, and location to better engage and connect with learners compared to YouTube videos and Stand-up training. TPOP's clients and partners include FMI, RLPSA, IAVM, Spire Energy, Unitil, OneGAS, VenuWorks, and many more.