Situational Awareness for the Whole Family

Anyone who has taken a class at Boondocks FTA™ has learned about the importance “Being Aware of Your Surroundings” and Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper’s “Awareness Color Code Chart”. But just how many of us really adhere to these life-saving principals? Are we teaching them to our kids and grand-kids? Even though most of us don’t walk around in public with our “head in our phone”, we often get caught up in our own thoughts and fail to take in the “entire picture” of our surroundings and what’s going on around us. Furthermore, we may not be passing this knowledge on to our children.

So, just how can we break this habit? How can we force ourselves to really look at our surroundings and not fall into the trap of only thinking about what all is going on in our busy lives? Michelle Cerino’s (Women’s Outdoor News) series of articles on “Situational Awareness Skills” is an EXCELLENT place to start. Her articles, “How to Stay Frosty”, “Lessen Your Chance of Being a Victim”, & “Teaching Kids Observation Skills” should serve as your guide to becoming Situationally Aware and staying “Left of Bang” – making better observations and decisions before shots are fired.

Recommended Books

• The Gift of Fear: And Other Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker
• Left of Bang, by Patrick Van Horne and Jason A. Riley
• The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley

Another source of helpful articles can be found within the USCCA Community. Boondocks’ good friend, Beth Alcazar writes a column entitled “Pacifiers & Peacemakers” for the USCCA Blog. This is a great read for women and families. Situational Awareness is one of the best defensive tools we have to protect ourselves.
We need to ensure that we remain vigilant about our surroundings and to pass these important lessons on to our family members!