Driving: More than just putting it in Drive

Human beings in general, and protective service professionals in particular, spend much of their day sitting on their behinds in a tin box on four wheels.  It is one of the conveniences and curses of modern living.

Driving became so mundane that any 16 year old kid does it without thinking twice about it.  But unfortunately, our evolutionary process has not caught up with the technology and social expansion, so we are falling behind.

It used to be that driving was an art.  It required some skills.  One had to know how to drive, including how to depress a clutch pedal to manipulate the transmission, and pay attention to to dirt roads and side streets, and the most distraction one had was a radio knob on the front console.  Today, most people couldn't drive a shift stick if their life depended on it.  And the continuous chatter from multiple devices makes driving both dumb and distracting.  So much so that one can hardly call it driving anymore...it is more like sit and follow the instructions on the screen.

Is there a problem with that?  For most people probably not.  They drive from home to work and back.  There is comfort in consistency and familiarity.  And as long as that status quo is maintained all is well.  Until it isn't...

Things go bad.  Our sense of comfort replaced our ability to maintain the mental acuity truly necessary to safely operate and handle such a complex machine traveling at high speeds in close proximity to other similar (or often times larger) machines.  Not to mention that risks are exponentially greater when considering the environment in which we travel.  Urban settings and their criminals seeking opportunities to strike, or rural fields with everything that mother nature has to throw your way.

...And just like that, all of a sudden the tin box became a tin coffin.

It is a lost art to truly drive.  Driving requires one to continuously scan and maintain a situational and environmental awareness.  Driving requires fine technical skills to properly manipulate the vehicle to do as you wish.  Driving requires you to make split second decisions that could mean your life or that of others.

These skills become much more important when working a security detail.  Not only is the vehicle a source of transportation, but it is also an office of sorts for the dignitary, a place to entertain guests, home away from home, and the driver must be able to do all that is required from a driver while maintaining the comfort and safety of his client.  Add a convoy to the mix, and high speed travel, and all senses must be sharper than ever.  A simple merge onto a highway is a complex choreographed process that must be executed smoothly and seamlessly to maintain the integrity of the convoy and the safety of it's passengers.

I recently learned an interesting process from one of our students. Try this next time you drive: as you go through the various actions you perform and scan the environment, try narrating everything you do, see, anticipate and expect to happen.  As you narrate make sure you never pause.  One sentence must lead into another, thus forcing you to constantly evaluate your own actions and the environment in which you are traveling.  Try doing it down one block, then a few, then one day try doing this for a complete trip.  Not as simple as it sounds.  The ability to narrate will force you to maintain a level of awareness that has been lost on many.

Stay safe and watch your six.

BK Blankchtein
Masada Tactical Protective Services, LLC

Failing to Train...or Training to Fail

I am fortunate to be able to work, spend time, and overall immerse myself in a training environment.  I do recognize that not everybody is as fortunate, and most people must make a conscious decision and plan to train.

It is amazing how few people actually do so.  Most people get to a point in life where they believe that all they ever learned is all there is to learn, and now they can rest on those laurels and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  The sad reality is that EVERYTHING evolves, and someone out there is passing you by.  Your failure to recognize that sets you up to being passed over by someone that would be better prepared and more qualified than you are.

This obviously holds true to everything in life.  From your profession of choice to healthy living habits.  From everyday tasks to self-protection.  The day you stop training, learning, advancing, you start dying.  No way to sugarcoat that one.

Most adults I know hold a profession that they worked hard to attain, a certain status in life that at some point in their life was a goal they set for themselves and were driven enough to accomplish.  But now, years later, they are stuck in a rut.  Another day in the office is all it is.  The will, and for most the need to advance has subsided and replaced by complacency.  And one day they wake up and realize that the twenty-something kid from down the hallway is sitting in their corner office as they scramble to see where things went wrong.

Not only am I fortunate to live a continuous training-centric life, but I feel double fortunate to actually LOVE learning.  I enjoy school (wasn't always like that), and those who know me know that I am always looking for the next class, the next degree, the next opportunity to learn something.  I am not planning on switching jobs, but rather always get better at the one I have.  And more so, keep my mind challenged so it doesn't get stagnant.

Recently I was amazed by the attitude and response of some people in regards to training.  In some circles of law-enforcement apparently some feel as though the way they always did it will always work.  They fail to realize that the criminal element is evolving and becoming better, and unless we stay ahead of them we will end up losing this war.  Criminals train all the time, from fighting to tactics and even use of legal protocols to their advantage.  And officers are doing the same old thing they always did.  I was double surprised when a training opportunity came along (mind you that this opportunity included instruction by some of the best in the world!) and some higher-ups chose not only not to take advantage of it, but rather dismiss it as irrelevant.  By doing so not only are they missing on a unique training and advancement opportunity, but they also set the wrong example to those they lead.  The result can only be one: another dead officer.  In an age where training is out of most officers' and agencies' reach and budget, skipping opportunities like this is not only sad, but it is down right dangerous.

Our members see the value in training.  They work hard at bettering themselves in one capacity or another, from getting healthier to learning skills that can save their lives.  Officers we train often times pay out of their own pockets to attend training they know can make them better.  And what's the worst case scenario?  You didn't learn anything you can use?  Well, at least you went through the mental exercise of evaluating what you learned and by doing so exercised your mind.  Remember, there is no losing, you either won or grew from the experience!

Even though any training is good training, concentrating on training that is of high quality and allows you get the most bank for your buck, sorts of speak, is important.  Let's face it, we all have a finite time on this earth, and wasting it learning information that would not make us better is a shame.  It is not practice that makes perfect, but rather perfect practice that makes perfect.  And therefore, making calculated decisions regarding training and education is paramount.  Do your research, find what works for YOU, and then make it a priority to take full advantage of the opportunity you have.  And remember: do today what others won't so you can be do tomorrow what others can't!

Think training is hard?  Try losing!

Stay safe!

BK Blankchtein

Masada Tactical Protective Services