Spotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe

Spotting danger before it happens is a skill that can be developed and may even save your life. Understand the threat Build situational awareness Develop personal defenses A mother dropping her teenager off at the mall, a young man leaving home for college, a family about to head out on their first trip overseas. What do all of these people have in common? They all have a vested interest in their personal security and the wellbeing of those they love. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, there were an estimated 1.25 million violent crimes committed in the United States in 2018. Make no mistake; in a world filled with crime and violence, you are your own last line of defense. Continuing on the path of The Gift of Fear (Gavin deBecker), Spotting Danger Before It Spots You, author Gary Quesenberry breaks down the basic techniques necessary to help you develop good situational awareness and increase your levels of personal safety. Gary calls upon his extensive background as a Federal Air Marshal and defensive tactics instructor to explain these methods in simple terms that will greatly improve your general understanding of how, when and where violence occurs. He will then take the next critical step—providing you with the tools you need to properly identify and evade danger before it ever has a chance to materialize. You will learn The common traits of predatory behavior How to conduct a personal “safety check” How to develop strong awareness skills What to do when you spot potential trouble Staying safe and living life free of worry and fear “Today more than ever, it is imperative that we pay close attention to our surroundings and learn how to interpret what’s happening around us. Tragic events can often be both predictable and preventable.” — Federal Air Marshal Gary Quesenberry

Table of Contents:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS FOREWORD INTRODUCTION PHASE ONE – Understand the threat Chapter 1: The basics of predatory behavior 1.1 How predators choose their targets – The seven-second PROD 1.2 Perception 1.3 Risk 1.4 Observable value 1.5 Defenses 1.6 Think Like a Predator Situational Awareness in Action: The Foiled Millennium Terror Plot Exercise: Target Selection Key Points Chapter 2: Conducting a self-assessment 2.1 Who would target you? 2.2 What do they want? 2.3 When would they strike? 2.4 Where would they strike? 2.5 Start Thinking Like a Protector Situational Awareness in Action: The Attempted Time Square Bombing Exercise: Using the Self-Assessment Key Points PHASE TWO – Build your situational awareness Chapter 3: The basics of awareness 3.1 Defining the threat – Perception vs. Reality 3.2 The levels of awareness 3.3 Understanding the Reactionary Gap Situational Awareness in Action: Joey Grundl’s Big Delivery Exercise: The What-If Game Key Points Chapter 4: The next level of awareness – Comprehend, Identify, and Anticipate 4.1 Comprehend the situation 4.2 Identify what’s important 4.3 Anticipate outcomes 4.4 The Role of Intuition Situational Awareness in Action: Ten-Year-Old Danny DiPietro Exercise: Environmental KIMs Games Key Points PHASE THREE – Develop personal defenses Chapter 5: What comes next 5.1 Establishing a basis for action 5.2 Avoidance – The safest option 5.3 Escape 5.4 De-escalation 5.5 Confrontation Situational Awareness in Action: Lee Parker’s Backpack Exercise: Route Planning Key Points Chapter 6: Reinforcing your defenses 6.1 Improving mindset 6.2 Minimizing distractions 6.3 Controlling fear 6.4 Building Confidence Situational Awareness in Action: Julianne Moore Stops a Kidnapper Exercise: Counting Drills Key Points Chapter 7: Putting It All Together Situational Awareness in Action: Uber Hero Keith Avila Exercise: Six Steps to Spotting Trouble Key Points CONCLUSION APPENDIX ABOUT THE AUTHOR