THE TRUE VALUE OF REALISTIC SCENARIO TRAINING

by: Dustin Randall, COO Safe Passage Consulting and Tony Casper, CEO Safe Passage Consulting

A simulated gunshot is fired from the attacker’s weapon. The group moves quickly, with purpose and situational awareness. Denial is not an option, the group has been trained that denial may cost them valuable seconds, seconds that they are trained to take away from their attacker. They immediately analyze the origin of the gunshots, quickly move toward an exit to reach safety. Once safety has been achieved, a simulated 911 call is placed to relay all details observed. End scenario.

The world we all share today is ever changing and increasingly violent. When training a group of people in tactics to respond to violent acts, it is important to immerse that group into as much realism as possible. There is a short statement that I have heard far, far too many times in my career, “I didn’t have a plan.” This statement has kept me up at night, it has gnarled at the fiber of my being and it has served as the driving factor for my partner, Tony Casper and I to devote our lives to eliminating this statement from the society that we love so dearly.

In my early stages of training groups to respond to lethal threats, it was evident that a stigma existed around training in any way, shape or form. We realized from the beginning that fear…