Situational Awareness is a core discipline within the Security Officer's skill set. Each and every day you will be exposed to potentially hazardous situations, and your level of awareness will greatly impact your success and safety on the job.
Are you listening to your surroundings while you are writing that report? Have you read the warning placards posted on a door before you enter a room? Do you know what to pay attention to when confronting a trespasser?
Find out in the second installment of the 21st Century Security Officer, Situational Awareness.
Genre: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / GeneralCHAPTER 1
Situational Awareness – An Introduction
What is Situational Awareness or SA?
“Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, such as a predetermined event.” This is the textbook definition provided by the United States Coast Guard.
Don’t let the above definition turn you away. In layman’s terms, SA means to be aware of what is happening in your surroundings, how it may change over time, how it may impact you and lastly knowing what to do at various stages. I’ll give you an example; let’s say you are driving and suddenly are driver cuts you off. In this case, the driver gets so close to your car that now you have to maneuver to avoid him. Do you know if a car is directly behind you? If you slam on your brakes you may get rear-ended. Can you swerve to the left or right and then decelerate? You could, but are there cars directly next to you or in your blind spot? If you swerve you may strike those vehicles as well. Are you wearing your seatbelt? You should be.
As you can see from the perspective of a driver being situationally aware can mean the difference between making it to work on time or being involved in a fatal car accident.
How to Hone Your SA Mentality
SA is often described more as a mentality than a thing you do. However, I find that with everything, if you have habits or rituals in place they will ultimately hone your skill level. In my opinion I don’t feel that SA is really any different.
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Ramon Espinel
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