Train as you fight...or do you?

I got a call the other day from someone at the academy level asking me why I took the recruits for a run wearing boots.  Really?  You don't know why?  When was the last time you saw a police officer?  was he wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and an athletic performance shirt?  I don't think so!

The title phrase above gets thrown around a lot: "Train as you fight, Fight as you train".  Makes sense, right?  If we want to be fully prepared for the fight, we should duplicate as many of the variables as possible, from the environment, to the clothes we may wear during the encounter, to the physical and mental/emotional stress we will face.

I always lived by that motto.  At Masada Tactical we'll train in street or tactical attire, we'll take classes to the street and pavement, and we'll run so many drills to stress you out that you'll truly think you are in a fight for your life.

So I truly get annoyed when "educated and experienced" men, who oversee the police training academy question the reasoning behind running in boots.  Seriously!  And don't try to tell me it is a health risk, because everything is.  You run the recruits through emergency vehicle operation classes which include high speed pursuits and other dangerous maneuvers, you teach them how to use firearms, and defensive tactics, and you whine about a 2 mile run in boots.  For god's sake!

There is a liability issue to consider when training recruits.  No doubt.  An injury, especially an avoidable stupid one, is unacceptable, but do you truly think I am not aware of that?  And for the record, the liability due to "Failure to Train" is the one that concerns me more.  The fact that one of my recruits may get seriously injured or even die on the street because I did a lousy job in providing him with the best tools and training protocols....and all because we didn't run them in boots.

So, I will continue to run them in boots.  I will also run them in full gear.  That's what they will wear on patrol and that's how they'll train.

For more realistic and true training check out our classes at Masada Tactical.
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
http://www.masadatactical.com/

Workplace Safety

Active Shooters seem to get all the attention these days.  Further more, schools seem to be the ones that are highlighted as the main targets.

Reality is that active shooters have been around for ages (and before firearms, active threats were around using edged weapons and alike).  And although schools get our attention in terms of "emotional" targets, they are not the main areas of operations for these criminals by a long shot.

Think of recent months and you will recall events such as the Discovery Channel in DC, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and other workplaces like fertility clinics, churches, and office buildings, even police departments, had their share of gunmen running rampage through their hallways.

This blog is not meant to be an informative one as previous posts.  It is more to get people to share their thoughts about how safe (or not) is their workplace.  Do you have security present?  Do you have policies in place to deal with disgruntled employees?  Follow up on terminations of employment?  Are weapons banned at your workplace?  Are there background checks done to employees?  Is the area in which you work safe?  If you walk to your car, is it a safe process or do you need escort?

Let us know!  I will follow up on this post with some ideas on how to enhance your workplace safety next week.

Tzviel 'BK' Blankchtein
Masada Tactical, LLC
http://www.masadatactical.com/