Category Archives: personal safety

Safety Tips- Gunman in the Room

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Imagine sitting in a restaurant, chatting with friends or enjoying a romantic evening with a date or your spouse. Surrounding you is quiet conversation. Then from somewhere in the room comes the cascade of shouts. This is followed closely by the gunfire, a distinctive high pitched crack like firecrackers. Screams pierce the hushed quiet. People begin a panicked rush toward any exit available. The room erupts into chaos. How can you protect your date, wife or friends?There are few things more terrorizing than being trapped in a room with a gunman on a rampage. There is no reasoning with this person. They are committed to a plan of action, knowing that plan can only lead to their death or a lifetime in prison.

Recent news stories prompted me to write this article. Recent attacks by lone gunmen appear to be more prevalent at this time. Hopefully these tips will help in the unlikely event that you find yourself cornered by one of these crazies.
Tip One: When I first began dating my fiancée, she wondered why I insisted that I sit facing the door at restaurants. The most observant member of the party should face the door. By keeping an eye on the comings and goings of the crowd, that member can detect someone that is out of place or acting erratic. This can give your group an advantage in escaping the carnage.

Tip Two: As you are led to your seat, look around to locate any and all exits from the room. An exit may be the kitchen or a hallway leading to an exterior door. If you are on the first or even the second floor, look for windows to smash and jump from the room. A broken leg or arm beats a bullet anytime.

Tip Three: Once you are committed to an escape route, keep moving and stay low. A moving target is harder to hit, regardless of what you have seen in the movies. If you do get hit, keep moving toward the exit, if you can.

Tip Four: Use cover and concealment. Cover is anything that can possibly stop a bullet. It may be a heavy table or counter. Concealment is anything that hides you, but may not stop a bullet. One incident that I heard about involved a detective who used a newspaper. The gunman, wanting a clear shot kept trying to move around the newspaper, meanwhile the detective was able to draw and shot the assailant through the paper. Concealment buys you time.

Tip Five: Don’t try to gather up your possessions. Leave the purse, the cell phone or coat. Time used collecting these items, is seconds that could mean the difference in getting out alive or not.

The odds of finding yourself in this situation are slim, but having a plan of action is the surest way to avoid being a victim if it does.

Remember: Your safety is up to you.

ALARM!! Was that an alarm?

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Today I had a real eye opening experience. It had me wondering just how jaded we have become.
From September 11, 2001 until today, stories splash the headlines screaming about terrorist attacks or a deranged gunman, bombs and crowds trapped in burning buildings. People are on edge.
Which brings me to the event that left me wondering.  People are on edge, but not in somewhere that they are comfortable.
While exercising at the gym, the emergency alarm began to sound. It was a piercing sound. This alarm issued a dire warning. “THERE IS AN EMERGENCY IN THE BUILDING. PLEASE PROCEED CALMLY TO THE NEAREST EXIT. DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS.
I was expecting a mad rush to the exits! Or at least people trotting toward the exits. It is a gym, after all.

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Safety Tips To Avoid Becoming a Victim Of Sexual Assault

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By Gregory Colvin

Sexual assault prevention begins with being aware of your surroundings. In earlier articles I discussed observation and curiosity as safety tips.  Both observation and curiosity are relevant in the avoidance of a violent sexual attack.  Just because it hasn’t happened to you before and you are in familiar surroundings, it does not mean it cannot happen at any time.

Statistics from RAINN, the Rape Abuse & Incest Network, state that every 2 minutes in the US a sexual assault occurs.  There are 213,000 victims each year.  And of these 213,000 cases, 60% are not reported to the police.

More statistics, 44% of the victims are under age 15 and 80% are under the age of 30.

While many of the assailants are known to the  victim, however, the most violent attackers are unknown to the victim.  This article will hopefully provide you tips to avoid becoming a victim yourself.

Even in settlings that are familiar and you believe to be safe, stay aware of what is happening around you. See Observation and Curiosity articles.  If something doesn’t feel or look right, then it is better to err on the side of safety and turn back,  find an exit and seek help. Trust your inter consciousness.  If something is screaming at “you get out”, then it is time to run.

When in the city, whether familiar in surroundings or strange, walk as much as possible in well lighted areas.  Darkness is the assailant’s best friend.  My best suggestion is to walk with a group of people.  There really is safety in numbers.

When parking your vehicle, chose an area near a light post or a well lit area that will illuminate the car.  As you approach, look around the vehicle.  If it has been snowing, look for footprints, are there any around the car?  Is there glass on the pavement? Approach the car with caution. Peek into the rear seat and check to see if anyone is hiding there.  If anything appears out of the ordinary,  call the police or return to the office and get security, or tell the parking toll booth attendant.  Just do not get behind the wheel of the car, without someone else there to check it out with you.

When walking on the sidewalk, walk facing oncoming traffic.  It more difficult for someone to execute a snatch and grab when you are walking facing the traffic.  You are better able to monitor the traffic and notice if a vehicle slows down when approaching you.   A snatch and grab usually occurs when a vehicle pulls up beside you while you are walking along the street.  Walking facing traffic makes it  easier to see the approaching danger.

Dark alleys are great places to ambush someone.  So walk as close to the street as possible to avoid being pulled into the alley.

When walking along the city streets, wear comfortable shoes that allow you to escape if chased.  It is hard to run in heels.

When approaching your car always carry your keys in your hand.  Keep the ignition key between the index and middle finger.  If you have a smart key (these are keys that some vehicles now that do not require a key to insert in the ignition) put a house key on the ring.  This key can be used to strike the assault in the eye or throat or anywhere that you can imagine.  Aggregation will sometimes take the drive out of the assailant.  It can usually give you an opportunity to summon help.

Having your vehicle brake down on the roadway is a frustrating situation.  And when someone stops to help, it is a welcome relief.  However resist the urge to get out of your car.  The best idea is to ask them to call for a wrecker or the police.  Don’t leave your car and ride with them anywhere.

Never pickup hitchhikers. Never! And I repeat never!  This goes for men and women.  Sorry hitchhikers!

When at home alone, keep the doors and windows closed and locked.  The security system should be set so that it can be monitored by the alarm company.

Never allow a stranger to know that you home alone.  If someone comes to the door, shout out “I’ll get the door!” And then “How many times have I told to not to leave this loaded shotgun by the door!”

If someone comes to the door and asks to use the telephone, don’t open the door.  Instead tell them that you will make the call for them and ask for the phone number, without opening the door.

Ever see those movies, you know the ones, when the female comes home and sees the front open and she gets out of the car and walks into the house to see what has happened. Don’t be that person.  Quickly back the car out of the driveway and contact the police.

I feel very strongly that you must protect yourself.  The police do the best they can, but they cannot be everywhere.  And men, there are predators that stalk not only females, but men as well.

Remember:  Your Safety Is Up To You!

Gregory Colvin is a former police officer and author who has noticed how few people observe their surroundings.    He writes personal security and safety articles on the web.

Curiosity-As A Safety Tip

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By Gregory Colvin

Ever heard: “Curiosity Killed the Cat”?   I don’t know about cats, but curiosity could save your life.

Animals in the wild are very curious.  It is that curiosity that keeps them alive.  At the slightest sound their ears perk up and the head turns toward the source of the sound.  They prepare to flee or defend themselves.

Many of you are saying, but the hero and heroine or the extra in the movies are always following their curiosity and walking into a horrible death.  The curiosity I am talking about doesn’t involve walking into a trap, but away from it.  The information in this article relates back to my article on “Observation”.

In unfamiliar surroundings,  for example,  parking garages, parking lots, subways and subway exits, bus stops and, well you get the idea, make it a habit to be curious about activity around you. This is especially important in those areas that are familiar, because you tend to drop your guard.  Be aware and ask, does something appear a little outside the normal?  Listen.  The sound of footsteps that stop when you stop. A car or van that is pacing you  when walking down the street.

Curiosity.  In a foreign country, a strange city or the forest, monitor what is going on around you and ask yourself,  is that normal?    Too many times,  I have seen people who walk around in a daze.  They may be reading emails or text messages or unaware about their surroundings.  These people are easy marks for predators.  Not to mention, they may never find their way back to their hotel rooms.

Curiosity can keep you out of dangerous situations.  For example, why is that guy wearing an full length coat on a 90 degree day and walking into my bank?  Is he making a fashion statement or hiding something under the coat.  You may want to reconsider your deposit to avoid being a hostage in a bank robbery.  You can be the one to call 911.


A few examples that come to mind.   That strange guy at the bar, you know, the one that keeps eyeing you and gets up to leave when you do.  OOOH that’s right, you were busy texting your BBF about your great night.  In the meantime,  you have a tail.  Someone you are about to meet up close and personal either at your car or before you get that far.  Wait to text until you are securely seated in your car and speeding down the highway, better to die in a fiery accident than to be raped and cut into a dozen pieces, then buried in a shallow grave.  Or better yet,  wait to get home and then text.

I usually fight to get the seat facing the door, wherever I am.  I know that I will pay more attention than my tablemates about what is going on around us than they will, and I am usually right. If I’m not facing the door,  I feel like a sitting duck.  If you are sitting facing the door, just check from time to time who comes through the door.  The world has changed.  More nuts have guns than ever before.  The gun is a very impersonal weapon.  You don’t have to get close to your victim, you can kill them from across the room.  An early warning may give you time to escape.  Run, stay close to the floor.  If there are too many people blocking the exit,  throw a chair or heavy object through a window and jump out.  This only works if you are on the first floor.  Just get out of the range of the assailant.   Regardless of what you have seen in the movies or television, the only effective weapon against a gun is another or bigger gun.

Unless you have a very powerful guardian angel.  And in that situation, it is not a good idea  to test him or her.  They may be on vacation.  Even angels need a break.  Especially with someone like me.   The list is endless.  Curiosity is your friend.  Just as long as it doesn’t lead down to the darkened  basement.

Remember:     Your Survival Is Up To You.

Gregory Colvin is a former police officer and author who has noticed how few people observe their surroundings.    He writes personal security and safety articles on the web.