Prior to the creation of the first formal police department in 1838, people had to take a more hands-on approach to living defensively, acting as their own first responders.
Now almost 200 years later, we’re coming full circle with the need to be your own first responder in an emergency situation.
What do we mean by this?
Today, many people have the attitude of “I have a cell phone, I’m going to dial 911 and that will solve my problems.” However, there are a few issues with this line of thinking.
First, you must be sure the situation is stable enough to make that 911 call. Then you have to actually communicate what’s going on to first responders so they can take action before heading to you. And this is all assuming that 911 is operating at its peak. Unfortunately right now, first responder and law enforcement organizations are experiencing severe staffing and resource shortages, causing major delays.
When you’re in a threatening situation, you may not have much time to act, making it absolutely essential for you to know how to respond and protect what matters most. That’s why we’ve created Concealed Coalition University – and why we hosted the webinar that we did yesterday – we want to enable you to become your own first responder.
Discussing With the Community
In yesterday’s webinar, we sat down with our National Training Director and resident 30-year law enforcement veteran, Austin Davis. He discussed what it’s like as a law enforcement officer in today’s landscape, including the aforementioned struggles they face that can hinder the peak performance they want to deliver to their communities.
He then pivoted to discussing the basics of what it takes to be your own first responder. In essence, it boils down to three steps:
- Read – See your world for what it is. Don’t fall into the trap of “it could never happen to me.”
- Recognize – Recognize what your own personal abilities are and where your weaknesses may lie so you can train more effectively.
- React – Have a bias towards action, but ensure that you are acting within the law.
In order to be able to read, recognize, and react, you must first have the knowledge, skillset, and judgment to do so. That’s where our online training system, Concealed Coalition University (CCU), comes in.
With CCU, we want to provide a low-stakes environment for you to learn and test your skills and judgment so that when the time comes to put these factors to the test, you’ll be ready. Our courses cover a variety of topics, including de-escalation, situational awareness, family safety, and even non-lethal forms of self defense (think pepper spray). All this content is packaged into easily digestible, mini courses, designed to help adults train to retain when it comes to those defensive living skills.
Austin’s Advice
Austin closed out our session today by answering some questions from viewers, including:
- Advice for parents who are nervous about sending their children to school in today’s climate
- A breakdown of favorite tools, like the difference between pepper spray brands
- Basic advice for firearms use (think the stop, drop, and roll of self defense)
Much of what Austin talked about during the webinar can be found within our Concealed Coalition University programming, and we have even more information coming your way in our soon-to-be-released Season 2. In the future, we’ll also be hosting additional, exclusive webinars for members, where you’ll get the chance to learn even more insider information about defensive living and be able to ask questions of our highly experienced trainers.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to better be able to protect what matters most in your life. Join the Concealed Coalition today.
