Circles of Awareness:

Personal Security Tools to Manage Your Environment

By Vern Jeffery

The global economy has given rise to an increase in the amount of global travelers. Whether you travel for business or pleasure, you cant help but take in and enjo y the wonderful sights, smells, and sounds that of the worlds many cultures and places. At the same time, every region of the world has its share of common crime. Certainly the level of awareness regarding security concerns has increased in nearly all countries.

Staying safe is a very high priority for everyone. As a business professional you undoubtedly have come across personal security checklists advising you to do things such as: remaining in well lit areas at night, having your keys in hand before you have to unlock a door, or telling someone where you are traveling and how long that you expect to be gone. Checklists, like these, can be very helpful in mitigating many common risks to your personal security, but only if you take the time to practice the advice and integrate it into your lifestyle.

The biggest factor that influences your ability to stay safe in the face of crime or terrorism is your level of awareness. Developing situational awareness increases your ability to perceive what is going on around you at all times and act accordingly. To do so requires a systematic method and practice. Lets think of ourselves for a moment as being like the character Jason Bourne, from Robert Ludlums thriller, The Bourne Identity. I know you are not a super-secret government spy, but please stay with me here. The only way that a person like Bourne could possibly utilize all of the benefits of his complex training is if he employed a systematic approach to his every encounter and action. We can use a Bourne-like, systematic approach to having good situational awareness even if we dont have a job like Jason Bourne. Using such a system will enhance your ability to recognize and avoid dangerous environments. Here is a simple, systematic method that you can use to take in more of whats going on around you and to cue your personal security measures when necessary. When you step off an elevator and into an office lobby, or turn the corner on a city street, without forewarning, like the moment 1

in a movie when one scene cuts to another, your line of sight changes and the scenery changes, as can your immediate proximity to other people. Whether you are standing still or on the move, your environmental space is constantly changing. From a personal security point of view, levels of risk and potential threats against you constantly fluctuate with changes in your immediate environmental space. To help increase your situational awareness, divide the space around you into three concentric circles that radiate outward. These three circles are called, from most distal to most proximal, the Circle of Awareness, the Circle of Threat, and the Circle of Action.

1) Circle of Awareness The Circle of Awareness is defined as the maximum range of your senses in any given environment. Scanning visually, in overlapping bands, will help you to take in and manage more information. To do this, mentally divide the total space from you to the horizon, or as far as you can see, into several zones. Scan each zone separately, as if running your eyes around the perimeter of a box. Repeat this process again, but mentally offset your scan zones, so that they overlap with your initial search. First, scan each zone in a general way, taking everything in. Note potential indicators of trouble, but do not become fixated on them. Quickly scan over the entire horizon in this manner and then return to anything that caught your eye for more detailed scrutiny. Remember to use your ears and nose, as both can contribute immensely to your overall awareness.

2) Circle of Threat The maximum effective range of a possible attack determines the radius of the Circle of Threat. It is important to have an accurate knowledge of both your realistic level of risk and most likely threats. Whether potential attackers are known to commit close-in crimes like purse snatching or prefer armed hold-ups from some distance away, makes a big difference in defining your Circle of Threat. Also, keep in mind that as you move through your environment, you will often pass by open spaces that can potentially afford a threat with the opportunity to attack you from great distances, if only for a moment. The gap between a hotel lobby and your waiting automobile is a good example of this, as are certain street intersections and building corridors. To prevent surprise, it is critical that your Circle of Awareness be larger than the Circle of Threat at any given moment.

3) Circle of Action The space around you in which you must maintain the controlling influence is called the Circle of Action. As an aside, if you were piloting a ship and saw an iceberg on the horizon, youd start to re-plot your course to avoid the danger right away. The same thing should hold true as you pilot yourself through the sometimes chaotic streets, airports, and office complexes frequented by todays international business traveler. A disciplined balance must be struck between remaining conscious of what is going on directly around you and what may be emerging out at the limits of your senses on the Circle of Awareness. This takes a certain knack that requires practice to achieve, but is really the key to this whole approach. To be able to physically avoid trouble, as a practical manner, you must divorce yourself from the idea of sticking to any sort of set routes and to a certain extent, from tight time schedules too. In most cases if you detect a potential problem, you will want to divert away from it as soon as possible. Do use discretion, stay calm, and remain vigilant. You want to avoid a personal security situation wherein you jump from the frying pan into the fire. As you move and travel about, things that were out on your Circle of Awareness a short time earlier become much closer and a part of the Circle of Action going on around you. To help manage the potential complexities of a persons immediate universe, this Circle of Action is itself broken down into three specific zones: the Far Decision, Alert, and Near Decision zones.

A) Far Decision Zone The Far Decision Zone is equal in size to the circle of threat. As soon as you are within the effective range of your most likely threats, you must be prepared to make some decisions. For example, you may detect someone who eyes you suspiciously while talking on a cell phone; perhaps a potential lookout for another accomplice. Chances are that whoever the lookout is talking to on the phone will be further ahead along what military people call the Natural Line of Drift. Quickly determine in which direction sidewalks, alleyways, and crowds are channeling foot-traffic, then immediately walk away on a 90-degree tangent. You can get back on course when you are safely away from the threat. If this is not possible, improvise a plausible reason to stop in the proximity of the presumed lookout; if you are with him, then you are not walking into a trap set by his unknown accomplice. The accomplice will either have to come to you or more likely the attack will be aborted. This example illustrates the kind of decisions that become available to you when you increase your level of situational awareness beyond the average.

B) Alert Zone Almost always in real life, unidentified people will be in your proximity, well within the effective range of your most imminent threats. Whether entering a crowded market place, office building, or just traveling down a city sidewalk, the potential for a sudden attack is very real. By being especially aware of anyone who is within about 40-50 feet of you, you can greatly improve your reaction-to-threat time, should the need arise. Maintain a mental tripwire at the 50-foot range and monitor everything within its bounds.

C) Near Decision Zone The circle of your immediate, personal space defines the near decision zone. If you place one foot stationary and lunge out as far as you can with a step of your other foot, the distance to which you can reach with your forward most, outstretched hand defines the outer limits of your Near Decision Zone. You are at risk whenever you let someone, not approved by you, enter your Near Decision Zone.

If someone decides to attack you from within your Near Decision Zone, the first time that you will most likely know it is when the attack lands home. This is because the attacker will be acting, when and where he chooses, and you will just be reacting to him. Such a setup gives the attacker the advantage every time. If someone or something hostile enters your Near Decision Zone, you should move away and re-establish your personal space.

Equipped with this systematic method to increase your situational awareness, you will be able to detect potentially dangerous situations sooner and further away from you and therefore be able to take very deliberate steps to avoid trouble. Learn to monitor these various circles and zones simultaneously. On your first few attempts this may seem like trying to juggle, but will become easier with practice. One effective way to practice is at the next concert or to a sporting event you go to. Try to take everything in; you may be surprised by how much you will be able to track.

In a future issue of the GlobalConnect Newsletter, Vern will write about what is on the typical security checklists that the professionals use.