Preparedness & Perseverance - Circuit Magazine -

source: https://circuit-magazine.com/preparedness-perseverance/

Preparedness and perseverance two of the more important traits you may not consider daily, but two traits you need to grasp fully in my opinion, to be successful in Executive Protection.

To prepare is to, make (something) ready for use or consideration, to persevere, is to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success. Among the many skill sets we must attain, practice, and master over time, preparedness and perseverance are two less talked about traits of a solid EP practitioner. There are many reasons why the focus on these skills are over shadowed by wrist locks, positioning, being the body man, fancy martial arts, and firearms. What’s a significant reason you ask? Well, in my opinion it’s because there is no immediate gratification, or “look at me” moment(s). There are plenty of instances where all of the before mentioned skills are useful, however, how and when they can be used start with being prepared.

Secondly, what is your mental fortitude like? How do you prepare, (there’s that word again) a plan that includes persevering difficult operational hurtles? Staffing, weather, and environmental, hurdles? You must have a mindset to persevere no matter what, even if you know it won’t be a total success or the exact outcome you want.

Being prepared is the downfall of many potential EP professionals, young and old, experienced or amateur, corporate or celebrity sector. To some, being prepared is having a working phone number and a Facebook page with “bodyguard” in the employment status. To others being prepared is, “I have a suit, sunglasses, $25.00 in cash, and I know what time to be there.” I continue to see on a daily basis the un-preparedness of many EP practitioners (not to be confused with a specialist) in the way they prepare daily. Being prepared is a DAILY fundamental whether you are on a detail or not.

How many times have we seen EP hopefuls say, “call me if you got something” then you call them and you hear, ”well I’m waiting for my license(s), “I’m waiting to find childcare”, “ I can help out on one of the five days you’re asking me to work” “are you flying me there? Because my car probably won’t make it the 100 miles.”

How deep does preparation go? To the individual measuring success in the field by saying, “One day I’ll fly on a private jet,” what do you know about private aircraft? What does decompression sickness look like? What is a flap, what is an aileron? What’s the maximum operational weight capacity of the aircraft? Being prepared is being an EP professional every day, of every month, of every year, there are no exceptions. Your health, your physical strength, your daily intel gathering, your current events in the region you live or visiting, your professional demeanor, practices, and behaviors etc. Where in the items listed did you hear guns, karate chops, ninja moves, or cover and evacuating under fire? The most egregious thing you can do to yourself, the agency you may work for, or the client, is to show up unprepared.

As many have found, even myself early in my career, in the beginning you don’t get the regular taps on the shoulder that more experienced specialists may get. You may find yourself having to have a fulltime job in a different field while waiting for your chance to answer the call. You may have certain restrictions on the amount of time you have to dedicate to this profession or “Craft” as we like to call it. You may find yourself low on monetary funds to dedicate to your preparedness to work. Maybe you live in a region where EP is not an everyday occurrence, how do you maintain the perseverance to continue to follow your interest in protective services?

Sure, it’s easier when you have fewer personal restrictions, but there are plenty of family men and women performing EP daily, so what is stopping you? Here’s the answer, Preparedness. If you prepare for longevity, accept, and practice good discipline while bracing yourself for the lean times, when the lean times come, you’ll be ready.

In February as you know, the United States along with most of the world were hit with a global pandemic that shut down almost every industry including most of ours. Many in our craft were taken by surprise and unfortunately were grossly unprepared to persevere. Some are fledgling specialists, and some are experienced EP professionals. What is fascinating to see, is how different specialists react, and the differences in behavior that both displays. I found for those that practiced good discipline during the good times, they were prepared, and for those who didn’t, it was a crushing blow. For the former of the two, creativity, for the latter, you start to hear excuses and anger. So, while the prepared folks say,” this will pass, and I’m glad that I never stopped bettering myself for the potential loss or slowdown in opportunities”, the others complain.

The unprepared have languished in the “look at me stage” they have cared more about being relevant, than being a security minded, educated specialist. The open display of political comments, the dislike of the current pandemic rules and requirement’s, the dislike of one political party over another, the sly remarks about colleagues, these all come from the ill prepared. Worst off, they fail to realize the gravity of what the spew until it’s too late. These remarks are harkened back to being knowledgeable, and having the foresight to consider what these comments and opinions bring with them.

In the end, preparedness and perseverance go hand in hand, and in my opinion, one cannot happen without the other. Your individual dedication to excellence will lead you to being a valued, experienced, specialist on a team with the same goal, namely maintaining your professionalism, and keeping our client’s safe.

Preparedness & Perseverance By Mark Roche EPS

Mark Roche is a US Based, full-time Executive Protection Specialist who works full time with a HNW Family. He is also a FAA Licensed Drone Pilot, specializing in EP related uses, and a graduate of multiple close protection programs.

The post Preparedness & Perseverance appeared first on Circuit Magazine.

Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics

If you plan on working internationally in the close protection or security industry you will be expected to some degree to know how to handle firearms. Now, to get things straight to start with, what most people, especially Americans, don’t realize is that most non-government close protection jobs are unarmed due to the legal restrictions on firearms in most countries. Part of your threat assessment for any assignment needs to include the laws on the use of force and what if any weapons are legal in the locations you are going to be working in. Being caught with an illegal weapon, especially a firearm will get you thrown in jail very quickly, no matter how important you think you are! So, what do you need to know about firearms if you are looking to work internationally in the close protection and security industry, well the first and most important thing is knowing how to use firearms safely. To become proficient with firearms, like everything else takes practice and time, you’re not going to become and expert after a few hours’ tuition. Many firearms related accidents happen because those handing the firearms are not complying with the basic firearms safety rules of keep the firearms pointed in a safe direction and keeping their fingers off the guns trigger. If you ensure you always follow these two safety rules, you will be acting more responsibly than many others who are working with and carrying firearms. Remember, if you’re the one holding and in control of a firearm that accidentally discharges and injures or kills someone you will be held responsible. A thorough understanding of firearms and range safety is essential before you even start any shooting with live ammunition. Here is a more complete list of firearms safety rules and considerations. WEAPON SAFETY DEPENDS ON KNOWING YOUR WEAPON, CONFIDENCE, ALERTNESS Safety considerations for firearms must always be followed Always keep firearms pointed in a safe direction, especially when loading and unloading. Keep your finger off the trigger until the weapon is pointed at your target. If the action or slide on the weapon is closed, always treat the gun as if loaded and carry out the unload drills. Always show that a firearm is unloaded to a person before you hand it to them. When someone hands you a firearm, always check the chamber and make sure it is unloaded. Never take a person’s word for whether a firearm is loaded or unloaded, always check! Never point a firearm at anyone just for fun or play games with firearms. Always know what is behind your target and have a good backstop. Only fire-controlled shots. You can rapid fire but make sure you are hitting your target. Always practice tactical drills with unloaded firearms until you’re confident and competent enough to use live ammunition. Always unload firearms before dry-fire tactical training. Only use dummy ammunition or blank-firing firearms for demonstrations or dry-fire drills. Never mix blank, dummy, and live rounds. Always check that the gun is unloaded before cleaning. Never tamper with ammunition, and only use reloads from reliable sources. Never use damaged rounds, and always dispose of them safely. Keep guns and ammunition in secure storage when not in use. If you do not know how to operate or are having problems operating a firearm, get professional help. Never used drugs or alcohol when using firearms. Always check and comply with local firearms law Types of Firearms You should try to train with and get to know as many different types of firearms as possible as you never know what you will come across. You might be working unarmed on an assignment in a hostile environment but you need to know how to use the firearms you might encounter in that environment incase things go bad, say your hotel is attacked, and you might have to use the firearms of the local security, police, military and bad guys or make them safe after an incident. Pistols: The two main classification for pistols are semi-automatic and revolver. Sadly, most people these days tend to only train with semi-auto safe action guns such as Glock and S&W M&P’s etc. You need to know how to safely use revolvers, single and double action semi-autos, single action semi-autos and at least be familiar with derringers and sub-compact pocket pistols. Shotguns: I have heard quite a few supposed close protection experts, usually from police backgrounds dismiss the requirements for shotgun training. The reason for this I believe, is in their limited experience within a government agency they have never had the opportunity to use shotguns or travel to locations where they are used. I have personally working in Europe, South & West Africa, Middle East, US, Caribbean, Latin America and have come across shotguns being used in for security details in all of those locations. I would say shotguns are the most widely used firearm used for legal security purposes globally. Shotguns come in various configurations and you should at least understand break action, pump, semi-auto shotguns and the various types of ammunition and chocks. Assault Rifles: Even though most of the tacticool firearms training videos on the internet put an emphasis of training with AR-15’s and AK-47’s in reality there are not many places you can legally use them for security purposes unless you are in the military, on a government related assignment or working illegally. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the laws were put in place for security guards to carry assault rifles, but in most places if you are lucky enough to legally have firearms there is a greater change of it being a shotgun or a pistol rather than an AK etc. Sporting Rifles: In a lot of countries semi-auto firearms are banned or very restricted and the only legal firearms available will be sporting shotguns and leaver or bolt-action rifles. The only time most tacticool operators will consider learning how to use a bolt-action rifle would be if it was a tricked-out sniper rifle… Well, I am sorry if I offend any tacticool operators reading this but all hunting rifles, even with wood stocks, can be used as sniper rifles and for tactical applications. If someone is trained how to shoot properly, understands individual tactics and is armed with a decent leaver or bolt action .22 rifle, I would class them as far more value than the tacticool shemagh wearing operator who uses optics on their tricked-out AR-15 to hit paper targets at 15 meters… Other Firearms: Depending on where you are planning to work depends on the types of firearms you could encounter; in hostile environments you may need to have the rudimentary knowledge of how to operate belt-fed machine guns. Or, if you’re in an area where hunting is popular it might make sense to learn a little bit about black powder rifles and pistols, which in some places have a lot less restrictions on them than cartridge firing firearms. Tactical Firearms Training I have my own views of firearms training and the state of the firearms training industry but will try to keep them to myself as much as I can for the sake of this article. My basic advice to anyone looking at attending any firearms training courses would be is the course relevant and is the instructor experienced enough to teach it. The best place to get a good grounding in firearms training is in the military as you should be given thorough training, the bullets will be free, and you will also be getting paid for your time. There is no way you can replicate a few years military firearms training experience by taking a two-week tactical firearms course. One issues with those who have only had regular military training is that they are only used to dealing with a limited range of firearms. Personally, I only really started to learn and use handguns other than a Browning Hi-Power after I left the British Army and worked in South Africa, Eastern Europe and then joined a gun club in UK before handguns were banned. You must ensure the training you will be getting is relevant for what your going to be doing and is of a good standard. In the U.S. the general standard for training is what’s put out by the National Rifle Association (NRA). Most people don’t realize when taking a training course from an NRA instructor that it only takes one-day to become and NRA instructor or Range Safety officer. In the United States, it’s easy for a novice shooter to become an NRA firearms instructor, as I said it’s a one-day course, SERIOUSLY! With another one-day course they can become a Range Safety Officer, and after that with another one-day course a Chief Range Safety Officer able to certify Range Safety Officers… All without any experience of ever running a firearms course or any experience of actually working on a shooting range… I have come across NRA instructors who could not field strip their own firearms, Chief Range Safety Officers who had never used revolvers or shotguns. From their certifications you would expect them to be experienced professionals! Well, think again… You cannot gain the experience required to be a decent RSO or instructor by just attending a few theory classes, watch tacticool YouTube videos and belonging to Gung-ho online chat forums. The schools issuing these NRA certifications are making money, it’s business, but how many of their students then go on to market themselves as “firearms experts” after just a few one-day classes? I think this can be classed as fraudulent in anyone’s books. It’s just like taking a first-time driver, giving them a two- or three-day theory on how to drive, showing them a car, starting the engine and then certifying them to set up a driving school… Scary, right? Always verify the real-world experience of the instructors who you’re intending to pay good money for quality training. Firearms training can be very expensive so ensure you’re not wasting your money and understand that after just a few days training you’re not going to be at a professional level, whatever your certificates say! Ongoing dry and live firearms training and weapons familiarization is essential if your serious about working in hostile environments but learn to differentiate the difference between tacticool holidays and experiences and relevant training! Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics The post Tactical Firearms Training – The Basics appeared first on Circuit Magazine.

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