The Safariland Group Blog

How Can Schools Become Better Prepared for “Active Shooter” Situations?

sandy.wall@safariland.com (Sandy Wall) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:36:00 -0400

In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, I write this with a heavy heart. As I cannot imagine the terror within the classrooms that was brought upon those children and staff members, I consider the fact that most active shootings take only a few minutes to happen and the vast majority are over by the time the Police arrive. I strongly believe that the personnel at Sandy Hook responded valiantly and we consider them heroes, and so I wonder how we can better prepare such heroes to handle such traumatic high-stress situations as an “active shooter” incident.

Schools prepare regularly for a fire with coordinated drills and as a result many schools experience little or no issues when fires occur. Yet, we have experienced tragedies in schools based on “active shooter” events. Orderly fire drill-type evacuations are not the best solution to “active shooter” incidents since, in this type of event, such stress overwhelms the mind’s ability to reason and make decisions. People respond only with gross motor skills and a fight or flight instinct. If they have not been trained on what to do, and have it reinforced on a regular basis, the chances of the best outcome possible become less likely.

In my opinion, all schools should review and consider an “Active Shooter” Training Program. Teachers and School Administrators can become prepared by learning best practices from current and former First Responders, Law Enforcement and Subject Matter Experts through such a course. This kind of training provides realistic scenario-based situations to better prepare teachers and administrators in the event this type of tragedy occurs on their campus. It can provide the mental training we can all use to make better decisions in situations with an “active shooter.”

Active Shooter Programs promote an emphasis on responding under overwhelming stress and what should be done in the first few seconds to save lives.

· Decision-making under stress

· Ad-hoc Barricade Techniques

· Victim Rescue Techniques

· Self-Aid/Buddy-Aid

· Improvised Weapons

· Self Defense

Get involved. Recommend that your school districts consider evaluating this type of training to become better prepared.

Visit www.safariland.com/training for a list of our latest course offerings.

Ballistic Shield Shooting Tips

john.burdock@safariland.com (John Burdock) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:36:00 -0400

In my opinion, the ballistic shield is still best used in conjunction with a handgun. Original shield designs and training supported this concept, but as the tactical community has become more and more long gun friendly, students are constantly looking for techniques that will allow the use of long guns with their shield. The first thing I must point out is that I truly support the use of long guns in tactical operations, however to get the most protection from a ballistic shield the shooter must understand that the shield will only protect what is behind and below it, which is often best accomplished with a handgun. I often see teams get creative with rolling out the second shooter so they can deploy the long gun. However, this may expose team members to incoming rounds. I understand and appreciate that tactics vary and results are what count, however the purpose of using the shield is to get more protection, not less. With the above thoughts in mind I have outlined a short training block that any team can use to keep shield and pistol skills up to speed without using a whole training day.

Keep it mission-focused and on point: It should be obvious that excellent strong side pistol skills are a must while using the shield. Remember, pistol shooting with the shield is done one-handed. Focus on strong side shooting, reloading and malfunction clearing. The addition of support hand shooting skills should also be worked into the training.
It’s shield training - not PT: The shield is a heavy piece of equipment and fatigue sets in quickly; shooters will not embrace or get the most from the shield if sessions are too long. Thirty minutes of shooting per student with the shield would go a long way to maintain skills, while not discouraging the use of the shield.
Start small and build up: Keep distances realistic. Three, five, seven and ten yards would be practical. Focus on room size ranges.
Refine skills with scenario-based training: Initial training can be done in an hour or less depending on team size. Put the shields away and move on to something else. Near the end of the training day, run scenario-based drills using the shield and force-on-force training tools to ensure the range points have been incorporated into team tactics.
Low light: Remember to include a good healthy dose of low light shield training. This should be done with live fire and scenario based training.

In conclusion, following this plan would improve and enhance skills when compared to quarterly or less frequent shield training. This will develop confidence in the use of the equipment and improve your team members’ one-handed weapons handling and marksmanship skills.

John Burdock is veteran of the United States Marine Corps with 23 years in law enforcement including 17 years as a firearms instructor, SWAT team member and contract trainer. He is currently a Lieutenant with the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office and an instructor with the Safariland Training Group.

Breaching As You've Never Done it Before

james.morgan5@safariland.com (Jim Morgan) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:36:00 -0400

Gaining entry to a structure is one of the most stressful aspects of a tactical team’s movement. The bunching of people and equipment near the point of entry, the variance of how much time and effort it will take to get through the obstacle, all make for a good deal of uncertainty. As many teams do, my former team at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept uses everything from mechanical to explosive devices to gain entry. I have stood in every point of the stick in hundreds of entries and understand how difficult it can be to get the job done smoothly and efficiently. The equipment really hasn’t changed much over the years and short of using a charge, it pretty much takes pry bars and a whole lot of muscle to get it done… until the WallBanger^™.

The WallBanger^™ is a device unlike any you’ve ever seen. it uses a systematic approach of interchangeable attachments to resolve the challenges of getting inside of a structure. The unique design channels the focused energy from a 15-gram Distraction Device^® fuze to push a locked door open. The command-ignited fuze can be exchanged for an 8 or 4-gram fuze or doubled to accommodate multiple types of doors. This level of versatility allows gives the breacher confidence in the outcome.

But, what’s really impressive is the reliability of the system. Using a thermo fuze, the command initiation system gives you positive control over activation the instant you want it, regardless of the distance or weather. Attached to interchangeable poles, the breaching head can be extended further away from the point of entry to resolve potential obstacles or threats. The system will even extend to a second floor window for a safe “Break, Rake and Bang” option and the break and rake attachments will hold two devices for rapid deployments. A separate spike attachment will penetrate a barrier and inject OC via a small hose system. In those high risk cases where you must react quickly to what’s happening inside a room, the WallBanger can even produce a “fighting portal” through a wall. Most importantly, this is all achieved safely because of the deployment of a Distraction Device^® unit never leaves your control. It can’t fall under a sofa or roll beyond your intended deployment spot. The device deploys when and where you want it to, with the blast effects directed as you intend it. That’s 175 dB of powerful sound and 6 million candelas of blinding light at your command.

The WallBanger^™ can be purchased as a complete kit or in mission-ready sections. Eight (8) hours of training are required for certification of use which our Safariland Training Group would provide.. If you are considering using a Distraction Device^® model during your mission, you should also consider the WallBanger^™. For more information, you may contact your local account manager or customer care at 800-347-1200.

Securing Borders and Saving Lives

jessica.murfin@safariland.com (Jessica Murfin) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:04:00 -0400

Law enforcement officers patrolling the Texas-Mexico border have their work cut out for them attempting to staunch smuggling and other illegal activity along the 1,200-mile border. So, the Texas Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol’s Marine Tactical Unit is taking a new approach to secure the line and prevent illegal goods, persons and property from crossing into the US.

In many areas along the border, the two countries are separated only by the narrow and winding Rio Grande River, where in some places it is close enough to swim across in a matter of minutes. To combat the violence, the Texas DPS recently purchased gunboats that were designed and modified by Naplesyacht.com to provide the crewmembers with protection using ballistic armor panels custom-built by PROTECH^® Armor Systems. The armor panels were engineered to fit seamlessly into the design of these shallow water interceptors to help protect officers patrolling the border. PROTECH, part of Safariland,^®was proud to have been a part of this project to help secure our borders and exemplify Safariland’s motto: Together, We Save Lives.

How to Win a Gunfight! Part IV: Be Smart and Don't Hesitate

heather.murray@safariland.com (Admin) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:57:00 -0400

Part ISmart

You must be smart about when and where you decide to fight. Those in law enforcement don’t always have the luxury of picking when to fight, but often I read or hear about officers that forced a confrontation or made the fight fair when they didn’t have to. Things like leaving cover and closing distance to their adversary when it wasn’t necessary or moving ahead of their team or partner, which in effect means taking them out of the fight. Never make it a fair fight if you have a choice. The Sheriff may have picked High Noon because he knew his opponent couldn’t see well in the bright sun light. Better yet, he should have waited until the sun was at his back and in his opponent’s eyes, or positioned someone with a long weapon on high ground. Maybe he should put on a good set of body armor as a fighting platform or just bring as many friends with him to the fight as he could find. It may not be as sexy but it improves the ability to predict the outcome. Live to fight another day, I always say.

The Intangibles:

How about shooting first? I love the line in the movie, “The Shootist”. Ron Howard is explaining to John Wayne what Bat Masterson wrote about in his book about gunfighting. He was mentioning things like proficiency with a firearm and accuracy, and Wayne interrupts him and asks, “Did he mention that some people will hesitate, or blink, or draw a breath? I won’t.” As with any type of fight, the one who strikes first has a distinct advantage. Strike first, strike hard, and repeat as necessary.

How about not being an easy target to hit? This could mean that you are behind cover, or you may just be moving really fast. Both are good things, and if you don’t have cover, how about moving really fast toward it.

In closing I would like to put in a plug for the Safariland Training Group’s course, “Startle Response to an Ambush”. Safariland training programs include many of the things that can determine who wins a gunfight. A friend of mine who used to lecture on the subject would say, “Bring a bigger gun”. It’s hard to argue with that logic. I say, focus on the things you can do something about.

The true warrior will not hesitate, is not stupid, not ill-equipped, not unprepared, and definitely not easy to hit. You must prepare and train for what you hope and pray you never have to do, or be prepared to suffer the consequences. I love this quote about soldiers: “of every 100 men you send me 90 shouldn’t even be here, 9 are good combatants and they the fight make, ahh but the one… he is a true warrior and will bring the rest home safe”. ~Unknown

Best of luck, but don’t count on it. Train hard, be smart, and stay safe!

This is the final installment of a four part series; please click here for Part I, Part II or Part III.

Sandy Wall retired from Houston Police Department after 28 years, 22 of which were served as a SWAT officer. He is a three-term president of the Texas Tactical Police Officer Association (TTPOA) and the founder of the Less Lethal Solutions, Inc. and the inventor of “The Wall Banger.” Sandy is currently the Training Director for Safariland’s Training Group.

How to Win a Gunfight Part III: Keep Your Cool and You Might Get Lucky

sandy.wall@safariland.com (Sandy Wall) — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:16:00 -0400

Ice Water

This next part of the equation is harder to learn, if it can be learned at all. I like to call it the Joe Montana or Roger Stauback syndrome. It’s that ice water in the veins, that coolness under pressure effect that is hard to teach. Most people that have it were born with it to an extent. They just don’t tend to get that excited even when others all around them do. This can be a huge advantage in a gunfight.

I do believe a significant amount of exposure and experience will somewhat de-sensitize one to the stimulus that others become alarmed by. I believe that frequent exposure to the real thing or to realistic training can help. One of the best gunfighters I ever knew was not that great a shot, but he was a deadly adversary to his opponents. He was born with ice water in his veins and it served him well.

In the immortal words of a US Marine Corps. Gunny Sgt., “You, you, and you, panic, the rest of you come with me.” That’s the guy you want on your side in a gun fight.

Luck

One of my best friends used to say all the time, “I’d rather be lucky than good”. He was a hell of a good guy to have on your side in a gunfight. He was on my side a few times and I was glad he was there. The fact is, I got lucky more than I would like to admit and I know others reading this article, if they are honest with themselves, will admit that they got lucky a few times or they wouldn’t be in a position to enjoy my ramblings today.

Luck is nothing one should count on, nor is it something to brag about, but it has had an impact on those in law enforcement surviving a gunfight more than a few times, so I thought it worth mentioning. Or do we create our own luck? Louis Pasteur once said: “Chance favors the prepared mind.”

This is part three of a four part series; please click here for Part I or Part II and check back for the final installment.

How To Win A Gunfight Part II

sandy.wall@safariland.com (Sandy Wall) — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 19:30:00 -0400

We all know how important training can be, but not just any training it has to be the right training – performed with purpose, meaning, and on a repetitive basis. The first thing to get cut from Law Enforcement (LE) budgets in TOUGH economic times like these is training, yet the threats aren’t cut – they remain clear and The first thing to get cut from Law Enforcement (LE) budgets in TOUGH economic times like these is training, yet the threats aren’t cut – they remain clear and present and do notcare about the economy.

All too often LE will go out and perform the same drills/courses with no purpose or passion. It comes down to just trigger time on the range, which is often just a waste of time and money. To go out and sling lead downrange with no training objective, skill set, or meaningful purpose in mind, is not efficient or effective firearms training. Every round should have a purpose. It’s not just repetition, but rather MEANINGFUL repetition. The basics are a great place to start. No matter what the skill is, break it down to the mechanics and improve those fundamentals. Once you have the mechanics mastered, start adding stress to the point of failure. As the failure threshold is reached, then back it off a bit and train at that level until the failure threshold can be advanced.

One of the best shooters I have ever trained with told me that to shoot fast and accurate requires the same things you learned in the Academy. Grip, sight alignment, trigger control. Learn to do those three things very fast and under pressure and you will be a very good shooter. WOW! No magic or trick involved, just a lot of practice with a purpose. DRY FIRE until you master the skill and then test yourself with bullets. It’s a lot less expensive, you can do it almost anywhere, and you don’t have to deal with all that anticipation of muzzle blast and recoil. You can focus on the skill set and master it before you test yourself with ammunition.

The same process can be applied to any skill set. I don’t care if it’s Dynamic Entry, Rappelling, or Covert Entry. Break the steps down to their basic mechanics, learn to do them smoothly under pressure and add stress until you start making mistakes. Back off that threshold a bit and work the basics until the bar can be moved. Time limits, scenarios, difficulties, all are a great way to add stress.

All of the great athletes of the world don’t just play the game to get better. They break it down to fundamental skill sets and spend their time improving those. The scrimmages and games are a way of finding out how well they have been practicing.

The last thing I will say about training is please don’t become stagnate. There are always new ways of doing things; you can never know it all and you can always improve. Go out and seek new training from creditable sources. TTPOA (Texas Tactical Police Officer Association) is a great source of training as well as several training companies and subject matter experts that instruct for a living.

This is part two of a four-part series; please click here for Part I and check back for the next installment.

Sandy Wall retired from Houston Police Department after 28 years, 22 of which were served as a SWAT officer. He is a three-term president of the Texas Tactical Police Officer Association (TTPOA) and the founder of the Less Lethal Solutions, Inc. and the inventor of “The WallBanger.” Sandy is currently the Training Director for Safariland’s Training Group.

How To Win A Gunfight Part I

sandy.wall@safariland.com (Sandy Wall) — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 11:42:00 -0400

It’s high noon and the Sheriff slowly steps out onto a vacant street to meet his adversary and maybe his death. His duster is slung back to expose the gun belt and six-shooter that he carries low and tethered to his leg. With his hat pulled down firmly to where one can barely see his steely eyes that pierce the day, he scans left and right for the ambush that would change this gunfight into something he could not survive. Yet there is not a trace of fear or worry about his fate or the unknown the end of the street will bring.

How many times have you watched this scenario play out in some of your favorite western movies? The anticipation of what is about to happen makes us all admire the Sheriff for what he has the courage to face. Did it ever really happen like that? Probably not as much as the movie makers would like us to believe, but its fun to live that experience through the eyes of someone else. We would all like to believe that should that moment come, when we have to fight for our lives, we would have the same steel grit, courage, and coolness under pressure the Sheriff displayed. This is something that we in Law Enforcement (LE) have all pondered and some have experienced firsthand. For many of us that have, our performance may not have been what it could or should have been but we survived just the same.

Over the next few posts, I will attempt to point out what I feel are some of the factors that can make a difference in a gunfight. I base my opinions not only on my own experiences but also the experiences of numerous friends and colleagues over my 28 years in LE. I have also drawn from Dr. David Klinger’s book, Into the Kill Zone. This book is a treasure trove of LE gunfighting experiences, if you haven’t read it, go now and get it. Dr. Klinger interviewed 80 active and former LE Officers and then detailed information surrounding their experiences. His research was funded in part by a Federal grant to research but with all that information compiled he was compelled to write the book to share the experiences with us all.

This is part one of a four part series; please check back for the next installment.

Sandy Wall retired from Houston Police Department after 28 years, 22 of which were served as a SWAT officer. He is a three-term president of the Texas Tactical Police Officer Association (TTPOA) and the founder of the Less Lethal Solutions, Inc., and the inventor of “The WallBanger.” Sandy is currently the Training Director for the Safariland Training Group.

Custom is What we Do: No Job too Big or Small

geoff.patti@safariland.com (Geoff Patti) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 17:13:00 -0400

PROTECH^® Armor Systems specializes in custom projects for all types of security applications requiring ballistic and blast resistance. Most commonly purchased Ballistic Resistant Enclosure^® (BRE^®) units are typically 8’ x 8’ or 8’ x 10’ structures for perimeter and checkpoint security. PROTECH was recently tasked with designing and delivering a 17’X19’ custom, pre-fabricated building to be used as a secure access facility for one of our nation’s nuclear power stations. This 17’ x 19’ unit was more than twice the size of typical blast-resistant enclosures that are manufactured in the facility and our engineering team was challenged to come up with a solution not only for design and manufacturing, but also for installation and delivery to the end user.

Traditionally, our BRE units are delivered to the customer fully assembled and ready to occupy, however, due to the size and weight of the requested unit, it was necessary for the structure to be manufactured in two halves and delivered separately to the customer. It was then easily assembled on site by site personnel. The assembly process included a simple bolt-together connection while offering complete protection from the elements via a multi-stage gasketing system.

The client received their custom designed BRE featuring a high level of ballistic protection, a fully functional electric and HVAC system, multiple gunports and other security features. Even in a two-part system, the BRE featured PROTECH’s seamless ARMOR-LOK™ ballistic resistance, providing protection to all areas of the structure.

A world leader in hard-armor technologies, PROTECH® designs and manufactures custom armor solutions for virtually all types of applications. Using only the most advanced materials, engineering and the latest technology in ballistic development, we provide our clients with the greatest balance of cost and performance in all the products we manufacture.

For more information, or to request a quote, please click here to visit our website.

How to Choose a Fighting PIstol

john.burdock@safariland.com (John Burdock) — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:54:00 -0400

Many have weighed in on the topic of the fighting pistol, yet the debate and search for the “one” still continues today. The questions go round as to make, model, caliber and more. The definition of the fighting pistol is a full-size pistol with the primary mission of being openly carried in a duty holster or leg holster by the person who goes armed into harm’s way on a daily basis. Based on my experience, I believe the following factors should be considered when choosing the best fighting pistol to meet your needs.

The fighting pistol must be highly reliable. One should not tolerate any malfunction in 250, 500 or 1000 rounds. Which malfunction would be ok in combat and when? A new fighting pistol should be combat-ready out of the box and not require the trendy 500 round break-in period to function properly, nor should it need polishing, aftermarket magazines, special type or brand of ammunition or gunsmith fitting to work correctly.

The fighting pistol should have useable sights and a good trigger. A good trigger is not to be confused with a light trigger meant for competition or bull’s eye shooting. The gold standard on a fighting pistol trigger pull should be no less than 5 pounds, based on detailed research conducted by Massad Ayoob.

The fighting pistol should be accurate. Match grade accuracy is truly only needed by the highly skilled shootist. The average person does not invest the amount of time or ammunition to become proficient enough to out shoot the pistol. Two-inch accuracy at twenty-five yards is more accurate than many could ever muster under stress. Invest in training from knowledgeable and credible instructors and range time, not gadgets. Learn to run the fighting pistol under all conditions, with either hand, be able to clear stoppages, reload, use a flashlight and stay in the fight. Remember there is brilliance in basics and understand that advanced pistol skills are only the execution of the basic fundamentals under stress.

The fighting pistol should be durable. It needs to have a simple manual of arms, be easy to take down and assemble and not require special tools, gadgets or the level of maintenance required to keep a formula one race car on the track. The fighting pistol should not need to be handled with kid gloves to perform.

The fighting pistol should hold as many rounds as possible. High capacity affords the ability to stay in the fight. I recently interviewed an officer who fired a total of fifteen, 40 caliber rounds in a lethal force encounter. I reviewed the autopsy results and crime scene pictures; the officer hit the subject eleven times out of fifteen. The fastest way to win a gunfight is to hit first, hit accurately and repeat as needed. The officer involved told me he was very thankful that his duty pistol had a high-capacity magazine on that day.

The fighting pistol should be selected on function and not cosmetics. I truly love a finely-engraved ivory-gripped pistol or revolver; however if it does not meet the criteria of a fighting pistol I would not take it to the fight. I agree with, and support all the other reasons for owning pistols and revolvers, such as historic value, collecting, plinking, hunting, competition use and the most important reason “because I want to”!

On a side note, the topic of caliber has become a smoke and mirror parlor game often debated by the “tacti cool” and “internet commandos”. If the one true defensive caliber existed, then why do so many shooters make an argument for theirs? As a general rule, pistols are poor fight stoppers in comparison to shotguns or rifles. The one true equalizer with the fighting pistol is shot placement. The shooter should select a caliber they can manage and shoot well, but should strive to keep the caliber somewhere between .38 and .45, since all calibers in that range have won fights! I have spoken to medical examiners and officers who have used lethal force and have not been able to define the “one” caliber nor have those I have spoken to. I have interviewed officers who fired as few as three, 9mm rounds in a lethal encounter, worked crime scenes where one, .38 caliber round ended the encounter and have interviewed officers who have fired to slide lock with .40’s and .45’s to end the encounter. I do not claim my research and interviews to be all-inclusive, scientific or the final word on this topic, I will leave that to the experts; they are merely my own observations during a 23-year law enforcement career and perpetual student of the fighting pistol.

Using the thoughts above one should be able to find the pistol that truly fits their needs if it is a fighting pistol they are searching for. The fighting pistol is a tool; mindset and commitment are truly the real “weapons” in the fight.