In these uncertain times, there’s always the possibility of a terror event or shooting whenever and wherever groups of people gather. A terrorist or madman can cause death and destruction almost anywhere, but if you learn to be situationally aware, you won’t be a soft target for them. The basics of situational awareness are described in what is known as “the OODA Loop.” It was first devised by Air Force fighter pilot Colonel John Boyd. Originally meant to help make fast decisions in an aerial dogfight, it’s useful in all kinds of settings.
Colonel John Boyd
The four steps of the OODA Loop are: Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. It’s a loop because you go back to the observe step after action is taken, to determine if the situation has resolved or if further action is needed.
Observe: Yellow Alert (Ooda)
You’ve heard of “red alert,” but yellow alert should be the stance in most cases. Yellow alert is best described as “relaxed awareness.” Keep your head up and scan the surroundings with all your senses. Most people associate situational awareness with what they can see, but you also learn a lot from the sounds and even smells in the environment.
It’s important to remain calm. Staying relaxed ensures that you’re focused on the important aspects of the environment (but not to the exclusion of new factors that might arise).
Try to place yourself in a position for optimal observation. You need to be able to take in as much of your surroundings as possible. When you enter any environment, be where you can see as much of the area in question. If it’s a restaurant, have a view of the exits (maybe a table by a wall). You might not be able to choose which table to sit at, but you can pick a chair which gives you the best view of what’s going on.
Orient: Baselines and Anomalies (oOda)
Being observant is important, but it isn’t enough. You have to know what you’re looking for and then put that information into context. The Orient step establishes baselines and anomalies for a particular environment and the human behaviors that match it or don’t.
Whatever setting you’re in, establish a baseline. A baseline is what’s “normal” in a given situation, and it’s different for different instances. For example, the baseline at Starbucks is people reading books, working on their computer, or talking with friends. The baseline at a rock concert would be loud music and people jumping up and down and shouting. If someone is jumping up and down and shouting at Starbucks, that’s what we call an “anomaly.
Anomalies are things that should be happening in a situation but aren’t or, conversely, things that do happen but shouldn’t. They are what we focus on. Questions you might ask yourself in a crowd: What’s the general mood? How should people be behaving? Who is doing something that’s different from the norm?
For example, is someone acting in an aggressive manner? We all want to get along, so most people are normally in submissive mode. If someone is screaming at the guy behind the counter at a burger joint, “I said no cheese, you idiot!,” that’s someone to keep an eye on.
Is someone awfully interested in something that ordinarily wouldn’t catch their eye? If you see a guy staring at the garbage can in your workplace, that’s an anomaly. If they’re too uninterested, though, that’s also something that’s not normal. Let’s say there’s a ticking suitcase in the middle of the mall, and only one person isn’t paying attention to it. That’s an anomaly.
Perhaps the most significant anomaly is someone that’s acting uncomfortable in a place where everyone is relaxed. People appear uncomfortable in many ways. One of them is constantly checking their “six”; that is, always looking nervously behind them. If someone is constantly looking over their shoulder, that’s an anomaly and deserves your attention. That’s not to say that everyone who’s uncomfortable is a threat. They might be late for work or just had an argument with a significant other. Still, you might want to keep an eye on them.
On the other hand, someone who’s comfortable when others are in a panic, such as seen in videos of the Boston Marathon bombers, could be someone who expected the disaster to occur.
You might take a look at what people are doing with their hands. Law enforcement often wants to see the hands of a suspect. People who are constantly patting a pocket or reaching inside a jacket, especially if a jacket isn’t warranted for the weather, could be concealing handgun (or worse).
Decide and Act (ooDA)
Once you’ve decided that there’s an anomaly that might represent a threat, have a plan of action to counter it. If a guy with a gun shows up at your workplace, the best course of action might be to hoof it out of there. If he’s right next to you and escape is unlikely, however, your best choice might be to act to incapacitate him.
To recap: Observe the situation. Orient to establish baselines and look for anomalies. Decide on an action. Act.
All this attention to detail may seem paranoid to you, but understand that these are dangerous times. Incorporate a constant state of yellow alert by putting away those smartphones and incorporate the OODA loop whenever you’re in a crowd. Do this and you’ll be situationally aware enough to gain extra time, and that could mean the difference between life and death.
Joe Alton MD
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