Staying Alive during a Night Out

Staying Alive

It could happen anywhere.  People, out for a night on the town, are exposed to gunfire, and have to scramble for their lives.  This past weekend, it happened in Broad Ripple, an area of Indianapolis that is home to numerous shops, boutiques, and bars.

Shortly after 2am, people who were on the street heard shots ring out.  David Bradshaw was one of the pedestrians.

“I heard this commotion and didn’t think anything of it.  I turned away for like a split second and turned back around  and started hearing gun shots about five or six gun shots.  Then,  I started to see people fall on the ground,” said Bradshaw.

Six males and one female were shot, with one of the victims in critical condition. The police were talking to a person of interest.

Analysis

In Staying Alive: How to Act Fast and Survive Deadly Encounters, there are several concepts that would apply to this tragedy. The first is situational awareness. When out and about, it is imperative to maintain awareness of everything around you. Even if one was not able to notice the gunman, an alert person would have already taken notice of places that could provide cover and/or concealment from a shooter. Situational awareness is covered in Chapter 1.

A second concept is pattern-matching and recognition. People that are carrying weapons act in certain ways. Knowing how these people act, and recognizing those signs can provide an early warning of a person who intends to do harm. Pattern-matching is covered in Chapter 2.

A third concept is preparation. Having a plan in place to address a situation like the shooting can alleviate the intense stress one can feel during a shooting. This ties in with another concept, mental simulation. It is important to not only have a plan, to but to exercise the plan, and the easiest, cheapest way to do this is to mentally simulate a scenario and ask yourself, "What would I do?" By doing this, you can inoculate yourself against stress, and be better able to function if a shooting, or other attack, happens. These concepts are covered in Chapters 7 & 8.

These concepts are a great place to start in Staying Alive. There are others, but having these basic skills can increase your chances of surviving an incident like the one in Broad Ripple.

It is not about becoming paranoid. It is about enjoying life by being prepared for the time when life throws you a curve.

Staying Alive is a primal, instinctive urge in all humans. All you need to do is learn the skills that will help you make it happen.