ASSIGNMENT SET #4

Mark Hatmaker

HOMEWORK PROTOCOL: Upon the completion of each written-assignment, simply email it back. We will provide an evaluation (and follow-up assignment if need be) and proceed to the next assignment.

"FIRE DRILLS" There is a Special Ops axiom that we need to keep in mind at all times throughout our training: "Never do anything for the first time in combat." In other words, no passive consumption of the material; everything (everything) must be drilled, drilled, drilled.

It is with the above mantra in mind that we approach the next set of exercises.

COMMON ENVIRONMENTS OUTSIDE THE HOME

This section of homework/drills focuses on environments you find yourself in on a regular basis.

• How many different environments do you find your self visiting over the course of an average week? Feel free to ballpark the guess at the moment as we will refine it as we offer prompts.
• How many building interiors do you find yourself inside in an average week?
• Do you work outside the home?
• Do you attend a place of worship?
• Do you pick any children up from a school or daycare that requires you to go inside?
• Are there restaurants, coffee shops, clubs, pubs, "local hangouts", inside sporting arenas, movie theaters, friends' homes that you regularly frequent? If so, list each location.
• How many grocery stores, gas stations, and convenience stores do you enter in an average week? List each location. (Don't simply list "gas stations" but, each gas station separately).
• If the preceding prompts sparked your memory and there are any other environments that you find yourself in, please list them here.
• Distractions-Do you commonly wear ear buds, text, tap on your iPhone or Blackberry, surf the web, chat on the cell phone, play with a cool new App while in any of these locations? I'm not talking about the occasional use. Look at how often you engage in any of these activities and ask yourself how long the texting gazelle would last at the watering hole?
• The Exit Memory Game-Working from memory list the number of exits and approximate location of these exits in all the listed environments.
• The 21-Day Exit Drill-Over the course of the next 21-days, (we use 21 to both seat habits and to catch less frequented locations or circumstances) please take the time to confirm or revise your exit memory tally and location as you visit each location. There is no need to make special trips to any of these locations, I simply ask that you spend 21 days being cognizant of every environment you enter and noting the exact location and number of exits. There is no need to enter stockrooms, or the kitchens of restaurants, et cetera but please give consideration as to where you think these "Employees Only" exits might be located. Make note of these exits and their locations.
• The Best to Worst List-Once you have completed the 21-Day Exit Drill, rank your commonly visited locations in an approximate ranking of ease of escape from best case to worst case. For example, from my own inventory-My local Borders bookstore has one double-door main entrance, one single door side entrance, and the assumed entrance/exit through the stockroom door. The store is boxed on three sides by cinderblock walls whereas the front windows are industrial Plexiglas (sturdy stuff) and may only be broken with a lot of effort. This Borders would receive a 3 ½ (3 doors and a maybe on the windows). My local Wal-Mart has 2 main entrances of 2 double door entries, a single door entry off of the westward main entry, an open gate entry on the Lawn and Garden center side, a scalable fence around the Lawn and Garden area, two small open garage doors for cart return, 3 entries through the grocery side employee doors, and numerous entries along the rear of the building including cargo doors once you enter the rear employee entrance. (A single drive around the building of your common destinations can go a long way toward giving you an approximate location of where the "Employees Only" entrances and exits are behind scenes. In other words, one 30 second drive around can save your life in a worst-case scenario). The Wal-Mart escape score is 14.
• The 21-Day Weapons Inventory-As you visit each of your common locations over the course of the next two weeks please take the time to mentally inventory a minimum of three improvised weapons each time you visit a given location. In other words, if you visit your local convenient store 3 times in the 21 day period you must inventory 3 different improvised weapons per visit. List the weapons and locations.
• The Exit Game-(This is for use to help make young children aware of the exit concept). When visiting locations with young family members, have each family member make a guess as to how many exits they think there are and where they might be located. Once inside make a simple scan of the interior and reward the closest guess.
• The Fire-Ready Drill-Do you know the location of the fire pull alarms in your local grocery store? How about the location of a fire extinguisher inside your local gas station? More often than not, when I ask these two questions, the answers are no. Over the next 21-Days take the time to stroll and scan for the location of the fire pull alarms and any visible fire extinguishers. Fire pull alarms are of value in the obvious event of fire and as distractions/alarms in other dire circumstances. Please list the number of located alarms/extinguishers per location here.
• The 21-Day Case the Joint Drill-In your visits to each location take the time to notice all visible suveillance/security measures (cameras, convex mirrors, height markers on exit doors, et cetera). We are well aware that these security devices are often poorly used or of little deterrent effect; we simply want to raise your awareness of these devices by thinking of them how a predator might regard them.
• The 21-Day Rally Point Locator-Once you have completed your 21-day drills, take the time to assign rally points in the event that you and family members must scramble from a given location. For example: From our local Wal-Mart, my family knows that in the event of an emergency where we can exit the front or westward side of the building that we would rally at the Starbucks at the far west end of the parking lot. If we must scramble from the eastward or rear of the building we rally at the entrance to the hospital that lies approximately 200 yards away. Having discussed these rally points goes a long way towards feeling a bit more confident that family members A) Know where to go and B) You know where to look for them post worst-case scenario. Assign rally points for each of your locations realizing that 2 rally points per location is optimal.
• Plexiglas Drill-(Optional) Obtain a sheet of Plexiglas and loosely mount it into a frame-do this outside. Don safety goggles and use a brick, chair, what have you to break (or attempt to break) the Plexiglas. Consider your results and ask yourself how these might factor into your escape assessments.

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