Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell (left) talks about the need to stay alert and be prepared to make important choices in the event of unfolding emergencies at a new two-hour workshop titled “Situation Awareness: A Life Safety Skill” that was taught by Capt. Doug Gaa (right) last week at the ICC Peoria Campus. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

About 50 people braved heavy rain and freezing temperatures recently to learn ways to stay safe and react to danger at a new class offered by the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office at the ICC Peoria Campus.

Capt. Doug Gaa offered tips on how to stay alert to potential danger and be mentally prepared to deal with unfolding situations in a free two-hour workshop titled “Situation Awareness: A Life Safety Skill.”

While Gaa presented a variety of potential situations from encountering an active shooter to being followed in a parking lot to dealing with a possible explosion, he told the group not to live in fear.

“I don’t want you to leave here and think we’re always under attack,” said the 25-year sheriff’s office veteran. “What I’m doing is building in your mind options so if this does occur, it isn’t new. Even though you haven’t experienced the negative aspects of it, you’ve mentally gone over what you would do.”

This was the first time the sheriff’s office has offered the class through ICC’s adult community program, but it filled up so quickly that ICC scheduled a second larger class for 90 people on March 5 that also filled up immediately.

“The response to this has been incredible. It is obviously a topic on the minds of many people,” said Ellen George, ICC’s dean of corporate and community education.

The sheriff’s office and ICC will be scheduling two more sessions of the class in the fall.

The first step in staying safe is to be aware and alert to potential dangers, Gaa said, noting that distractions such as cell phones and complacency are two of the biggest reasons people miss signs of possible danger.

“If you don’t identify the potential danger, then you’re already behind the curve,” he said. “The sooner dangers are identified, the more time you have to determine a response.”

Among tips Gaa offered are to think about patterns we set in our daily lives, such as always parking in the same spot at home or leaving the same lights on. “Could I alternate that to some degree so if someone was monitoring my behavior, I can leave them a little bit confused as to whether I am or I’m not home?” he said.

Capt. Doug Gaa with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office leads an adult community education class on “Situation Awareness: A Life Safety Skill” last week at ICC’s Peoria Campus. The free class and a second one set for March filled up immediately, but two more sessions will be offered in the fall. (Photo by Elise Zwicky)

Sheriff Brian Asbell said criminals are even casing homes that always display an American flag because chances are good there are firearms in that house. “We’re not trying to tell people to take their flags down, but this is something burglars are looking for. They want the guns,” he said.

Gaa also told the group to get in the habit of looking outside before leaving a store or even your own house and to have your car keys ready before stepping outside.

“Stop for a second, look to the left and look to the right to see if anything’s going on. Maybe a thousand times there’s nothing. But wouldn’t you like to know if something is happening out there?” he said. “It’s just being preemptive.”

Among other tips, he told the class to take the time to familiarize themselves with any structure they have to be in, whether it be their workplace, a school or a business.

“The more familiarization you have with the structure you are in increases your options to escape if you need to,” Gaa said. “Do you know where all the exits are? Look at the windows to see if you can fit through them and how far the drop off is. These are things you’re going to start evaluating after this class that you probably wouldn’t have before.”

He recommended thinking ahead about options for hiding or escaping. Whenever possible, choose a room with more than one way to escape if you have to duck into one to hide.

“If you work at a place and you’re not real familiar with the floor format, now’s a good time to take a walk on your break and see where the exits are. Having that knowledge really increases the ability of the brain under stress to decide where can I go. But it’s really fluid. You may have to exercise multiple options during a situation as they can be ever changing depending on the actions of (the perpetrator),” he added.

Gaa also talked about the best ways to conceal oneself outside (behind a tree or a car’s wheel well or a brick building) to protect oneself from bullets or shrapnel.

“Car doors and windows are not good protection,” Gaa said. “Even handgun rounds today can penetrate a lot of car doors.”

Additionally, Gaa discussed ways to weave through cars to get away from someone who may be following you in a parking lot and tips on how to identify if someone is carrying a concealed weapon. He also reviewed the legality of a citizen’s use of force in defense of a person, dwelling and property.

“I hate to have to teach you to think about these things, but this is the society we live in today. You’ve got to give some consideration to it. It’s an education you may be able to use that might save your life,” he said.

Anne and Kevin Morrissey of Peoria were among the mostly middle-aged and older crowd that attended the workshop.

“I’ll be the first person to admit I’m very complacent,” said Kevin. “I’m going to be a lot more aware of things now. I never would have thought about hiding behind the engine block of a car. I didn’t know trees stopped bullets. This class does sort of make you feel as if you’re in downtown Sarajevo, but it’s good stuff to know.”

Anne Morrissey said, “There are definitely things I learned that I’m going to be watching out for that I didn’t realize. If anything, I feel safer because now I’m going to be more aware.”

—New class by sheriff’s officer teaches skills on staying safe–