Situational Awareness Introduction

Situational awareness is the concept and practice of being cognizant of specific factors about one’s surroundings and how they relate to the individual’s safety. In its most basic form, situational awareness is knowing what is going on around the individual: people, time of day, vehicles, and the potential threat that those elements pose. More advanced training of situational awareness is designed to enable people to anticipate threats and act accordingly. 
 

People cannot mentally “flip a switch” to become hyperaware and predictive. Like running a marathon without the proper training or taking a test without studying; successful situational awareness is impossible without first achieving a baseline level of knowledge and physical skill.
 

Active situational awareness requires more mental energy than is used when complacent. Processing sights, sounds, smells, and feelings that would normally be disregarded increases the rate at which the mind fatigues. Much like raising the altitude of a marathon’s course, traveling to new locations further increases the overall strain on a person’s mind.
 

Situations are very fluid and are always changing, therefore you must remain flexible and continue to observe and interpret your surroundings to make the best possible decision.