Situational awareness is a skill that anyone can develop. It’s like a muscle, the more you use it the better you get. You can begin to implement several of the best practices below, and you can also create mini games to challenge yourself and maintain your alertness. First some best practices:

1.   Position yourself to be able to assess your surroundings: If you’re in a restaurant make sure you’re not sitting facing a wall. Position yourself near exits or identify the exit paths around you. If you’re at a park what is opposite the main entry to the park? Is it an open field, housing nearby, holes in the fence? Scan the individuals around you for anything out of the ordinary (see #3 below).

2.   Review your surroundings for anything abnormal: What’s normal for the city will be different for a small town. There is a big difference between the ordinary foot traffic in San Francisco compared to a small city park. By familiarizing yourself with the norms you can make faster decisions as to what is a threat and what is not.

3.   Identify potential threats: You don’t have to be on high alert 24/7, it’s not possible or healthy. However, once you’ve established that all looks normal in your area, assess the individuals that are in your area or come into your area. Are they relaxed? Are they there with others? What mood do they appear to be in? How strong do they appear? Is anyone carrying something that could be a potential weapon? Every situation is unique, practicing your assessment skills will help you better decide what is a potential threat.

4.   Use your imagination: What would you do in various circumstances? If there was an emergency which way would you run? Are there spots that provide cover or concealment? Are there two potential spots, which is better? What’s around you that could be used as a weapon? If you’re at a playground a handful of sand to the eyes could provide valuable seconds to escape an attacker.

5.   Be aware of your own distractions: Can you think of a primary one? Perhaps your cell phone? Be careful not to get drawn into using your devices in public areas that require your attention. In a park setting it is easy to sit down and relax. Stay alert by standing up every so often and turn in a full circle to review your surroundings.

6.   Many different ways to view your surroundings: You can be discreet while scanning your surroundings. Your peripheral vision will give you plenty of information about someone passing by. If you’re walking down the street you may be surprised at just how many reflective surfaces there are that you can look into to see what’s around you. Some easy examples are store windows and car windows. What other reflective surfaces can you spot?

7.   Distance yourself from potential threats: Your personal space or that of your kids will vary by the circumstances. A suspicious person 10 yards from your kids at a park could be more dangerous than a stranger 3 feet from you at a supermarket. Make adjustments to your position to maintain enough space to react to an attack. If someone comes into your space make an assessment of them: Do they have anything in their hands? Are they looking at you or casually passing by? Do they look relaxed or tense?

8.   Improve your decision making: If you go to the grocery store be selective in your parking choice. Choose the locations that are well lit and not too far from the entrance when possible. If you’re about to park and you see a large group of individuals, perhaps you park further way in a different aisle. If someone was interested in approaching you they would have to come from a further distance that you can spot easier.

Next, review our family safety tips for activities out and our