SecurityDriver News

I recently came across an article on a Blog written by Richard Bradford. He wrote about a subject that is near and dear to anybody who has been doing this for any length of time – Road Blocks. Some of those moments that made me question why I left the comfortable environment of engineering occurred at road blocks. Richard wrote a good article with good information, and most importantly he is willing to share his substantial knowledge with others – he is a Pass It Forward guy.

 When you look at his background you can understand why he would be a good source of information. Richard served with the US Government for over 35 years.  He is a graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, and was an Army Infantry and Special Forces officer, Richard also spent 23 years as a Paramilitary Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency.

Richards email address – rnbradford@AegisLLC.org 

Web Site

Introduction

As a refresher on Frank Gallagher – he is one of the few protection professionals that have the credentials to write this article. Those credentials are impeccable. Frank writes from the perspective of a person that has worked at all levels of risk. He was the AIC of the Bremer detail in Iraq, for more than six years he was the Director of Security for Henry Kissinger Associates, and he was and is a lead instructor for the ATAP program.

You can reach Frank at  – fg0321@gmail.com

FNG’S!!!!!!

Ok, you’ve landed that first EP job or PSD gig. You’re all excited and cannot wait to hit the ground running and show your new team leader how squared away you are, and just how bad to the bone you are to your new team mates. I’ve been on both sides of the fence (EP and PSD), so I feel an obligation to you and your future teammates and team leaders to point out a few facts that may make everyone’s lives easier and give you a solid chance to succeed and perhaps only be a “f—ing new guy” for a short while.

The first thing you have to remember is that someone has given you the opportunity of a lifetime. You have solved the riddle of “Catch-22”. You can’t get a job without experience, but how can you get a job if no one will let you get the experience. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? Meaning that someone saw something in you that makes them believe that you can do a job that you have never done before. It’s a huge leap of faith to hire a guy or girl for their first job. Others were passed over and you were selected.

In most cases, the people that were passed over had friends on your new team that are not pleased that their pals were not selected. Their feelings are hurt that their buddies did not make the grade. They are embarrassed that they put their name on someone that did not pass muster. Strike one! Not a great beginning, is it? Through no fault of your own, one or more members of your team are not thrilled that you are there. They may even resent your presence.

Now, these same folks have to train you to do things the way that works for the team. The key word here is: TEAM. Everyone has a job to do in order for the team to be a success. They will be looking for weakness, laziness, stupidity; and your attitude will be scrutinized every minute of every training day. They will expect you have a certain level of training and understanding of what they do.  You will get a crash course in what to do, what not to do and how to do things. You will be given very little slack. And you will be expected to pull your weight sooner rather than later. They are working every day busting their asses trying to keep the VIP and the team alive. And now in their eyes, the team has been weakened by a new arrival that does not know how things are done or why they are done a certain way. Tempers are short as they’re pulling their full load and teaching you at the same time. Strike two!

The learning curve will be very steep. You will be judged sternly. Oh, and by the way, this is how things should be done. If a mistake is made, people could die. Your new team will be asked about your progress, attitude, and aptitude. All they know about you is that you are new and someone above their pay grade made the decision to hire you.

One thing about EP work and PSD work that I have to point out is that not everyone is able to do the job. I always wanted to play in the NFL. Guess what, I wasn’t big enough or fast enough to do it. No matter how bad I wanted it, it just wasn’t going to happen. I didn’t take it personally. I still watch the draft every year hoping to see my name called. It’s the same thing in this line of work. Some folks aren’t good enough! Not smart enough, lazy, out of shape, lack decisiveness, lack the skill sets required, or some combination of all of the above. We don’t play a professional sport where we go out and have beer after a bad game. People die when we lose. These are the attitudes of your new teammates as they evaluate you. Are you an asset or a liability?

Nobody really cares what your background is. I’ve fired SEALS, Recon marines, cops, SF guys, regular military guys, SWAT cops, and every other flavor cool guy under the sun. We don’t care what you did yesterday; we care about today and tomorrow. Your past help you get here. Let it go and concentrate on using those skills in your new gig. Enough said.

You got the job because someone liked something about you. They thought you would an asset to the program. With this being said, the people that hired you will listen to the other guys when they ask about your performance. They need to know the truth about your progress and decide whether you can become a valued and trusted member of the team. Lives depend upon this evaluation – BOTH the VIP’s and your team mates. There is no room for a weak link and you will be culled from the herd based upon your peer group’s evaluations.

OK, you have two big strikes against you going in. What do we want to see from you? How can you level the playing field and actually make the grade? How do you impress the guys/girls?

First, it is far better to let people think you stupid than actually open your mouth and let them know you are stupid. Do not give your opinion on how things are done. Unless you were hired to run the show, then for at least a month make no suggestions on how to do things better. Your opinion means nothing until you know the nuances of your new job. The guys do not have time to explain why they don’t do some things a certain way while they are teaching you the way to do something. Reread that last sentence. Memorize it. Learn the team way before you ask why things aren’t done a certain way. These methods are tried and true and work. Believe me, unless it’s a start up gig every method known to the profession has been talked about, tried, implemented or discarded. You will be very hard pressed to invent some new way of doing things.

Second, show up with the proper gear. You will need it. Follow the gear list and bring it all. You may not think something is important, but your team leader sure does or it would not be on the gear list. Four pairs of pants mean four pairs. Two pairs of foot wear mean just that. Don’t try to out think the guys doing the job until you have been there for a while. They know more than you do.

Third, be prepared to work. There is no allowance for jet lag or heat acclimatization. You don’t get paid to rest for three days before you start training/work. You must be ready to hit the ground running. You were hired to fill a slot that may have been empty for a few days. The guys that are there have probably been splitting time filling that slot. They are tired, cranky, and need the rest way more than the new guy does. And now they have to train you. Truly a volatile situation to enter into while everyone is trying to stay alive.

Fourth, be in shape. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. If you have no stamina, no strength, or intestinal fortitude you will be gone quickly. In the private sector, there are no unions, no mandatory sleep times, and no coffee breaks. You eat when you can, sleep when you can, piss when you can and work out when you can. You have to be prepared to work long hours in sometimes arduous conditions and not complain, faint, or get sick.

Fifth, complain at your own risk. Be very wary of complaining to the detail leader, team leader, director of security or anyone else about slights (real or imagined) that you are unhappy about. No one cares about your opinion until you are a respected, valued member of the team. In our world, the squeaky wheel gets replaced, not greased. There is no crying in EP or PSD work.

Hopefully, you will follow these simple steps and some day laugh about how tough your first gig was. And maybe you will only have to wear the tag of “F—ING NEW GUY” for a few days.

Your comments are always welcome – Frank Gallagher fg0321@gmail.com

Queensland Raceway

Joe and Larry have just come back from conducting training in Australia. They were there for a little more than a week.  The training was conducted at Queensland Raceway in beautiful downtown Kurwangbah, which is not too far from Brisbane. The program is specifically developed for our corporate clients and includes not only driving, but also Surveillance Detection and working the principal.

 TSVDI will be conducting the same program in the UAE , Guatemala, and followed by Europe, and South America. Although we have a hectic schedule coming up with 20 programs in 17 weeks in 4 countries, for 20 corporations, with some PSD, government, police, and private security companies thrown into the mix, we do have some seats available in our open enrollment programs.

Dates

Registration

Protective/Evasive Driving Course – This three day program is designed for professional security drivers, executive chauffeurs and protection specialists.

Immediate Action Driving Skills  – For the security driver or protection specialist a program designed to survive the worst-case scenario – October 23^rd New Jersey  

Surveillance Detection Tactics & Techniques  – This highly interactive three day course is designed to meet the unique needs of security professionals responsible for executive transportation and personal protection, particularly those working with limited manpower and resources.  October 27 – 29     New Jersey

  Vehicle Dynamics and Exercise Design –  An advanced 3 day course is designed to provide students with the capability to develop training scenarios that closely replicate the conditions they are likely to encounter in the real world. Restricted attendance November 15^th – 17^th New Jersey

 Instructor Development Program – A 5 day course that is widely acknowledged as the most advanced train-the-trainer driving programs offered today. The course provides the student with an in-depth understanding of the scientific approach to driver training and evaluation that was developed by Tony Scotti and refined over the last thirty five years. Restricted attendance – November 15^th – 19^th New Jersey

If you are in the EP Business you should read Circuit Magazine, they just made it a whole lot easier to find.  To order current or past issues of the #1 magazine dedicated to the close protection industry, visit Circuit Magazine

Each issues has an article by Elijah Shaw, one of the sharpest guys in the business, that alone makes it worth the price.

Although an advertisement for the armored car company Centigon, this is a good and I would imagine expensive video depicting a vehicle attack. Not sure of level of protection and the type of rounds fired etc.

1979 Volvo Ad

Cleaning out my garage the other day and I found an old ad I did for Volvo. I’m sure most of the people reading this do not remember the Volvo 242 GT; it was a hell of a performance vehicle. In the late 70’s Volvo had the reputation of a stogy old man’s car (kind of like today’s Volvos) – at the time my school was sponsored by Volvo – we were asked to conduct a  product testing and comparisons program for the Volvo engineers and some people from their ad agency. We were testing the 242 GT against vehicles like the brand new (at that time) BMW 3 Series.

The results of the tests and some comments I made, brought about this ad, the ad appeared in all the Car Magazines. It even made it into the News Weeklies and some other none automotive publications. The ad came out in 1979.

 When the ad guys and engineers were driving through the Lane Change most of the cars were having a difficult time getting through without hitting anything, and were breaking loose at speeds that the 242 GT had no trouble with. Just as we do today (31 years later) we measured the other vehicles handling numbers and compared them to the measured numbers of the Volvo GT. The GT’s numbers were 13 to 15 % higher than all the other cars being tested.

 One comment made by an ad agency guy was “These other cars are exciting to drive”.  My comment was “If you think that’s exciting – drive a Pinto through the Lane Change” My other comment was “ When compared to the BMW the Volvo GT handles better than cars that are known for handling ”. That’s where the tag line came from. It was a classic case of mistaking adrenalin for handling. Just as today when students drive around a race track or through a lane change, without being tested and measured, they mistake adrenalin for education. 

 By the way for all you old racers the picture and test were done at Bridgehampton Raceway on Long Island.

EPI – 3-Day Course on Executive Protection in New York on August 25-27, 2010

This program offers 3 days of instruction and each student actively participates in learning sophisticated techniques and innovative skills and improving their personal performance on protective assignments.

Icon Services Corporation – 5 Day Celebrity & VIP Protection Course – Minneapolis, MN September 8-12th 2010

If you are new to the bodyguard industry or a current operator looking to refresh and polish your skills, this course will offer excellent instruction into the professional side of Close Protection work. Taught by industry veteran Elijah Shaw, who in addition to his corporate clients, has traveled the world as the personal bodyguard of international public figures such as musical giant Usher, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and rap megastar 50 Cent, the course will offer real world problems, scenarios, and solutions from instructors that are currently active in the industry.

Protective/Evasive Driving Program  – August 18-20, 2010

It doesn’t matter whether the driver is confronted with a potential accident or a deliberate attempt to stop the vehicle; nor does it matter where they happen to be in the world when the problem presents itself – survival hinges upon the driver’s ability to – recognize a potential problem as it begins to unfold – manage the time, distance and maneuvering room available to them – stay within the performance limits of the driver/vehicle combination

 VDI’s highly acclaimed Protective/ Evasive Driving program  is designed to  provide executive protection, law enforcement and military professionals the knowledge, skill and ability needed to survive behind-the-wheel emergencies utilizing a methodology that has been proven effective over the course of nearly four decades, which incorporates: 

• application of the science of vehicle dynamics – how the loads placed on a vehicle by the drivers actions effect it’s andling
• a series of exercises designed to closely replicate emergency situations and configured in a specific sequence designed to maximize student improvement
• an objective, scientific process for measuring the individual student’s improvement and overall performance
•  the real world experience garnered from the nearly 150 years of combined security, law enforcement, military and driver training experience which Tony Scotti and VDI’s Scotti Certified Instructors bring to the training arena.

Contact us at –  Tel: 732.738.5221 – Fax: 732.738.5223

email:info@vehicledynamics.net

In light of all the discussion concerning the assassination in Mexico – I thought I would go over my thoughts on Kill Zones. 

Since being in the Kill Zone can Ahhhhh kill you – you should

            Understand what they are

            How to stay out of them

            And if you get in one – how to get out of them

            If you can’t get out – how to put up one hell of a fight – but keep in mind why they are called Kill Zones 

Understand what they are – This isn’t brain surgery – A Kill Zone is a time distance relationship – how much time do I have and how much distance do I have. If you attend a “Security Driving School”, and they don’t talk about this concept – ask for your money back.

How to stay out of them – First and foremost – the best way to avoid an ambush, hence the kill zone, is don’t be there when it happens. There are plenty of people who are an ambush looking for a place to happen, just hope they are driving the same roads you are. 

If you haven’t done it already, take a course that has a heavy emphasis on Surveillance Detection – Route Surveys, and Advancing. 

And if you get in one – how to get out of them – Driving out of the kill zone is an exercise in the laws of physics and is a measurable skill. These are not skills you learn sitting in the back seat of a vehicle driving around a race track. The only skill you learn sitting in the back seat is how to projectile vomit out the back window. Again – If you attend a Security Driving School and they don’t talk – demonstrate – practice – objectively measure your skill to escape the Kill Zone – ask for your money back.           

If you can’t get out – how to put up one hell of a fight. This is where shooting skills meet driving skills – there are shooting schools that emphasize these skills – but keep in mind why they are called Kill Zones

By far the most misunderstood and neglected part of the Protection Business is the Business of Protection. Understanding how to use the web and the social media to acquire work and/or enhance your business is essential. Your web presence is becoming what use to be your resume or if you’re a company your brochure. Google is fast becoming the first impression. Your resume is not enough. Larry Snow, who writes the Web Design Smarts Blog, pointed out that 83 % of all recruiters Google their applicants and that 43 % discard the applicant based on what they see.

Have you ever Googled someone’s web site and are baffled by what you see. In one of Larry’s blog articles he says.

• I get this question asked all the time:”What do you think of my super duper galactic ninja in action business site?” In all honestly I really dislike this question because the expectation is for me to say “Wow, great site, nice design, and great    layout.” Don’t get me  wrong I do give honest praises for the design and the creativity especially if this person created the site doesn’t know that much about web design. The person usually hears the hesitation in my voice and asks, “Well what‘s wrong with it?” In which I reply “I look at your web site and I have no idea what you do, who you are or how to contact you.”

Larry then goes on how to explain how to fix that.

The other issue that gets me is the Social Media. I recently read an article that mentioned, if you hold a security clearance or if you ever want to apply for one, be mindful of your postings and contacts online, particularly on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. These sites pose risks to gaining and keeping a security clearance.

Larry has an article on his Blog about using the Social Media to your benefit.