401 - Safety In Simulated Training

This Friday 15 episode of the SSA Podcast is brought to you by:   Aridus Industries maker of the awesome accessory for your shotgun the QDC (Quick Detach Carrier.) You can find Aridus industries at SSA.Training/qdc   Now let’s get right to today’s Friday 15 Topic:   401 - Safety Issues in Simulated Training   Mid june - Death as a result of malfunction clearing in the classroom.   Death of 73 year old female citizen police academy cadet.   Shot fired in a middle school Tennesee during Spree Killer Simulation.     2 deaths are tragic for lots of reasons most importantly because they are PREVENTABLE!   All three incidents resulted from a lax safety protocol in simulated training and all three incidents were completely preventable.   Lou Chiodo provides solid safety protocol for force on force training that could easily be applied to simulation events as well.   Good article for folks who are running FoF, or ever for folks who are going to take FoF training.  The Problem is the average person doesn’t understand that these protocols are important and they place their trust in the “professionals.”   Kevin Creighton - Discusses the idea that if there was wide-spread understanding of firearm safety rules outside of the gun culture these incidents could have been prevented.  In some circumstances I think Kevin is right.But I think there is a problem that goes beyond what Lou and Kevin are getting at.  It is a problem that our nanny state has created.For some reason, people think that because they are the student and someone else is the teacher they are in good hands.  They believe that even if something doesn’t seem right, who are they to question it.They forget the idea that THEY will have to live with the consequences of a training incident as much or maybe even more than everyone else involved.You are responsible for your safety.  As soon as you turn that responsibility over, you surrender your fate.So what should you do?Remember what safety is. Get educated.Use your education to make good choices.Pay attention to what is going on.When something doesn’t seem right, ask for clarification. Be ready to walk out. NEver forget that you will have to deal with the consequences of an accident.  Ignorance doesn’t make the negative outcomes disappear…. To put this whole situation in perspective, on average  - 89 people a day die in motor vehicle accidents in the US...