Dave Young is a nationally recognized safety expert with over 30 years in law enforcement and the U.S. Marine Corps. As Co-Founder of Vistelar, he’s trained thousands in personal safety, conflict management, and crisis response. His experience spans law enforcement, healthcare, and military sectors. Dave is the author of How to Defend Your Family and Home and has been featured on CNN, Fox News, and National Geographic. His latest book, Protecting Patients and Staff, is a real-world survival guide for healthcare professionals facing violent threats, active assailants, and crisis situations.
Active assailant incidents in healthcare facilities present one of the most extreme challenges for staff, patients, and security professionals. While the primary goal in any such event is always to escape from danger if possible, circumstances may arise where escape is not an option. In these rare but high-risk situations, individuals must rely on a contingency plan that includes barricading,...
If you’ve worked in a hospital emergency department, you know it’s a pressure cooker. Crowdedrooms. High-stakes decisions. Emotions running high. It’s no surprise that violence is a growingthreat in these environments—and yet, most hospital staff still feel unprepared for an activeshooter event.
That has to change.
Nurses embody compassion, empathy, and love in their everyday interactions with patients, making them an indispensable part of healthcare. However, their safety is often compromised in the line of duty, particularly in today's climate of heightened tensions and workplace violence. As a former U.S. Marine Corps veteran and someone who grew up in a violent environment, I’ve seen firsthand the...
The real danger is not knowing what will happen after you are grabbed. Healthcare environments personal, private, and confined spaces, so being grabbed is a common danger all healthcare professionals face. Click here to read an example: ER nurse at The Villages hospital attacked by naked man
In Healthcare the areas you work in are closed and confined spaces. Getting tripped, pushed, or tackled to the ground, or grabbed in the front or behind and pushed into furniture or equipment, or grabbed from any direction, thereby limiting your ability to escape can end badly.
When an attacker grabs you, it creates a situation that is dangerous on so many levels. Grabs can quickly escalate to a fight, including the use of weapons. Once grabbed, the victim is severely and instantly limited in their ability to escape or defend.
All grabs are dangerous due to all the unknowns that may follow, meaning what might come next in the form of a follow-up attack. During any...
Problem:
People can deal with hunger for days and thirst for hours, but we can only manage being deprived of our next breath of air for a couple of minutes. That is why smothering sends a person so quickly into a blind panic, whenever they are forced to fight for their next precious breath of air.
Unlike shooting from a distance or even stabbing during a sudden assault, smothering is a very...
