Dave served as law enforcement officer in Florida and in the Marines as a gate sentry, patrol officer, watch commander, investigator, Special Reaction Team (SRT) member, leader and commander. He now serves as a defensive tactics consultant for numerous police and correctional agencies. Dave also is an industry leader in testing public safety equipment and non-lethal weaponry. He applied all of this expertise as host of “Crash Test Human,” a TV series for National Geographic in which he tested emergency scenarios such as being trapped inside a water-submerged car.
Ever been spat on? Nothing can change the conversation like spitting on someone. It's gross, disgusting, inexcusable, illegal, and perhaps the highest display of disrespect that someone can make towards another human being. Make no mistake about it, spitting on someone is an assault, just the same as punching or kicking them. And the response to any assault should be consistent and in...
The old saying, “You speak volumes before the first word is spoken,” couldn’t be truer! As a personal safety expert and defensive tactics trainer with over 30 plus years of training and experience in law enforcement, corrections and the United States Marine Corps, I have often read assault victim reports, in which when asked what happened, the person shrugs, “I don’t know, he just punched me.”
Have you ever taken a self-defense class and heard an instructor say something like, “No, grab my other arm?” or “Hey, you grabbed me the wrong way?” So, if you're grabbed by the wrist, the arm, the shirt, or the throat, do you really want to take the time to think about what move you need to escape? Wouldn't it be much better to have a self-defense technique that is easy to learn, recall, and...
Many nurses work with patients who are experiencing various levels of pain, fear, and emotional distress, which can sometimes lead to violence. As a result, nurses are sometimes choked by patients; and not only with their bare hands, but with I.V. tubing, electrical cords, medical device leads, I.D. lanyards, and even bedsheets! This places them, of course, in great danger of asphyxiation,...
If we had to open the heart of a nurse, we would see many things like compassion, empathy, and love. Now more than ever, these loving people are often placed in situations that can compromise their safety.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic has entered our world, business as usual has changed drastically. Being security professionals in a healthcare environment, we are dealing with a variety of challenges even without the addition of COVID-19 to the equation. Emotions fueled by anxiety and escalated fear of others, coupled with the devastation and destruction of panic are the ingredients needed for chaos...
