Escort Drills

These drills are to rehearse Immediate Actions upon encountering a Deadly Threat manifesting forward of the Principal’s movement.

Purpose

The purpose of these Escort Drills is to standardize immediate actions upon encountering a Deadly Threat while escorting an individual requiring protection.

Terminal Learning Objectives

Understand the responsibilities, standards, challenges and considerations for utilizing a firearm to suppress a Deadly Threat while simultaneously escorting an individual.

Enabling Learning Objectives

Utilizing firearms, have the ability to effectively engage and suppress a threat while simultaneously shielding and moving an individual to a more advantageous position.

Generally

These are guidelines recommended as standardized operating procedures for providing ARMED protection for an individual of group.

By accepting these standards you become more than a CCW defensive pistol individual, you become a Guard…a purposeful protector of others’ safety from dangerous or deadly attack.  Your primary protectee is your Principal.  By definition, a “principal” is the “first in order of importance; main.”

Responsibilities

1. Remain alert, portraying the applicable Protective Posture while actively scanning to Detect and Deter potential threats.

2. Upon identification of a Deadly Threat posed to the Principal by another person or group of people, Defend the Principal by utilizing a firearm to apply Deadly Force for the purpose of suppressing that threat.

3. Effectively and safely employ the firearm, as to not cause unreasonable additional hazard to the Principal, the public or yourself.

4. De-escalate the situation by removing the Principal from exposure to the threat while scanning for additional targets.

5. As soon as safe to do so, Debrief the Principal and prepare for Law Enforcement arrival.

6. Upon conclusion of the incident, Disseminate applicable information to identify threats lying in wait, and minimize exposure to post-incident hazards.

Standards

1. Maintain a personal fitness level that provides the ability to physically Defend yourself from an aggressor or multiple aggressors, simultaneously.

2. Maintain a personal fitness level that provides the ability to physically Defend your firearm(s) utilizing Weapons Retention combined with proper striking and grappling techniques.

3. Maintain a personal fitness level that provides the ability to physically maneuver and effectively apply techniques likely to affect the safe suppression of a Deadly Threat.

4. Not engage a threat until you are confident in Shot Placement and conscious of Backdrop.

5. Safely and effectively engage Deadly Threats by striking the Target Zone with (2) or more rounds.

6. Suppress the threat while expediently removing the Principal from the threat.

Challenges

1. Deadly Threats are unlikely to be obvious until they have already begun their life-treating attack.

2. The manifestation of a Deadly Threat will likely cause panic and chaos.  Therefore, the reactions of the Principal as well as the public are unpredictable and may be irrational.

Considerations

1. As always, assume everything is being recorded.

2. Act in a reasonable manner based on your training, experience and current environment.

Single Guard / Offset Front

Description:

While walking toward a potential threat, the Guard will escort a Principal by walking to their offset front left or right.

Upon the announcement of “Threat”, the Guard will move off the X and backward toward the Principal while effectively engaging the target(s) with (2) rounds.  As the Guard moves toward and reaches the Principal, the Guard will:

1. Position themselves between the threat and the Principal, partially shielding the Principal

2. While maintaining a [modified] Isosceles stance, use their hips/buttocks to push/force the Principal back and out of the Engagement Zone

3. Search & Assess the area as they extract the Principal  

Evaluation Points:

1. Was the Guard offset during Escort?

2. Was the Guard scanning the area for Threats?

3. Did the Guard move the Principal off the X, first?

4. Did the Guard safely and effectively engage the target(s)