As a Jack or Jill, each member of this community has already
decided for themselves how they are going to act in any dangerous or
confrontational situation. The Jacks possess the training and the level-headedness
to make choices that can protect lives—especially the life of an innocent
bystander.
It was once proposed to me that any gun owner worth his
barrel would never leave his home to protect his neighbor in an emergency. I’ve
often wondered how true his statement would be.
The answer is most likely. The average gun owner, even one
with a concealed carry permit, is only trained to protect themselves and their
home. Running into another person’s home trying to save lives is not something
just anyone would or should do. Even those trained often are overcome with fear
or apathy toward the victims.
Emergency situations should all be assessed before jumping
into action. There are five steps:
NOTICE that there is an emergency. Taking note
of the situation is a critical step one because large groups of people are less
likely to see things around them. As an individual, you are responsible to look
around and stay aware of your surroundings.
DETERMINE that there is an emergency. Make sure
for yourself that there is something going on that is beyond the range of
normal interaction. What you may have noticed as odd initially may turn out to
be benign.
DECIDE how responsible you feel. If someone is
choking and you know the Heimlich maneuver and you didn’t help that person,
then you would feel guilty if you didn’t help out. Knowing how responsible
you’ll feel will make it easy to determine if you will help. This is the
difference between those who choose to help and those who walk by. Whether you
can help or not—you may still feel like it is your responsibility to assist in
a situation.
CREATE a plan of action. Before you do anything
to get involved determine what it is that you can do to help. This could be
coordinating others or calming people who have information or skills you may
need, or it can be calling the proper authorities. A plan of action is the best
way to orderly contain an emergency situation.
IMPLEMENTATION Put your plan into action. And
take whatever action necessary to relieve the situation until responsibility
can be handed over to the first responders.
Very often knowing what to do and having the courage to do
it will make Jacks and Jills the most responsible people available. In the case
of a home invasion or a dangerous situation you also have to consider how
dangerous it will be for you.
If lives cannot be saved by your intervention
then putting your life at risk may not be worth it. It is up to every
individual to ask themselves if they have the skills to help without putting
another person’s life at stake.
The victims of crime or other life threatening situations
are the innocent lives that can be saved but so are those in the vicinity who
could be affected for good or for bad. In an emergency there may never be a
call for help, but there will always be opportunities for one to do so.
Helping, saving, and protecting the innocent is some of the most important
training any Jack could undertake.
--Guest Author: Marissa Barnes
