An Iraqi physician peeks out from a treatment room. I've used this photo before so I apologize for my self-plagiarism.If I had a dollar to spend on executive protection training, where would I spend it? There are a bevy of EP and EP-related schools and course out there, all vying for your hard-earned money, all promising to impart the skills necessary to become a world-class protector.
Let's assume for a moment that you've been to one of the more "legitimate" course and have learned a bit about surveillance detection, advance work, and maybe walking formations. Now what; a driving course, shooting school, how about Thai knife fighting? This is where many people get confused and often go astray.
If you didn't get any driving in your EP course than I contend that you went to the wrong course. That's a must have skill. Other than that, for most mere mortals, the next step should be medical certifications. You are much more likely to apply medical treatment than say the Woo Tan Dragon Tail technique. I know, Woo Tan can be a lot of fun, especially when compared to memorizing the bones in the hand, but for practicality purposes in EP there's no comparison.
Many perspective employers have under-lying medical issues, and often look for medical skills in their protectors. It gives them peace of mind, and when it gets right down to it, that's what we do for a living. The medical world is stratified, thus making it very easy for an informed employer to ascertain exactly what your medical qualifications are. Sometimes the military medical qualifications trip them up a bit, but for the most part anyone hiring an EMT-B qualified protector knows what he or she's getting.
I contend that anyone seriously working as an EP agent should have an EMT certification as a minimum. In the United States Fire and Police normally have this, so why shouldn't it be expected from a close protection agent? For you military guys and gals out there, Combat Lifesaver doesn't cut it. Why? Because it's just that, combat oriented. Someone with chronic asthma or COPD isn't going to need a tourniquet or a splint, they're going to need someone familiar with their affliction and to be able to assist with their medications.
So if you're if you're a protector and you're looking for some way to distinguish yourself from the heard, getting your EMT or foreign equivalent is, in my opinion the best way to do that. Gunslingers and Woo Tan knife fighters are a dime a dozen right now, qualified medics are rare and highly sought after by many companies employing protectors. This is the way ahead.
2 comments:
Amen or should i say Amituofo!
Well said I let my EMT expire so not I am going back into a full blown EMT-P course and might even cross over into a RN program. A lot more marketable in more fields than just EP.
Good points... It's good to take a beat and reflect on where we have been and where we are striving to go: Are you on a team and have a team assignment or are you a general contractor, what do you specialize in, etc.
Taking into account what you do best and how you will sustain that ability while assessing your weaker areas and planning to build those up can be done by anyone…at any level. Good training starts with a person taking a hard look at themselves and then planning from there. Some skills you can manage yourself and others you may need to spend some [very] hard earned duckets to get but need to have a self-managed plan to sustain yourself.
Medical abilities are hard to come by and even harder to sustain. Anyone who has a good well rounded medical ability is always welcome in the industry. If someone is trying to sort out where to start with their medical training, a good Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) course is a great place (IMHO).
Keep your heads down, out there.
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