What Is Situation Awareness (SA)?

So What Is Situation Awareness (SA)? Situational awareness is essentially being aware of your surroundings and what is happening in them. The term situation awareness is used by the military and law enforcement. But it can and should be applied by everyone in their day-to-day lives.

Situational Awareness Benefits With Critical Decisions Making

People who are situationally aware tend to make decisions quickly. They react faster and are more prepared to respond decisively when an unlikely situation arises. The reason people who are situationally aware react more decisively is that they are in the moment. Present and aware, they are not distracted.
Being situationally aware is not something that only benefits the military or law enforcement. It benefits everyone, from the pedestrian walking down the street, to school children.

Example Of Situational Awareness In Everyday Life

Two people walking down the street, one is listening to music and texting. The other is present and in the moment, observing traffic and the people around.

A car is driving erratically towards them. Which one of these two is more likely to notice the car, and get out of the way?  

The reason that the person who was in the moment reacted faster is that it takes time for a person’s mind to adjust. Switching between the mental state of blissfully unaware (white) and time to take action (red).

 Situational Awareness 4 or 5 Stages?

There are different schools of thought on this. Most use the 4 color-coded systems attributed to Lt. Col Jeff Cooper. Cooper. He coded his color system, White, Yellow, Orange, and Red.  

I have heard of a 5 color code used by the USMC.

Here is the 4 color code system used by Lt. Col Jeff Cooper. (ref Link)

 Stage 1 (White)

In White. You are oblivious to the dangers around you, blissfully unaware of your surroundings. You are unprepared and relaxed. What crooks, muggers, and criminals call the perfect target.

Example: Walking down the street on the way to the café with headphones on listening to music. Or while surfing social media on a phone.  

Stage 2 (Yellow)

In Yellow. You are relaxed and fully aware of the surroundings. Having taken note and detected no potential threats. constant vigilance is maintained, scanning the environment for any changes that might indicate a change of status.

Example: Sitting in a café. Line of sight to all the exits and windows, your back to a wall. You have noted down every person in the café (they do not appear to be threats). No suspicious activity on the street, no unusual sights, sounds, or smells.

Stage 3 (Orange)

In Orange. You have detected a potential threat. Something does not seem right. A person may have gotten on your radar by their actions or attitude, it may even be just a gut feeling. You have escalated your state of readiness. You are ready to act.

Example: Sitting in the café, you notice a person walking in who looks nervous. You increase your alertness from yellow to orange. He is carrying a duffel bag, his hand is inside it. It is a cool day, he is sweating. He is furtively scanning the people in the café. Non verbal cues often set off a persons radar.

Stage 4 (Red)

In Red. You have been triggered. The threat detected in Orange has materialized and taking action is the only option. This could mean fighting for your life or running away from a landslide.  

Example: The threat you have detected in orange has materialized. A man in a café whips out a long knife from a duffel bag and starts attacking patrons. You had already noticed him and were prepared. Your adrenaline is pumping, the fight is on.

USMC Stage 5 (Black)

There seem to be 2 versions of Condition Readiness Black.

Version 1 is that you are currently in battle, fighting for your life.

Example: in the middle of a bar room brawl.

Version 2 is immobilized by fear and are unable to react.

Example: a mugger points a gun at you

Misconceptions About The Situational Awareness Color Coding System

One of the most common misconceptions about the color coding system is that the colors denote the level of threat. For example: orange for an opponent wielding a knife. And red for an opponent holding a gun. Which would be wrong.

The color coding system was created to train the mind to move between the different mental states of readiness. Thereby removing the potential that a person will hesitate or freeze when faced with danger.

States Of Mental Readiness

White is to be avoided at all costs. Although a state many seem to constantly be in. It takes no effort to be in this state for any length of time.

Yellow is a relaxed state of awareness of surroundings at all times. With a little bit of training, this state will become second nature and require little to no effort to maintain.

Orange is a heightened state of readiness. A threat has been detected. it would take effort to maintain this state of readiness for extended periods. Potentially exhausting if maintained for long periods of time.

Red is an adrenaline-filled state of readiness. This state of readiness can only be maintained at peak performance for short periods.

 Situational Awareness In Everyday Life

I have traveled quite a bit and noticed different cultures seem to have varying degrees of situational awareness.

This is a generalization. I remember the first time I walked through the streets of Europe. As I looked around me, people seemed to have no situational awareness at all. In the space of one day, I watched people walk into street signs, parked bicycles, and garbage bins. I even saw a lady push a pram into a bicycle that was chained to a street sign.

There were dozens of people walking around with headphones on, texting on their mobile phones. Or chatting on the phone.

Never Heard Of Situational Awareness

To be honest. Until recently. I had never heard of the phrase “situational awareness” or the color-coded system.

But the way I grew up, I was taught at a young age to be aware of my surroundings. I was also taught there were only 3 stages, white was never an option. Always be aware of your surroundings and the people in it. Be ready to act if there is potential danger present and if something does happen, do not hesitate, either fight or flight. Hesitation is dangerous.

I remember my father teaching me to always sit with my back to a wall and to have a clear view of all the entrances and exits. ALWAYS be alert and aware of my surroundings.

Only walk on the sidewalk facing oncoming traffic.

Never wear headphones in public areas.

Keep scanning my surroundings.

The list goes on and on.

I grew up learning to be in a constant state of yellow. I do not think my father knew the term situational awareness. But he knew how to teach it.

Be Aware Of People Around You

There was a game my father and I would play, we would sit in a café. And observe the people around us. Both of us were completely relaxed. Observing the people around us. The loser was the one who made the most mistakes in the little details.

Some Countries Are Safer

Many westerners seem to be oblivious to the potential dangers around them. Which to me was astounding. In my travels through, Australia and Europe. I watched people walking around blissfully unaware (in a constant state of White). It was …interesting. And quite surprising.

Soft Targets vs Hard Targets

Have you ever wondered why so many tourists get their pockets picked or their bags stolen? Lack of situational awareness would be a significant contributing factor. Under no circumstances am I saying that victims of crime are to blame. But most criminals keep an eye out for soft targets. People who are situationally unaware are soft targets.

A person who is in a constant state of yellow would be considered a hard target. There is no guarantee that a hard target will not be chosen by criminals, the chances are substantially slimmer.