If you have ever served in a military branch that dominantly conducts ground warfare, or have served in the smaller elements of the other two branches that don’t, then you already know the difference between cover and concealment. (LEOs, you get a pass on this one, as well.) A lotta people out there do not know the difference. No biggie.
Until it IS a biggie, and you’re trying not to get shot or blown up.
As probably most of America has heard or learned at this point, when some sort of kinetically derived emergency happens-active shooters, explosions, etc.-you are supposed to do one, two, or all, of three things:
1) Run.
2) Hide.
3) Fight.
For this little ditty, we’re assuming you are out on the town, and not in any status or disposition to engage; you are focused *away* from the pops and bangs, not *toward* them. (That establishes Course of Action 1: Run.)
Run. Remove yourself immediately, if not sooner, from your current location to a location that is as far away from whatever is going down wherever the shit is going down, as possible. If you can keep moving, do so. (We should all know by now what my policy on a safe finish is, right? You’re not safe until you are back home and no one is coming after you.)
We’ll assume you can’t get as far as you want to get, and have to shift gears to Course of Action 2: Hide. COAs 1 and 2 both adhere to what Mr. Miagi referred to as “the best defence”: No be there. But in the event that you can’t “no be there,” you can do your damnedest to be out of sight (which is effectively the same as not being there, if you’re good enough).
I, personally/unfortunately, have got a pretty damn good running record of performing all three of these COAs. And although the root of my need to do any of them is completely different than those listed here-as well as self-inflicted-dynamically there is no difference in how you would proceed, in any event.
So, you’re hiding. You’ve got two kinds of places you can head for. One of those will *conceal* you from your aggressor’s view, but will not protect you from stray (or targeted) fire, or explosions. That one is what we in “the business” refer to as Concealment. Because Joe does not need complicated nomenclature for shit that will save his (or her, these days; welcome ladies-I’m not assuming anything) life while out on the line.
Concealment-as its name explicitly states for you-“hides” you from view. But that’s it. You’re hidden. But if you’re in a bar when shit goes sideways, and you think hunkering down in your booth, or on the street behind a hotdog stand, out of sight, is going to keep you safe… you may be unpleasantly surprised.
Every bullet and bomb has a different amount of shit that needs to be between you and it, in terms of what will keep you safe. (JTACs [Joint Terminal Attack Controllers] have a good idea of this kinda shit when they are running 9 lines and calling fire. As do marksmen, when they are working bullets around armor or equipment so they can hit the meatier stuff that tends to make bad guys fall down.)
In an office setting, let’s say… your cubicle walls are concealment. That lowest-bidder mesh-over-cardboard stuff barely stops your neighbor’s annoying ringtones. Shit ain’t gonna stop a bullet.
BUT! Being hidden is better than just standing there screaming, fetally waiting to be a victim. So, as you are hauling balls out to get away from whatever you are getting away from, keep in mind that a shooter can’t generally shoot you if they can’t see you. So, duck behind stuff as you’re moving. Get any object-as many objects!-between you and any and all aggressors’ eyes as possible.
That’s concealment.
The other “no be there” option we have here in COA2, is Cover. Cover does two things: hides you (exactly as concealment does), and *protects* you.
Cover is the shit you wanna get between you and shit that goes bang. First off, Baddies can’t even see you. Second off, even if they knew you were there, the shit they [theoretically] have to send at you can’t get through that wicked cover you are chillin’ behind.
Cover is what you want in a firefight. Cover is what you want in a movie theater, when you’re not close enough to the exit to bounce. Cover is what you want on the street-which effectively is no different from literally THOUSANDS of fire fights in dozens of countries over the last nearly two decades. Cover keeps you safe-even if it’s only for a second before you shift position to an egress route.
Concealment buys you time. Cover buys you more time. But hunkering down typically dictates that you are sheltering *IN PLACE*, and not moving anywhere until the cavalry (not the actual Combat Arms branch, in most cases; results may vary) arrives to kick ass and take names. So, if you have no wherewithal to RUN, and you are forced to HIDE… do your absolute fucking best to get over/under/behind something that not only blocks your mug from a shitbird’s view, but also protects you from whatever he or she is trying to give you.
Harder, thicker objects and structures are better. (Sickos.) Concrete. Enbankments. Brick walls. The engine block and tire of a car (this one always gets me in movies). Trees thick enough to hide your fat ass will generally also stop bullets, and the average asshole murderer (terrorist, or otherwise) is usually not setting up shop on a rooftop slotting people with a .50 cal.
So, to recap:
1) “No be there.”
2) Get your ass out of Dodge.
3) Not being seen is a good thing.
4) Not being shot or blown up is an even better thing.
5) Not even having to mess with any of this bullshit is an even BETTER thing. But since you never know… See items 1-4.
Featured image courtesy of BBC
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Nice to know you're still alive, Ody.
Me-This was pretty good. I sit in a glass office. I'm the oldest person by 20 years. Everyone assumes I'm the boss. That means when we are inevitably robbed, I will likely be a target. My company's response is to put a gun free zone sticker on every door. One trained shooter and 10 sheep.
Thank you Mr. Odyssean for the informative and humorous read. I have an irrational feeling that if I got into a situation of emergency, I might be too scared to recall the guides yet burst out laughing inappropriately thinking of your way with words lol.
Managers at my company have to take regular active shooter classes. Here's an example of some of the wisdom imparted: *It's your job as a leader to get your people to assemble and evacuate in a calm and efficient manner (Are we talking about the same people who were apoplectic when the coffee maker broke and then sent hundreds of complaints to facilities even though it was fixed by mid-morning?) *Use the nearest exit, including fire doors to quickly escape. (The fire doors are opened systematically from a central location, it takes 45 seconds to manually open them. You want me to have my whole team stand idly in an open hallway for 45 seconds while a shooter approaches? Are we evacuating or setting up a video game style kill zone?) *If a shooter enters the building, pull the fire alarm to alert people to evacuate. (There is only one entrance to this building: the front doors. Also, the front doors are the prescribed evacuation path for approximately 1/3 of the people in this building. You want me to herd victims toward the shooter?) *If you can't evacuate, get your team to huddle in your office and be sure to lock the door to keep the shooter at bay. (You remember how you removed all the door locks in the building to symbolically support "open doors" policy?) *Okay, so if you can't lock the doors move furniture to block the doors. (You remember how you replaced the furniture with modular units that are bolted to the walls?) *If you're not able to secure your office try climbing out the window, even if you have to drop two floors it's better than being killed. (Okay, I feel like you're not even trying at this point... the windows don't open, they're also hurricane proof so I doubt I'll be able to smash them with my ergonomic office chair.) *If you have no other option, rush the shooter and try to get the gun. You're probably going to get shot and will likely die, but it could help save others. (This was a stellar pep talk, thanks for dropping by, I'm going back to work now.)
I hope you're feeling better soon Joni! My kiddos get tired of me asking about exits. I do it anyway. It's on the list before they go out as well. It's my "mom's checklist of annoyance". It comes with a return list of, "exasperated I knows". T3