4 Stages of Alertness

In any public situation there are 4 situational “alert” stages.  You will fall into one of them whether you know it or not.

• White – you are oblivious to what is going on around you. Your eyes are glued to the phone, you are reading a book or magazine, you are talking on the phone, you are sleeping…take your pick. White is not a desirable state to be in – DO NOT allow yourself to linger here. Always advance to Yellow.
• Yellow – first thing you do is evaluate the people around you. Who looks scary. Who looks like they might help if something bad went down. 99.99% of the time there will be nothing to worry about, you can relax. The main thing is to always know what is going on around you.
• Orange – this is where your “spidey sense” raises your alertness. Observe. If you see something, say something – call 911 or whatever security organization is close. I would rather face a little embarrassment for calling in something that is nothing than the alternative. If the situation warrants, LEAVE. For instance if you are riding the subway or other public transportation, there’s another train coming shortly, get off, wait. I have only had to switch to Orange a couple of times, and I was able to take appropriate action, but still those situations could have escalated.
• Red – This is unlikely, especially if you are following these awareness colors. However, if you do happen to find something bad going down, DON’T PANIC. Your gut instincts will help if you do not panic.