Mitigating Risk with Scenario-Based Security Officer Training

It’s difficult to pin down the number of organizations that utilize scenario-based training for security officers, but experts agree that this type of training appears to be increasing in use. From e-learning courses to real-world simulations, a large variety of companies offer scenario-based training courses. Scenario-based training can be as simple as a quick evacuation procedure and it can be as complex as a full out active shooter situation where you’re partnering with local law enforcement, bringing them in and setting up an actual situation that might happen and using actors, says Brent O’Bryan, Vice President of Corporate Training and Development at Allied Universal. Weaving it into corporate training initiatives has definitely become more popular.

Scenario-based security officer training can help mitigate an organization’s risk in several different ways. Using scenarios in training is like becoming fluent in a language. You only become fluent in a foreign language when you’re practicing it or using it, O’Bryan says. It’s hard to become fluent in a language just sitting in a classroom in a country where that language is not spoken. Same thing with scenario-based training. If a security officer firm is training employees to become fluent in how to respond, it can actually save lives because now they know how to respond in that situation. When they’ve actually practiced it and had to think through it, they’re going to be better prepared to react appropriately and quickly in the right way. G4S Secure Solutions believes that it’s their responsibility to proactively prepare officers to respond to situations appropriately.  Since security decisions can have life or death consequences, scenario-based training offers a partial substitute for that real-world experience.