"Hello? ...Um, Is anybody in there?" Tactically Clearing a Building Info for Writers

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Photo found publicly on FB no attribution

I thought today we could go over room clearing so you writers can write it right. I'm trying to type that with a straight face. 

This is not something that comes naturally, no matter how many times your heroine has watched cops do it on TV. The layperson in your plotline is going to act the fool. Don't believe me?

Rebecca and I tried our best as we trained under Captain Randy Shepherd's patient tutelage. But have we got stories to tell!

So Rebecca - I thought it would be the easiest task in the world: clear an apartment. It didn't even have furniture in it for the bad guy to hide behind. But in actuality, it isn't all that easy is it?

As I remember you died a few times.

Rebecca shooting her paper to death

Rebecca -
Thanks for pointing that out. Four times, if I counted correctly.

I think I have the "what not to do" covered.

Fiona - 
Let's start with - what is room clearing. 

The "room clearing" is the methodical procedure police and military follow to sweep through each room in the building, checking all the nooks and crannies, closets and bathroom showers for bad guys.

Rebecca - 
Our instructor was Captain Randy Shepherd, and he started us off from the perspective of officers responding to a 911 call about a door ajar in the middle of the day.

Of course there can be any number of reasons for that....

So the team that responds comes at it from the position of a threat being on the other side of that door, and they need to not only identify the threat(s) but neutralize it as well protect any victims in danger.

Fiona - 
The team doesn't just burst through the door guns-a blazin' There is prep work outside. 
* They gather what intel they can. 
* They dress in their protective gear including kevlar - with
   helmets. 
* They choose their weapons 
* They try to get an idea about what the inside layout of the floor
   plan might be.
* They discuss their strategy.

Rebecca
Now, if this is law enforcement, one person is in charge and will signal his team what to do. The team needs to trust the skill level of their fellow team mates. I think Randy got shot in the head once - but he said it was only a flesh wound. Fingers off the triggers folks!


Fiona - 
Luckily, for our training exercise  we were using a little rubber gun so no harm no foul - how about I buy you a drink?

So there we were on a four man team. As the lead decides it's time to go in, she signals her intent.

This is the standard hand signal poster. I'm providing it for your writerly use LINK but please note we were only trying to master three signals - none of which are on this poster. They were: 
a) Crossed fingers for cross over
b) A hooked finger to mean "button hook" or move around the door
   frame and work on the same side of the room
c) Thumbs up means clear.

The leader will make a decision about  how to proceed and use hand signals to communicate this with the team.

Then the lead will bounce (mini-squat). On the third bounce it's a go!

So... we were awful. Some of us laughed hysterically and didn't enter. Some were completely freaked out even though it was an empty apartment, and had a full on anxiety attack/adrenaline dump.

Some were following the squats and hooks and still got shot in the head. Rebecca would you like to talk about why someone might get shot while clearing a room?

Rebecca - 
Let's see.... the FIRST time I was shot was when I went charging across the room to clear a closet for my partner... and didn't notice the first perp standing right by the door. Bam.

The SECOND bullet I took was when I cleared the first closet in the room, and turned around to see a scary bathroom shower at my back. Bam.

After that, I decided to sit back and let another pair take the lead.
I felt a headache coming on....

The THIRD bullet to my head at the building search exercise was when I was moving aside to open a door for another on my team... at which point I looked over my shoulder to the "bad guy" hiding in the pantry with her gun trained on me.

The four of us in our group were a bit slow in figuring out who would take the lead... and once the point person started directing the second with a buttonhook or crisscross gesture, that person missed the cue and things started moving fast.

One of the biggest take homes for me was how FAST the whole process is.

A couple of seconds per room by a team of two, while a second team clears a room across the hall. Perfectly synchronized, deadly, silent.

Fiona - 

My team was extremely cautious, but that's not how it happens in real life. The police don't have the luxury of time. It is very very fast. Point and clear, run forward. 

It would be easy to miss the bad guy huddling in the shadow. Even play acting - it was a nerve racking experience. We knew there were no real bullets or sharp knife points coming at us. The responder on the other hand does not. My respect for law enforcement and our soldiers went up a thousand fold when I tried the apartment clearing exercise.

Photo found publicly on FB no attribution

Fiona (cont)
I was one of the people who got to hide and jump out. I hid behind an open door. One thing that the officers would do is look through crack behind the door to see if someone is there. Now, I stood as close to the doorknob as I could to keep the door jam crack clear of my shadow or my bulk. I killed the chicklet coming around the door - but Randy Shepherd said he always slams the door open. If he was on lead, I'd have a broken nose.

Yay for small favors.

From what we learned clearing as a group with safety equipment - why don't you tell us about how you applied this knowledge when you had an apparent intruder in your garage?

Rebecca -
Ah, the real reason you wanted to do this interview with me!

Can't believe you remembered that... you mean the night I was home alone, my cats were going berserk, and then I heard what sounded like a ceramic planter scraping across the concrete floor of my garage behind me? Oh man.

I must be a cat. Nine lives, I tell ya.

Because four deaths was not enough...

Actually, my daughter was asleep in her room, I wasn't home alone....

I didn't have a weapon handy other than a kubaton on my key ring and a butcher knife in my kitchen, so I grabbed the knife in one hand and had 911 punched in on my phone... and stood just inside with my ear pressed to the door. Duh.

Because there's no way anyone would ever burst through the door, right?

No sounds (other than my head throbbing with my heart), and I decided it would be brilliant to use the element of surprise and throw the door open!

Of course, that was after I flipped on the light behind me in the doorway. It wasn't until I stood silhouetted in the doorway, looking into the pitch black garage while holding a butcher knife, that it occurred to me I probably shouldve made some different decisions...

Fiona - 
Wow! Rebecca how'd that work out for you? LOL
 
From your TRAINING what might you have done differently if you actually wanted to live through the experience?

Rebecca - 

Graphic found publicly on FB no attribution

I should have stood to the side of the doorframe (a la WPA building search).

And I should have been wearing Randy's Kevlar vest...

Or a helmet...

A shield....

A team of four trained officers to shove me aside and take over....

Fiona -
Yes, please.

Okay, lets actually talk about that. You have training. You're a smart girl. You did everything wrong. From a real life perspective walk me through your thought process and why you did so many stupid things?

(PS readers - Rebecca is a very dear friend - so I can tell her the truth here - as a matter of fact, I yelled at her about all of this)

Rebecca - 

You're lucky I love you so much.

The goal was to defend my home and my daughter against someone who'd snuck into my garage.

The only weapon I could think of was a kitchen knife. So I ran back to the kitchen, grabbed my butcher knife, and then stood just inside the door to listen.

Nothing.

The cats had been acting strange, so I really was worried someone had come in the side door (which is right next to my kiddo's window where she was sleeping).

I knew from WPA that I had to move fast, so no slowly creaking door opening.

... I knew I had to open the door fast. Of course, I threw it open without thinking about the lighting situation. The light overhead did nothing to illuminate the shadows in the garage, and as soon as I flung that door open I realized I was a sitting duck.

Dumb dumb dumb.

I had my phone ready to go, but I didn't want to bother the police.

In hindsight, I could've called, a unit might've come by, we would've chatted for ten minutes, and my address would be reason for a few laughs down the line. No harm, no foul, as you say, Fiona.

But, I believed it was nothing really, and so I decided to handle it myself.

Thank God it was nothing more than one of the killer palmetto bugs.  (Those suckers are BIG! Don't laugh til you've come face to face with 'em.)

Fiona -
Let me just interject here that Rebecca is not faint of heart
You can read about how she jumped out of a plane HERE

In hindsight - and in preparation for your next bug-in-the-garage scenario - how do you plan to handle this next time?

Make a plan, practice the plan, execute the plan (good tactical living)

Rebecca -

Since then, I've been working on becoming a harder target: trimming trees and shrubs back from the outside of my house in preparation for activating the alarm system (yes, the peace of mind is worth the cost).

And since then, I've been attending the local PD's citizen's training academy, which has been a great experience on so many levels -- not the least of which is that I'd feel much more comfortable calling for an officer in a similar situation.

(You just had to toss out the skydiving video, did ya? Just wait -- I'll get you up there some day.)

Fiona -
Only if I am just coming out of surgery and still highly sedated.

Rebecca -
That can be arranged!

Fiona - 
The sky is def, my limit.

Okay folks you want to see for yourselves? Repetition Repetition Repetition. Get it right, or you die. 

Video Quick Study (3:57) SWAT UK training.

Video Quick Study (5:21) Clearing your home by yourself

Video Study (14:50)  Husband and wife training for home invasion. See just how hard it is - even with your hero/heroine trained - to function in a high adrenaline/high stress scenario.

To learn more about Randy Shepherd:

* Go HERE for Sniper

* Go HERE for Breech entry with explosives

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

Home Invasion prt 2: Information for Writers with Personal Protection Specialist Rock Higgins

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One of the things that I love and want to encourage is for readers and writers to ask questions and make this blog an interactive resource for writing your scene right. After Rock Higgins of V.I.P.A. Tactical and I wrote a blog about home invasion,  I received questions both on the blog and Twitter. So Rock and I are back for Part Two to address your queries. Home Invasion Prt 1 Blog Link

In a home invasion, why would your heroine (or you) want to have a land line? Won't a cell phone do the trick?

A landline telephone (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

With a land line - 

* You know where it is - it won't be lost.
* You don't have to worry about it being

   charged

* You don't have to worry about the call being

   dropped
* You don't have to worry about having enough

   bars
* The 911 operator will immediately know

   where you are and can get someone headed

   your way. So even if you dial and don't speak,

   help will  come.

* Your heroine should either have an extension

    in every room or have a cordless land line

    that you can move about with. Again here,

    check that your heroine gets reception in all

    areas of the home and that the phone always

    sits in its carriage and is on charge. Ha! When

    does that ever happen?

English: Apartment (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A house owner has a lot of options to secure the premises that may not be available to an apartment dweller. As a writer you need to decide just how savvy your heroine was when she signed her lease. This area is rife with plot twist opportunities. Everything from forethought in planning for an emergency to simply the lay out and general safety of the apartment building. 

Rock, can you talk about some of the ways to decrease the likelihood of becoming a target while living in an apartment? (And remember authors, simply reverse this advice to put your heroine into yet another terrible predicament.)

Rock Higgins, V.I.P.A. Tactical
Protection Specialist and Anti-terrorist Expert

Rock - 

Apartments, houses, mobile homes, it doesn't matter. You have to work with a plan for where you live. But as you asked about apartments we will stick to that. 

Security is all about ever decreasing circles, the more circles (obstacles) you can put between you and an enemy (will clarify that a some later time) the less likely you will be a target.

without knowing the specifics of the apartment or the building I will go over some general points.

There are two areas that need to be looked at:
* The apartment building itself
* The apartment from your point of view

APARTMENT BUILDING

Is the apartment block secure with:
* Electronic / key code / key for the apartment building entry door?
* Does the apartment block have a night porter / concierge / 
   security in main foyer?
* Is there CCTV (closed circuit TV - video security) on the
   apartment building front door / foyer / in lifts / on fire exits?
* What type and where are the fire escapes situated?
* What security procedures are in place from the building owners
   (should be checked prior to living there)

If the apartment block is open access with lifts (elevators) and stairs open to the public from the street -

* The first line of defense is already non-existent. 

* Threats can move directly from your apartment to the stairwells
   and lifts and to the street level.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

APARTMENT

* Is the apartment front door outside on a

   walkway or inside in a corridor? 

* Not only good locks on the door, but one

   with no letter box

* If the threat is great, you can also get fire

   resistant doors and glass. 

* You can also get good door jams (floor

   bolts) that can be engaged at night.

  

Defend and secure or defend and escape are the two main objectives, not in that order as it depends on the tactical situation at that specific time. Bear in mind that defend may also mean going on the offensive.

SECURE

* Is there a defensible room for all family members (Safe room)
   what you in the States call a Panic Room?
* Is the door to the safe room strong enough to withstand a
   battering, fire? What are the hinges like?

* How long can you stay in your safe room? 

* Your safe room also may have to be the one that you escape from
   - so fire escapes and fully opening windows for egress are a must.

* Remember it will be a room that is also used for everyday living,
   so packing it out with kit to survive for long periods is a no-no. 

* You are not going to be there that long before LE arrive 
   (emergency services). Again though, this depends on the situation
   at the time.

* Thinking about firearms, 

   `What are your walls like? 

   `What cover is available in your safe room?

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ESCAPE

If you are in a high rise block and living high up,

getting out of the apartment may be difficult especially if you only have a front door. Does your apartment have a rear or side door leading out?

For living on lower levels escaping out of windows to the ground may be easier if you are prepared. Do your windows open fully so an adult can get out?

If your fire escape is not at a rear or side window but down the hallway then the window may be your only option.

Now dropping from a second floor or higher may prove damaging when hitting the ground (obviously) so 

* Do you have a knotted climbing rope in place

   and secured?

* Can all family members climb down the rope, have you
    practiced?

As part of my job we carry a Rescuematic. 

Video Quick Study (2:14) Man deploying a Rescuematic.

*It is really used in case of fire but the idea is to get us out of the
   building. 

* It is a wire harness that is secured to a wall and the weight of the
   person being lowered to the ground is countered to by internal 
   mechanisms. 

* Only good for about 5 floors up but ideal in that situation.

Hope that covers some basics.
Rock

Amazon Link

Awesome, Rock. Thank you so much for that information.

Learn more about Rock and close protection HERE. 

You also can find more great information in Rock's book

Meditations of a Modern Warrior -

Linkedin - Paul 'Rock' Higgins CMAS, SAC Dip
Facebook - Paul 'Rock' Higgins CMAS, SAC dip
E-mail vipatacticaltraining@hotmail.com
Website - www.vipatacticaltraining.com

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right, presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way are we advocating any position or personal decision.

Related articles

• Body Guard and Personal Protection: Information for Writers with Rock Higgins

Home Invasions: Information for Writers With Anti-Terrorist Expert Rock Higgins

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(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fiona -

This week, I posted an article on FB/Twitter about a recent home invasion, and Rock Higgins and I thought it would be an excellent blog topic.

Rock - 

Although I have written on this subject in my book, Meditations of a Modern Warrior, LINK there is more that can be discussed on this issue and here, Fiona Quinn and I will shed some more light on the subject of home defense.

Fiona -  

Let me say that my remarks are geared towards writers who are trying to write their scenes right, and Rock is the professional who will keep real humans alive and well. To learn more about Rock and his book go to this  LINK 

Let's take a minute first to explain the difference between a burglary and a home invasion.

A Burglary -

* Happens when there is no one home.

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Usually happen during the day or when you

   are out of town. (So please don't put your

   fab plans for going to Paris out on social

   networks or make your plans generally

   known - you can share afterwards when

   you have the photos.)
* While some burglaries are done by

   opportunists, typically they are planned and

   the criminal knows quite a bit about you,

   your set up, your schedule, and your

    defenses. 

* If you get home and find something off - do

   not go in and investigate it alone. Call the

   police. Maybe you think one of your kids

   just accidentally left the door open.

   Minimally, you can get a neighbor to hang

   outside with your kids and the phone ready

    to dial 911 while you go do a 

    room-by-room.

Home Invasion - 

* Happens while someone is home. 

* A criminal who is coming into your home

   at night will assume that there is going to be a confrontation.

* Confrontations are to be avoided when possible. So it is important
    to be a HARD TARGET.

* Reason they might choose a home invasion:

   `Their plan may be to get someone to open safes or give pin
     numbers.

   `They plan a rape

   `They plan to inflict harm/kill the people inside

Being a hard v soft target

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

* Lock your solid-core doors with quality

   locking systems.

* Drill peep holes at your level and the

   children's level so they can see who is

   there, too.

* Lock your windows on all levels of the

   house not just the ground floor.

* Plant thorny bushes under your windows -

   and trim other bushes so that the criminal

   can not use them as a shield to hide behind.

* Motion detection lighting covering the 

   whole yard.

* Dogs 

* Consider a security system especially one

    that includes cameras. But if you can't afford a whole house
    system that is monitored, you can purchase the stickers and yard
    signs to put up. There are also portable alarms, designed for hotel
    stays, that are very inexpensive and can be used where alarms are
    not allowed (a dorm room, and apartment). 

    Remember noise and light make you a hard target. dark and
    quiet make you an easy target.  Link - this link takes you to a
    security store so that you can see the wide range of options. 

    (not an endorsement)

* A safe room set up. 

   `Simply a designated area to retreat to in an emergency. 

   `The children are taught to go there. 

   `The hinges are placed so the door swings out. 

   ` Some things that you might include: 

      A land line phone.

      Water

      Weapons

      Fire extinguisher

      Escape rope ladder

      Flashlight

  

Our Home Invasion Stories:

Rock-

      I was a young boy before my teenage years, my dad worked a shift system. My mom hated the night shift. At certain times when my dad was at work, someone would ring the front door bell or bang on the front door. As my mom went to answer the door, someone would climb over the rear wall and bang on the back door. When my mom went to the back, the front door bell would chime again and so on. This went on for quite some time. The local police were unable to catch whoever it was, and the neighbors never saw anything.

     My mom took to sleeping with a large carving knife under her pillow. My younger brother and I had no idea what was going on. Would I have liked to have been forewarned of events? Yes, definitely. Anyway, one night, my mom had had enough. When the front door bell rang (remember this is in the early hours so no one was coming round for a visit), she went to the front door and waited. When the back door was banged, she waited by the front door with the nib off so the door was open. On the next ring, she threw open the door; with  knife in hand she lunged. The guy had already taken a couple of steps back, and as he was confronted by a screaming woman wielding a blade, he legged it and would have been an Olympic sprint champion according to my mom.

     They never did come back after that and were never caught. When I learned of this story from my parents years later I asked my mom what she would have done that night, ‘I would have killed them’ she said and left it at that.

Are you trained in the weapons you have and are you mentally prepared to kill if it comes to that?

Fiona -

One day, I was home with my four small children when the bell rang. I went to the door and looked through the peep hole to find a man in a phone company uniform. I went to the window and saw that there was a company vehicle parked in front of my house. This was odd because we weren't having an issue with our phone. 

     So I called through the door, "May I help you?"
     "I'm here to fix the phone line..."
      My radar was up - something wasn't right. "We're fine. No issues with the phone. Thank you, anyway."
      He explained to me that it was my husband who had called, and he told me my husband's name. My instinct was that something was not right. I used my cell phone to call hubby to ask him what the issue was with the phone. My husband explained that he had switched our phone service, and we didn't even use that company anymore. My next call was to the police. I yelled through the door that the guy should get off my property, and he started kicking the door in, cursing at me, and ordering me to let him in. I had one of my children go press the panic button on our alarm. With the sirens wailing and whole house flashing red lights, I announced that the police were en route, and I had my gun aimed at the door, one more kick and I would shoot. He sprinted away, and the police congratulated me on not becoming a statistic.

So here I would caution you to  (or if you are writing this into a scene, then apply this to your character) premeditate a strategy. Know the applicable laws in the area you are staying and make decisions. Many of my friends will say, "I'd rather face 12 than be carried by six." My plan: I walk away, and my family is safe.

So Rock, what sparked this whole blog article for us was the story of the home invasion where the mother protected her family by firing at (and missing) the three teens who kicked in her door. Can you talk a little bit about guns and home safety?

. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firearms and Home Defense

Rock - 

Fiona has done a great piece on choosing a firearm for a heroine in a novel, and you can see it here: Choosing a handgun link. 

There is an inordinate amount of literature on firearms for home defense: rifle, shotgun, pistol. With the amount of choices, how do you really decide what is right for you? Well let me say this from the start, stick with a pistol, or a short barreled pump action shotgun at the most. Why? Well the tactics and the training to use a ‘Long’ effectively is 

far more complicated than using a ‘Short’. 

In this post I am going to ask more questions than give advice. This is because I do not know your circumstances. It’s your life, your home, your family. I can help point you in the right direction with questions you can answer.

Before you purchase your firearm get down the range and have a go with a few different types. Your hand size, strength and where you live (I will explain this a little later) all have an effect on the weapon of your choice. Also, take into consideration weak hand drills, that’s your none dominant hand, the weapon should feel comfortable for use in both hands with mechanisms that suit both dominant and none dominant hand firing.

But as you will see you may need to purchase two weapons, one for home defense and one for personal defense while out of the home.

Once you have chosen your weapon and are comfortable firing it on the range, the next step is to plan how you are going to defend your home.

Where you live will have some way to go in your weapon of choice and the rounds you use. Do you live in a block of flats, a house on a street, a semi or detached house? 

What are the walls like in your house, solid brick, plaster board, wooden or other? I ask this because if you live in a block of flats with thin walls, you don’t want a round hitting your next door neighbor while they are reading Virginia is for Mysteries, do you?  LINK

So two firearms: home defense may need .22 or a subsonic frangible round where as a CCW (concealed carry weapon) would employ a standard round for your weapon of choice. Bullet turorial

I have planned homes and night clubs for violent encounters. Why? Most home invasions happen at night and night clubs are dimly lit.

What is the first thing most people do on hearing a noise either outside, downstairs or in another room? You guessed it. They put the light on. This has now put the home owner on an equal footing with the intruder. You must get used to fighting in the dark. In the house it may be pitch black, or there may be ambient light coming in from outside. Either way, this is where the combat must take place, here you have the advantage.

When planning on low light combat, here you will also have to think about any attachments for your weapon:

* Torch (flashlight)? Not a good idea in my book. Remember you want the advantage, giving away your

   position is not having an advantage. 

* Laser dot light? Good if trigger activated, and you are already on target.

Your home must be planned with combat in mind.

* Can you move around your house in the dark without tripping
   over furniture, kids toys, cats or dogs? You should be able to. 

Fiona - Gosh Rock, and here I've been using the kid debris to make us a hard target. There's no way you could steal quietly through the room - and the thousands of lego pieces and marbles are special bonuses.

Rock - Yes,  toys make great noise traps when placed at points of entry. 

* Can your partner or kids move around in the dark to a safe room or escape from the home? 

* Do you have a plan for where you should meet up to count heads 
   in any emergency be it a home invasion or fire? Not next door for
   obvious reasons. 

* What about those who either don’t like guns or live, as I do, 
   where firearms are illegal? Well you are going to have to train in
   other weapons, knives, sticks, batons... Weapons can be placed 
   around the home either as ornaments or as purposefully located 
   weapons. 

Fiona - 

Ha! Don't break in at Rock's house. It will go badly for you. Here's hoping you all stay safe and sound. 

Fiona Quinn's Newsletter Link, Sign up HERE

Thank you so much for stopping by. And thank you for your support. When you buy my books, you make it possible for me to continue to bring you helpful articles and keep ThrillWriting free and accessible to all.

DISCLAIMER - This is a non-political site that is geared to help writers write it right, presenting information to help develop fictional characters and fictional scenes. In no way are we advocating any position or personal decision.