Condition Yellow

[Tgace]

As a refresher, the color codes of awareness are...

Condition WHITE: You are totally unprepared, not aware of your surroundings. If caught in condition WHITE, you will likely be overwhelmed before being able to counter-attack. The only time that an armed person should be in Condition WHITE is when they are asleep.

Condition YELLOW: Youre in a state of relaxed awareness, aware of surroundings, but not concentrating on any specific threat. Any armed person should live in Condition YELLOW.

Condition ORANGE: Youre attention is concentrated on a potential threat, based upon instincts and observation- think tactics.

Condition RED: Youre aware of danger, prepared to respond or take evasive action immediately. Here you have a tendency to revert to conditioned response (read: TRAINING)

Some modern tacticians have added Condition BLACK: here you are in a state of panic and unable to act in a rational manner typically entered into by people not properly trained where the training environment was so unlike actual conditions that panic takes over.

Now, what do you all believe living in Yellow means? Paranoia? Just plain old "being alert"? or something else?

And do you think you do live in it?

 

[MJS]

As a refresher, the color codes of awareness are...

Condition WHITE: You are totally unprepared, not aware of your surroundings. If caught in condition WHITE, you will likely be overwhelmed before being able to counter-attack. The only time that an armed person should be in Condition WHITE is when they are asleep.

Condition YELLOW: Youre in a state of relaxed awareness, aware of surroundings, but not concentrating on any specific threat. Any armed person should live in Condition YELLOW.

Condition ORANGE: Youre attention is concentrated on a potential threat, based upon instincts and observation- think tactics.

Condition RED: Youre aware of danger, prepared to respond or take evasive action immediately. Here you have a tendency to revert to conditioned response (read: TRAINING)

Some modern tacticians have added Condition BLACK: here you are in a state of panic and unable to act in a rational manner typically entered into by people not properly trained where the training environment was so unlike actual conditions that panic takes over.

Now, what do you all believe living in Yellow means? Paranoia? Just plain old "being alert"? or something else?

And do you think you do live in it?

I would think that anytime you leave your house, then you should be in cond. yellow. An attack can occure anywhere, so IMO, you should always be aware of whats going on around you. I would not say that living like that means being paranoid, rather it means that you are just aware of all that is taking place around you.

Mike

 

[loki09789]

I would think that anytime you leave your house, then you should be in cond. yellow. An attack can occure anywhere, so IMO, you should always be aware of whats going on around you. I would not say that living like that means being paranoid, rather it means that you are just aware of all that is taking place around you.

Mike

Agreed, MJS. I always looked at the color code like the numbers on a volume control for my headphones - only for all my senses in relation to awareness. The more you need to really 'hear' the small stuff, the more you turn up the 'volume.' Your sensory awareness level at Yellow, as far as I am concerned, is that heads up scanning level. You are taking in the sensory data from your surroundings, in tune with your world.

When something obviously or subtlely leaves you with the feeling that something is out of place you turn of the sensory volume to pay more careful attention, taking it up to Orange or higher, if the sensory impressions don't warrant staying 'up' you can shift down all the way or just part of the way depending on what you feel is right....If the sensory intake is reinforcing that there is something bad going happen or already in the works, you stay at or raise your awareness even higher.

None of this Awareness level stuff ensures the right tactical/self defense response, but it does improve your ability to read and react the situation with more time.

 

[rschoon]

I have been in law enforcement for a long time and have seen a few different awareness ladders. This color ladder being the most common. I have always been instructed as yellow at aware of your surroundings. It can like the previous person stated include black is where poop has hit the fan.

Rick

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

After working for 3 years in CI, I did the bouncer thing for ages, where you have to monitor the behavior and attitudes of hundreds of people at a time to make ongoing threat assessment (if you want to be good at your job, and stop things before they start, or be right next to them when they erupt). Also did the "train with crazy survivalists who are paranoid and think someone is out to get them, at all times" thing. Hypervigilance wears the nerves, and leaves you tired.

Now, I prefer to stay fat, dumb and happy in White, but will switch to a higher level of awareness if I have to. Nice to have a friend with you, though, who has similar experience if something strange does start to happen. Like watching a machine in action...combat automatons either spread out or condensate in unspoken, synchronous reaction to a threat like so many mute ghosts bearing sickles. Miss that.

 

[Tgace]

I dont think yellow is "hypervigilance" just awareness. Walking around in orange or red will burn you out. All yellow means is dont daydream and pay atention.

 

[8253]

One should always be aware of their surroundings. Being aware of your surroundings should lead you away from most potential confrontations. Theoretically of course.

 

[Bod]

I pay no attention when I'm walking down the street to anything going on around me, save for my habitual checks.

Years ago I ingrained the habit of checking at about 50 yard intervals, or every time I turn a corner, or every time I cross a street or walk out of a building, of surveying the street. I walk close to the road to avoid getting jumped from behind a wall. I tend to walk facing the traffic, from habit, as this avoids getting run down by out of control drivers. On windy days I look upwards too. In public places I chose vantage points where I can see what is going on around me.

These have become habits, so I can turn any active vigilance almost completely off.

Keeps me safe and sane.

 

[MA-Caver]

I pay no attention when I'm walking down the street to anything going on around me, save for my habitual checks.

Years ago I ingrained the habit of checking at about 50 yard intervals, or every time I turn a corner, or every time I cross a street or walk out of a building, of surveying the street. I walk close to the road to avoid getting jumped from behind a wall. I tend to walk facing the traffic, from habit, as this avoids getting run down by out of control drivers. On windy days I look upwards too. In public places I chose vantage points where I can see what is going on around me.

These have become habits, so I can turn any active vigilance almost completely off.

Keeps me safe and sane.

I'm kinda, sorta that way whenever I'm in yellow. Right now I live somewhere between yellow and white. I mean I live in Utah. There's crime here yes, but you gotta actively go LOOK for it to see it. Some people here still leave their houses and apartments unlocked fer cryin out loud...while they're sleeping or away. I moved here from the mean streets of Dallas and when I was residing there I was living between yellow and orange. I moved here and for a (very short) while "some" folks considered me the most dangerous man they ever knew, mainly because I was still in that yellow/orange mode and my (involuntary??) responses to whatever was going around me. But I'm no more like that. Call it maturity as well and after 14 something years I've become accustomed to Utah enough to be in the yellow/white mode (even awake).
I still have my street senses but they're dulled to nearly the point of inefficency. I still know what to look for and adjust to it accordingly. I lived near downtown Salt Lake City for a while and only once while walking home from the train-station (late) I surprised myself by being in orange. It was unwarranted I realized later. Old habits...
I get startled sometimes by a jesting co-worker or friend jumping around the corner and shouting just to see me jump. <shrugs> I don't mind. They didn't touch me. I just roll with it because I perceived no direct threat.
I don't think living in yellow is being paranoid. It's being smart. It's being aware. It will enhance response time even if by fractions of a second. Sometimes the difference between life and death.
Your present environment I feel, should dictate what "condition" you should be in. If you're safe locked up in your own abode then white isn't all that bad. Just depends upon where your abode is.
:asian: