Threat scenario attack - 5th Close Protection of Wodan Security

On 11th and 12th November 2017, Wodan Security held its 5th Specialist Conference for Personal Protection in Moers/Duisburg. Once again, the training course was fully booked to the last seat, with participants coming from state and federal police, the DAX 30 companies, and from private security. Even 2 participants from Switzerland made the long journey and were not disappointed. On the contrary:

The 4-star hotel, which served as accommodation and for theoretical training content, was once again an excellent choice and the catering was delicious. The training program was deliberately chosen in the face of terrorism in Europe, and all scenarios were tailored and detailed to provide participants with a realistic operational picture.

After the official welcome by the organizer Ralf Kassner (Wodan Security), the participants were taken into a theoretical exercise where various situational complements needed to be integrated into the solution.

The aim of the task was to tune into the course and align different tactics and ideas, as well as the overlap between authorities and private security. Issues such as detectability, communication, and protective gear were discussed.

Then, the chief editor Investigatives of BILD reported on various terror situations, where he was live on site. The focus here was on communication in crisis situations. Frank has also uncovered the Amri case, among other things.

He quickly dispelled some participants' reservations about the press; the content was very informative and must be treated as confidential.

After lunch, Dr. Christian E., the managing director of ASW, the Alliance for Economic Security, gave a lecture on Global Terrorism, its impact on companies, and the importance for personal protection. Possible and already occurred actions were discussed here, as well as conceptualizations and countermeasures.

After the interesting and informative theories, the group moved to the mining area near Duisburg, where two scenarios were already prepared.

The first group encountered perpetrators wearing explosive vests and hand grenades, and various exercises took place in which protection personnel also had to be evacuated. Here, it was important to implement the previously learned information in theory on topics such as IEDs, effects, pressure, cover, and distance. The difficulty lay in perceiving the different dangers and handling them in the best order.

Simultaneously, an airport scenario was running in a hall, which was based on past terrorist actions. Even original announcements from the airport were integrated here. The very challenging scenario was combined with an attack/composite attack (explosive device/perpetrator with firearm), and an injured person needed to be treated and evacuated.

For a realistic portrayal, Wodan had incorporated an amputee as a casualty simulation, properly made up. After overcoming the shock, the surprised course participants had a lot to do.

On Sunday morning, the equipment provider TACWRK presented its range and addressed all customer wishes and special civilian requirements and needs in personal protection. The interest of the participants was enormous, and everyone wanted to improve their personal equipment.

Before lunch, the participants received a presentation on Traveling with the Protectee, focusing on ships and excursions, with important tips on cabin selection, firearms regulations, national laws, and flag states.

The practical training in the afternoon included self-defense, attacks with knives and machetes, as well as tactics in small teams. The emphasis here was again on perception and reactive situational behavior under stress. A reactive target system was used to provide accurate feedback on hits and timing.

CONCLUSION: After the debriefing, the conference participants received their well-deserved certificates, and a professional training session was over. A positive factor is also the participation of authorities in the training, from which both private service providers and authorities can greatly benefit and adjust their security concepts.

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Well trained: The 5th Specialist Conference for Personal Protection successfully completed, Ralf Kassner from Wodan Security satisfied.