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.

Scenario-based training also teaches officers to be more efficient by reducing incident response times, and it can broaden security officers’ understanding of risk management, says Chris Hertig, a retired professor and board member of the International Foundation for Protection Officers. “In an ideal world, scenarios would be part of the knowledge, skill and ability development of all officers. In the final analysis, all officers must be problem solvers,” he says.  Being able to practice and experience different scenarios that may occur during a security officer’s career increases efficiency and helps officers understand that their actions have consequences, adds G4S Secure Solutions.

Additionally, scenario-based training can uncover vulnerabilities in an organization. “It helps the organization to see things that maybe they didn’t think about,” Hertig says. “A scenario, like a drill, is really a final examination for an individual, but it’s also a final for an organization. You’re not only testing your individual learning and helping with your organizational learning, but you’re assessing your systems. Do you have the proper procedures, resources, etc., to deal with a certain event?”

At Allied Universal, the type and amount of scenario-based training depends on the client’s security plan and vertical market setting. The scenario does depend on the industry, O’Bryan says. In high-rises, he says the focus will be more on fires, and in healthcare, the focus will be infant abduction as an extreme possibility. In chemical or petrochemical locations, the focus is very heavy on safety-related issues and oftentimes scenario-based training is built around that. Some clients, he says, prefer to use e-learning courses designed for their industry, while others like a more hands-on approach. Every security program, even within the same industry, might have different procedures on how they want to handle these issues, says O’Bryan. He notes that Allied Universal has clients who want them to work with a lot of scenario-based training and others who don’t do quite as much because they might see it as disruptive to the work day.

G4S Secure Solutions also offers a wide variety of scenario-based training in a host of different topics. By studying current trends and problems, G4S is able to offer engaging, real-life scenario-based training that aids their officers in the best possible knowledge for their positions.

Training should never be demoralizing, and it should be “applied very judiciously,” says Hertig. “You can only have a scenario based on prior knowledge. The scenarios have to be developed after there’s foundational knowledge, skills and abilities, not before. There’s a real temptation to do it before and show people how dumb they are, but you can really do a lot of damage if you’re not careful. The learner must have mastered all the component skills first.” O’Bryan says he uses pre-work such as e-learning or studying a particular topic before beginning scenario-based training, which is then followed up with a test after the training to make sure the officer understands the concepts.

G4S also stresses building on learned concepts. One reason for this is that officers may begin training believing that they should respond a certain way to an incident based on their own personal worldview. By exposure to the company’s policies and procedures, they learn that their initial responses may not be the correct ones after all. Classroom evaluations are also implemented to aid the company’s ability to limit liability to both themselves and clients and to ensure that each officer is being properly trained.

Despite its effectiveness, even the best training can’t compare to good old-fashioned experience. “One may have all the proper training in the world, but some situations you won’t know how to handle until you experience them,” says Hertig. “Scenario-based training is still a great tool, however, because in most situations, you can fall back to what you were taught and how you handled it then.”

O’Bryan concurs, noting that real-time experience is even more valuable than scenario-based. To put it on a continuum, there’s classroom level training at the bottom level, then there’s scenario-based training next, and then the highest would be the actual, “I lived through that.”

Though scenario-based training can certainly create more efficient, confident, responsive officers, it should be part of a broad range of instruction. “Scenario-based can’t teach you everything, but neither can reading a book or doing a course on a computer,” Hertig says. “Training has to be a diverse, dynamic and multifaceted approach because it’s a reflection of the dynamic security industry.”

Management of Aggressive Behavior Training at Seattle Children’s Hospital