FIST Police Simulation Instructor Course Review

by Ed Byrne

In 1997, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary undertook a thematic inspection of officer safety training .The report examined ’training for reality’ and indicated that officers should be trained in circumstances which reflect operational conditions.

Training officers for reality is a double edged sword for trainers with liability issues regarding student injuries and the nature of combative training what instructor Dave Thatcher called the ’X factor. As a result ‘walk through’ training can take over with the consequences that student officers do not in some cases experience adrenal stress dump as a result they may become a risk to themselves, their colleagues and the public as they may under or overreact.

Defensive tactics programmes as part of officer safety training must provide more than techniques from a manual practiced only on compliant partners in a sterile environment.

An obvious benefit of this type of training is the reduction in reaction time during a real situation. If the officer has experienced a similar situation whether real or in a staged scenario and has reacted appropriately during that event he/she is less likely to experience freezing or loss of control.

The FIST police simulation course I recently attended in Milton Keynes is internationally recognised and was developed to assist police, military and security trainers deliver realistic use of force training sessions to improve officer’s impact weapon and empty hand techniques using the FIST padded suit. While also allowing officers to experience the effects of adrenal stress reaction on performance.
The course provides valuable tools and models to enhance officer safety training varying from basic instructor led simulations to advanced dynamic scenario using the FIST padded suit.

Course objectives

According to the instructor manual the objectives of the fist instructor course are to:

 Deliver dynamic training programmes that are safe to all participants while remaining realistic.
 Implement drills that complement individual departments health & safety requirements and integrate with current health & safety management systems.
 Learn how to risk assess working practices and implement measures to provide safer training programmes.
To provide trainer with a series of practical hands on skills required to reduce the likelihood of injuries occurring whilst using simulation gear - to both trainer and trainee


Company and trainers

The course was conducted by Personal Guard Limited, a company headed up by Tony Hume who has for many years provided protective and training equipment to the military, English prison service and police forces including firearms and public order units throughout the UK, at present there are 14,000 suits in use in the UK.
Present on the course I attended were police trainers from Thames Valley Police, Leicestershire Constabulary, Avon & Somerset Constabulary, Hertfordshire police and Home Office Immigration Arrest Teams.

The course was delivered by IHR Defensive tactics. IHR have been involved in dynamic simulation training for over 15 years, the training team draws its trainers from private security, military and police back grounds. They are also official training team for Winchester police products and Enforcement Technology Group inc. and 360 VIP a close protection company operating from UK, USA and Iraq. The lead instructor Dave Thatcher has a strong background in teaching combative and defensive tactics.

The course began with suit orientation covering safety checks donning and removal of suit limitations and hygiene requirements. The FIST simulation suit is designed to reduce impact trauma to the wearer- it is not designed to protect the wearer from a massive impact.

One of the many advantages of the FIST suit is that it allows officers to become familiar with using their issue batons on a moving target it also develops a sense of timing, speed and movement that can be important in preventing unnecessary injuries to both officers and members of the public.

Falling , rolling and bracing techniques are most important for instructors who will be using the suits to reduce the risk of injury from slips trips and fall. Rolling and falling techniques have been specially adapted and developed to protect trainer when pushed or knocked over

Trainers were shown and practiced drills in falling and rolling techniques while wearing the suit. Impact reduction drills and direct impact drills were taught to protect trainers from the effects of impact against solid objects such as walls when engaging in student training.  Dealing with students who ‘ red mist ‘ was also covered

Training safety

Emphasized through out the entire course was the importance of health and safety legislation in all combative training.  The course content complies with current Health & Safety legislation which requires that a ‘competent person’ be assigned to assess and teach simulation programmes.

Trainers must provide a safe working environment for their students and themselves which is supported by safe practices and risk assessments. These systems must be in place to reduce as much as possible the risk of injury. Officer safety trainers have to perform a balancing act between equipping students with relevant skills while ensuring as far as reasonable practicable students and their own safety. The drills and activities can only be assessed to that which is reasonably practicable the risk of injury can be reduced but never but never removed.
Course drills and exercises are risk assessed using a standard procedure based on a model distributed by the British Safety Council

Drills

The purpose of the drills practised is to create the effects of adrenal stress dump it makes no difference to the brain that the drill is not real it reacts the same way, it has the effect of desensitising the student to operational situations they may encounter helping them to think and remain in control .The drills also serve to improve students motor skills and individual confidence. The drills escalate in intensity from un pressured basic exercises allowing students to develop proper techniques and movement to higher level dynamic exercises.

The human brain acts as a pattern detecting organ, all our behaviour is as a result of our past experiences and training if we have received any. Although simulations and scenarios are not ‘real’ they trigger the same psycho-physiological responses that humans experience in a real situation. Artificial experiences are created that have the same feel as the real thing and are recalled like real experiences.

According to the instructor manual student drill progression is achieved by:

 Gaining initial confidence by learning and understanding required technique
 Improving ability by practising simulation exercises and drills
 Exposure to fear during dynamic scenarios and adrenal stress training
 Improving confidence as desensitisation to adrenal stressors

with of a gradual build up using 4 different levels.

At the top level students may eventually be able to take part in free form dynamic simulation .The down side is these simulations will fail all risk assessment and risk of injury is likely for this reason these drills may be omitted from training regimes.

The free form drill are in three stages which are progressively harder with the third level students can expect stress adrenal overload.

Types of suits

The Fist suit offers all over protection to the wearer. The suits come in four configurations:
 FIST#333 Police Training Suit
 FIST#300 Pro Trainer
 FIST#99TS Tactical Suit
 FIST#200S Stun weapon & Simunitions suit

Simulations and scenarios

Simulations and scenarios differ in that simulations are pre-decided drills known to both the fully armoured assailant/ instructor and the student where as a dynamic scenario although planned and following a set theme outcomes can vary depending on how the students handles the situation.
The student has no way of knowing in what way the aggressors will react while the instructors have in issued instructions for example to ignore and thwart any attempt by the student officer to resolve the situation peacefully depending on the reactions of the students. The aim of dynamic scenarios is to induce adrenal stress which occurs during a violent situation.

Role of the safety officer

During all scenarios a trained safety officer is used to monitor events and pre-empt any injuries from occurring.
The safety officer has complete control of the training environment and can suspend activities should the need a rise. The safety officer must be visible at all time wearing a day-glow vest to identify them when taking part in dynamic scenarios it is recommended that he or she wear a protective helmet.

Scenario planning workshop

On day two a scenario planning work shop took place using various templates to design plan and audit performance each was video taped and later debriefed. The class was divided into two groups with each designing a scenario from their own extensive experience for the other group to take on. The group had to enter a situation after being given a brief situation report.

Although good fun there were lessons to be learned and everybody took away valuable insights to their own and others behaviour.  It is said that we often learn more from our mistakes than our successes it’s a lot easier and usually less painful make mistakes in a training environment than on the job which can often be less forgiving.
All participants were very happy with the course.  Everyone one took something away from the course including new concepts and ideas to pass onto to their colleagues.


Ed Byrne has been in the Irish Prison Service for the past 18 years serving as Officer and Assistant chief Officer. He is a Control & Restraint and Officer Safety Instructor with a back ground in Jujitsu, judo, boxing and a particular interest in defensive tactics and anything else that is reality based.
He has qualifications in criminology , training & education and is a consultant and trainer dealing with workplace violence & crime. He also contributes articles on his chosen areas to journals.
Ed Byrne can be contacted at ed.b@esatclear.ie