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Technology & Development Center

Violence Awareness Training
for Field Employees

Tentative Outlines of the Modules

Development provides some guidance on the form and content of the modules. Because development work is ongoing, the suggested content of some modules is more complete than others. The final product may be somewhat different than the proposal. Supplementary training materials, the format of which is yet to be determined, will also be developed to accompany some modules.

While existing training programs and written reports of violent incidents were analyzed, the content of the modules will be derived primarily from extensive interviews with Forest Service employees throughout the organization. This assures that the training materials will address the potentially dangerous situations these employees actually encounter as they go about their work.

To increase efficiency and shorten production time and costs, videotaping for all modules will be done on an ongoing basis. Videos will feature Forest Service employees speaking of their experiences and describing methods they use to avoid and cope with violence. Videotaping will be done in the settings where the employees work.

Outline of Module 1—Personal Safety Awareness for All Employees

• General Awareness
• Precautions
• What To Do After a Violent or Threatening Encounter

Module 1 focuses on general awareness of potentially dangerous situations, precautions that Forest Service employees need to take, and the actions they should take if they experience violence or threats of violence. The audience for this module will be all Forest Service employees.

General Awareness

• An understanding of the extent and nature of the problem of violence.
  • Examples of dangerous situations that have occurred.
  • The general need to be alert and vigilant.
• Special concerns for female workers
  • Nature of the problems most likely to be encountered.
• Some special concerns for field workers.
  • The need to be especially careful in remote work settings.
  • Lack of nearby backup.
  • Difficulties in maintaining contact.
  • Situations that change rapidly.
  • Wearing the uniform.
• The role responsibilities and scope of work of Forest Service employees.
  • The proper role of Forest Service law enforcement officers.
  • Knowing the limits and when to call for help.
  • Making personal safety a priority.
  • Separating one’s work from one’s self.
  • Using local law enforcement as backup.

Precautions

• Being ready for problems
  • Check-in/check-out procedures.
  • Use of radio or cell phone.
  • Keeping equipment in good repair.
• The importance of knowing the local situation.
  • Being aware of and sensitive to the local history and culture.
  • Learning about local controversies involving the Forest Service.
  • Becoming aware of local persons who have disputes with the Forest Service.
  • Being aware of local illegal uses of the forests and use of the forests by criminals.
  • Developing people skills.
  • Respecting the rights of visitors.
• Making sure employee attitudes and actions don’t provoke attacks or unnecessarily escalate risk.
  • Learning to read scenes and people (Module 4).

What To Do After a Violent or Threatening Encounter

• Being willing to call for help.
• The importance of immediate reporting.
• Reporting procedures.
• Seeking assistance after the encounter.
  • Medical assistance.
  • Posttrauma counseling.
• Gathering evidence useful for law enforcement.

Outline of Module 2— Personal Safety Responsibilities for Supervisors

• Recognizing the Importance of Safety
• Protecting Employees

The second module is designed to acquaint Forest Service supervisors of the importance of personal safety and what they can do to better protect employees they supervise. The audience for this module is all Forest Service employees with supervisory duties. More development work is needed for Module 2.

Recognizing the Importance of Safety

• Making the safety of employees a priority.
  • Violence safety is as important as other safety issues.
  • Encouraging employees to err on the side of safety.
• The supervisor’s responsibilities to employees.
  • Taking violence or threats to employees seriously.
  • Listening to and acting on employee concerns.
  • Standing up for employees and giving them the support they need.
• Making personal safety part of employee evaluations.

Protecting Employees

• Making sure employees understand their scope of work.
  • The proper role of Forest Service law enforcement.
  • Encouraging employees to know their limits and when to call for help.
  • Being supportive of employees who back out of potentially dangerous situations.
• Assigning personnel in a way that maximizes safety.
  • Recognizing potentially dangerous situations.
  • Recognizing when employees should not work alone.
  • Emphasizing teamwork.
• Requiring violence safety training for high-risk employees.
• Establishing specific violence safety procedures.
  • Check-in/check-out procedures.
  • Knowing where employees are.
  • Protecting the safety of employees who collect money.

Outline of Module 3—Community and Home Personal Safety

• Spillover of Work-Related Problems Into Home Life
• Special Concerns for Those Living in Small, Remote Communities
• Coping With Harassment and Threats

The third module concerns how Forest Service employees may face increased potential for violence and threats of violence in the home and community. It will discuss how work-related problems can spill over into the home life of employees, how this can be especially difficult for those living and working in small, remote communities, and how employees can cope with threats and violence in their communities. The audience for this module will be any Forest Service employee who has contact with the public, especially those involved in enforcing rules and regulations. Significantly more development work is needed for Module 3.

Spillover of Work-Related Problems Into Home Life

• Examples of incidents that have occurred.
• Situations where such spillover is likely to occur.
• How problems can move from the field setting into the community.
• Threats to family and personal property.
• Impacts on quality of life.
• Maintaining separation between work and home.

Special Concerns for Those Living in Small, Remote Communities

• Problems with living and working in a small town.
• Lack of privacy or a sense of anonymity.
• Lack of a clear separation between work life and home life.
• Being seen as the representative of the Federal government.
• Enforcing rules on friends and neighbors.

Coping With Harassment and Threats

• Knowing troublesome people and circumstances (Module 1).
• Avoiding potentially dangerous situations (Module 4).
• The importance of reporting threats.
• The role of supervisors when employees are threatened (Module 2).
• Developing a support system.
• Techniques for diffusing tension (Module 5).
• Being prepared to protect yourself, your family, and your property.
• Getting assistance in coping with tension and trauma.

Outline of Module 4—Reading Scenes and People

• Reading the Scene and the People
• Deciding What—If Anything—To Do

The fourth module will focus on how workers in field settings can read the scene and people to avoid or better cope with potentially dangerous situations. The audience for this module will be any Forest Service employee who contacts the public in field settings, especially those involved in enforcing rules and regulations. Significantly more development work is needed for Module 4.

Reading the Scene and the People

• Things to consider before entering a situation.
  • General awareness, preparations, and precautions (Module 1).
  • Looking things over—developing observational skills.
  • Thinking through what to do before acting.
• Red flags to watch for.
  • Rule violations in progress.
  • Presence of weapons.
  • Drugs and alcohol.
  • Large groups.
  • Persons who appear to be out of place or without apparent purpose.
  • Other verbal or nonverbal cues.

Deciding What—If Anything—To Do

• Availability of backup.
  • Nature of the backup available.
  • How long will it take for help to arrive.
• Balancing the need to maintain personal safety and the need to get the job done.
  • Erring on the side of safety.
  • Knowing when to back off.
• Gathering information for law enforcement.
  • Reporting incidents as soon as possible.
  • Recording date, time and place of incident.
  • Noting names and descriptions of persons involved.
  • Noting license numbers and vehicle descriptions.
  • Taking photographs.
• Preparing for possible confrontation (Module 5).

Outline of Module 5—Handling Potentially Dangerous Encounters

• Diffusing Tensions
• Different Encounter Styles
• Tactics to Maximize Safety

The fifth module will focus on what to do if an encounter takes place in a remote setting. The audience for this module will be any Forest Service employee who contacts the public in field settings, especially those enforcing compliance with rules and regulations. Significantly more development work is needed for Module 5.

Diffusing Tensions

• How to approach persons.
  • Identifying yourself.
  • Making small talk.
• The importance of listening.
  • Letting them vent anger.
  • Remaining calm.
• Being sensitive to the culture of those you are dealing with.
  • Understanding the culture (Module 1).
  • Avoiding embarrassing people.
• Using humor appropriately.

Different Encounter Styles

• When to use which type of encounter style:
  • Educational style.
  • Deemphasizing authority.
  • Building a relationship.
  • Using confrontations as an opportunity to teach.
  • Knowing the rules.
  • Explaining the rationale underlying rules.
  • Using warnings.
  • Giving persons an opportunity to make things right.
• Enforcement style.
  • Knowing when to call for backup.
  • Being polite but firm.
  • Techniques for issuing citations or enforcing compliance.
  • Gathering the evidence for successful prosecution.

Tactics to Maximize Safety

• Being alert.
  • Reading the situation (Module 4).
  • Not being complacent.
  • Keeping track of people.
• Using the radio or cell phone.
  • Calling for backup.
  • Pretending to call for backup when out of range.
• Using the truck.
  • Staying in the truck if possible.
  • Positioning the truck for easy escape.
• Getting in and out fast.
  • Positioning yourself.

Other Possible Modules

The recommended work plan does not include a module on office safety. Training materials on office safety are widely available on the open market. It may be possible to adapt some of this material for Forest Service use. In the meantime, existing materials could be used.

For reasons discussed below, the "Good HOST Program" may need to be reevaluated in light of concerns for personal safety. Depending on the outcome of such a reevaluation, a module on balancing personal safety and being a good host may need to be developed. Training modules oriented to positions such as campground hosts or fee collection technicians may also be needed.

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