Looking for some adventure, some years ago in the American Midwest, four young adults hopped onto a train like old fashioned hobos. The group, three males and one female, must have thought it was worth the risks to illegally ride a train. Surely, up to the point where they got off the train in an unfamiliar distant place they must have enjoyed themselves. At that point their adventure was no longer fun. They were surrounded by several armed individuals shortly after stepping off the train. The three males were immediately all shot in the head and the female was sexually assaulted. You can find yourself in a dangerous situation as a result of a choice you made, by accident or by someone else's behavior. Indeed, there is something personal in personal safety and that is you.


The train riding group obviously made a bad choice. They assumed many risks by choosing to cure their boredom by illegally riding a train. Sadly, of all the risks they may have understood they were taking, their fate was to be that of the most extreme risk being realized and then some. Engaging in some kind of risky activity is just that, risky. Everyone has thought the old "it won't happen to me it will happen to the other guy" at one time or another. Just keep in mind that sometimes you are someone else's "other guy" their thinking about. Common sense, knowledge and being honest with yourself will help you "weigh the risks" of a given activity. Understanding the risks involved in some undertaking is the first step. Knowing if you can accept the risks, or can deal with them, is the second step.

This group could have suffered their ordeal by accident. For example, they could have been driving and gotten lost or broken down in that area by the tracks. Criminals, like the ones they happened upon, are predators of course, and predators rarely shun a good opportunity or easy prey. 

Sleeping in your bed is generally a low risk activity. Should someone wake you up one night with a gun in your face, demanding you to get all your valuables, you are in a dangerous situation resulting from someone else's behavior. This someone does not have to be a criminal. It could be your best friend who picks a fight with a large group of people or astounds you with some other feat of stupidity putting you at risk. You can never know what someone is thinking and the things people do, criminal or otherwise, should never cease to amaze you. The actions or behaviors of persons around you certainly factors well in your personal safety.    

For years now, around the World, emergency medical service agencies have stressed "scene safety" or "scene assessment" training for rescuers. The first thing an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) or a Paramedic will do when arriving on a scene is assess it to make sure it is safe to enter. The idea or first rule is to not make more victims. A gas leak is a good example scenario of scene assessment in this context. Realizing that a gas leak is present, rescue personnel will have to use specialized equipment or wait for the leak to be contained and the environment to clear. Entering an unsecured scene, such as this, would-be rescuers become victims of the gas as well. 

Scene assessment skills and knowledge are highly beneficial for your personal safety. They can be learned in first-aid or disaster preparations or similar rescue type training courses.  Such skills and knowledge will apply to many areas of your personal safety other than just rescue situations. 

Simply being alive is a risk. No matter what you are doing or where you are, some level of risk is involved. The good news is that most risks, albeit depending on a number factors, are going to "happen to the other guy" or not at all. Moreover, a great deal of risks can be minimized or prepared for in advance. Common sense, Knowledge, and preparation are the very basics or the foundation for your personal safety.