Custom Designed GAP Safety & Security Training

  • Behavioral Threat Recognition & Predictive Awareness

    ·       Empowers staff to identify potential threats before they escalate by recognizing subtle behavioral and environmental indicators.

    ·       Develops observational precision, predictive judgment, and confident communication — enabling teams to anticipate intent, intervene early, and enhance overall situational safety.

    ·       This proactive training is in alignment with DHS/CISA preparedness standards.

  • Leadership Development Across Generational Teams

    ·       Develop leadership teams that inspire, engage, and empower multi-generational workforces.

    ·       Strengthens executive and supervisor capabilities through GAP’s Near Miss Program and immersive practical exercises.

    ·       Leaders learn to identify communication barriers, mentor emerging talent, and engage frontline teams in risk-mitigation ownership

    ·       Participants gather the tools to create a unified culture focused on protecting people, facilities, and mission success.

  • Active Threat Preparedness & Response Integration

    ·       A comprehensive, DHS-aligned program that equips teams to recognize, respond to, and recover from active threat events.

    ·       Through scenario-based instruction, staff learn coordinated response actions, communication protocols, and post-incident stabilization.

    ·       The goal is organizational readiness, compliance, and life-safety resilience under evolving national security conditions.

  • Active Threat / Active Shooter Preparedness & Response

    ·       A DHS-aligned training that blends classroom learning with hands-on, scenario-based exercises.

    ·       Participants practice recognition, decision-making, and coordinated response during active threat incidents.

    ·       The program includes full-scale drills to test communication, movement, and command functions—ensuring readiness and compliance under national preparedness standards.

  • Crisis De-escalation Strategies & Techniques

    ·       Develop the confidence to defuse conflicts safely and effectively.

    ·       Through real-world scenarios, participants learn communication, empathy, and control tactics that protect guests and reduce liability.

    ·       This course aligns with DHS Safety Act guidelines and promotes a calm, professional response under pressure.

  • Life Safety Crowd Manager Training

    ·       Designed for venues, arenas, and festivals, this course reinforces safe crowd movement, ingress/egress control, and behavioral cue recognition.

    ·       Participants learn to manage surges, protests, and emergencies while balancing guest experience and safety.

    ·       Aligns with DHS/CISA Public Assembly Facility guidance and industry best practices.

  • Defensive Tactics & Judgment-Based Decision Making

    ·       A DHS Safety Act–acknowledged program designed to provide event and organizational teams with practical, hands-on instruction in coordinated defensive response.

    ·       This method enables staff to protect themselves within their legal rights while safeguarding colleagues, guests, and facilities.

    ·       The course promotes composure, proportionality, and unified control through full team coordination and scenario-based training.

  • Emergency Action Planning and Multi-Agency Coordination

    ·       Prepare for incidents requiring coordination between venue, law enforcement, community stakeholders,and emergency services.

    ·       Participants learn to activate, communicate, and execute clear action plans during crises — from evacuations to medical events — meeting FEMA, NIMS, and DHS/CISA preparedness expectations.

  • Red Teaming Exercises — Testing Staff, Processes, and Systems

    ·       A practical stress test for your operation’s readiness.

    ·       GAP facilitates simulated security challenges to expose vulnerabilities, evaluate staff response, and strengthen teamwork.

    ·       These controlled scenarios identify weaknesses across policies, communication, and decision-making, enhancing preparedness, compliance, and confidence for DHS Safety Act evaluations and real-world threat resilience.

Mark Herrera takes a selfie with his training attendees in Puerto Rico.

Defensive Tactics Training for Event & Game Day Staff

Global Awareness Professionals (GAP) delivers a Defensive Tactics Training program specifically designed for event and game day staff, equipping venue teams to manage high-stress situations with confidence, composure and control.

Built for live-event environments, this training emphasizes situational awareness, threat recognition, de-escalation strategies and controlled response techniques that prioritize guest and staff safety while reducing organizational risk and liability.

Purpose of the Training

The purpose of this training is to address a common and understandable challenge faced by many event and game day staff: a hands-off posture that can leave employees uncertain how to respond when confronted by escalating or violent behavior. GAP training prioritizes early observation, situational awareness and proactive risk mitigation to prevent incidents before they become physical.

At the same time, from a liability and duty-of-care perspective and organizations must be prepared for rare circumstances where hands-on intervention becomes a last resort. This program establishes a strategic balance—emphasizing prevention and de-escalation first, while ensuring staff understand when, why, and how limited defensive tactics may be applied appropriately and lawfully to safely remove themselves or others from immediate danger. All hands-on techniques are taught as controlled, proportional responses, used only when avoidance and de-escalation are no longer viable options.

SAFETY Act–Informed Risk Mitigation Approach

GAP training is designed with awareness of the principles and risk-mitigation considerations commonly associated with the federal SAFETY Act (Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act). While GAP is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or CISA, the program supports venues in strengthening documentation, preparedness practices, and staff training structures that contribute to a defensible safety posture.

By emphasizing prevention, early threat recognition, and structured response protocols, this training supports organizations in demonstrating proactive risk management, duty-of-care awareness, and operational readiness consistent with widely recognized security and liability-reduction frameworks.

Training is delivered by instructors with real-world law enforcement, counterterrorism and venue security experience—ensuring tactics are practical, appropriate and immediately applicable in live-event and crowd-management environments.

Through realistic, scenario-based exercises, participants learn how to:

  • Apply appropriate defensive tactics within venue and crowd settings

  • De-escalate disruptive or aggressive behavior safely and effectively

  • Protect guests, colleagues and property while minimizing liability

  • Strengthen a culture of preparedness consistent with widely recognized security and risk-reduction practices

GAP’s Defensive Tactics Training empowers teams to elevate safety performance, increase confidence under pressure, and reinforce an organization’s commitment to maintaining a secure and resilient event environment.

Global Awareness Professionals (GAP) is an independent training organization and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), CISA, FEMA, or any government agency. References to federal frameworks are for contextual and educational purposes only.

Learn more

Safety Act Framework Informed