ROANOKE, Va. – Following a deadly shooting in New York City on Monday and a stabbing incident at a Michigan Walmart earlier this week, a Roanoke security expert says those incidents mirror the scenarios he prepares people to face.
According to the CDC, Virginia saw more than 1,300 firearm-related deaths in 2022. Executive Security Concepts, owned by Chris Ragone, offers training for residents, businesses, and school staff — a mission he describes as his passion.
“I feel like everyone should be trained to defend themselves and to be their own first responder,” he said.
At Safeside Tactical, where Ragone’s training was held today, nearly a dozen residents spent the day learning how to respond during a high-threat situation. The training covered threat assessment, situational awareness, tactical movement, and firearms handling.
“What I teach people is a color code of awareness,” Ragone said. “Most people walk around in what we call a white zone. They’re on their phones. They don’t know who just walked in that door over there. You should never be in white. When you leave your house, you should be in what we call, a yellow zone. Yellow means you are alert. You see and notice everything. You’re not paranoid but you train yourself to notice things. Then you go to orange when you see something that could be a potential threat. And then if that threat attacks you, you go to red, which we call the fight.”
With violent incidents making national headlines more frequently, some participants say this kind of training is becoming essential.
“The worst thing to feel after a situation like that is that you could’ve done something and you didn’t,” said training participant Corey Brown. “Not only that, it gives you peace of mind when you’re out. For me, touching any of this is the last thing I want to do. But in the modern day, there’s a lot of people who have some pretty terrible plans. I’d rather just be prepared.”
Ragone says his goal is not to instill fear, but to reduce it through preparation and awareness.
“My best tip is to be aware of your surroundings,” he said. “So always have your head out of that phone when you’re out in public. Be cognizant of what’s around you at all times. That’s one of the most important things.”
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