Bison Risk Management Associates

Here's something I want you to do as long as you don't have some sort of medical condition that prevents it.

Get a kitchen timer, and set it to 4 minutes. Push the button and do a non-stop exercise that uses your upper body - push ups, pull ups, sit ups. Do them as fast as you can for the entire 4 minutes. Non-stop, not slowing even for a moment.

When the timer rings, stop and take your pulse.

Why did you do this test? To show you how long 4 minutes can be. Four to seven minutes is the average response time for a 911 call to be answered IF they know it's a life-threatening emergency. If the operator is unsure or the call "slips between the cracks" it can take upwards of 30 minutes to get a response.

If you have an alarm system, it takes even longer! Your monitoring company must first call the police. Many police agencies no longer respond to home alarms because of the high incidences of false alarms.

I had you do upper body exercises because those are the muscles you will be using to fend off your attacker. An attacker that will most likely have a weapon and who knows how to fight, who knows how to quickly disable, who knows how to neutralize a threat. Do you know how to do these things?

Let's say you're at home in bed, watching TV and your front door suddenly bursts open or you hear a window break. You only have a few seconds to act before the assailant reaches you. You must use those precious seconds wisely. Which do you think has a greater probablilty of protecting your life? Grabbing your phone and calling 911, or grabbing a self-defense weapon and stopping or slowing the assailant?

All the 911 call will do is direct the police to the place where there's a victim that needs transport to the hospital, or a body that needs to be identified by the coroner. Even if the police arrive in time to catch the assailant, you are still badly beaten or dead. That seems like a worthless consolation prize to me.

This isn't a bash on the police or the 911 system - they simply can't be everywhere all the time. It is reality. YOU are responsible for your own safety, whether you like it or not.

In the middle of an attack, 4 minutes will seem like 4 days. It doesn't matter if your safety training is with pepper spray or stun guns, firearms or Tasers. You need training and knowledge on how to protect yourself until the police can arrive and make an arrest.