"Michael Julian has written an excellent book. Practical, detailed, and a potential life saver if you find yourself in the midst of a targeted attack."
The Difference Between Safety Training and Survival Training
Most organizations believe they are prepared for emergencies because they provide safety training. Employees watch videos, review procedures, attend briefings, and acknowledge policies. These efforts are well intentioned, but they often create a false sense of readiness.
Safety training and survival training are not the same thing. Understanding the difference is critical when lives are at stake.
What Safety Training Is Designed to Do
Safety training focuses on compliance, awareness, and prevention. Its purpose is to reduce risk under normal operating conditions and meet regulatory or organizational requirements.
Safety training typically emphasizes:
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Policies and procedures
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Reporting protocols
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Hazard awareness
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Evacuation routes
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Lockdown instructions
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Emergency contacts
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Compliance documentation
Safety training answers the question, "What should happen if everything works as planned?"
Where Safety Training Falls Short
Violent incidents rarely follow plans. They unfold quickly, unpredictably, and under extreme stress. In these moments, people do not recall manuals or policies. They default to instinct.
Safety training assumes rational decision-making. Survival situations remove rational conditions.
Common gaps include:
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No preparation for stress response
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No decision-making under pressure
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No movement training
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No adaptation to changing conditions
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No practice when plans fail
Knowing a procedure is not the same as executing it when adrenaline is high and time is limited.
What Survival Training Is Designed to Do
Survival training prepares people for moments when prevention has failed and immediate action is required. It focuses on mindset, decision-making, and adaptability under stress.
Survival training emphasizes:
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Rapid threat recognition
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Decision-making under pressure
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Movement and positioning
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Environmental awareness
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Improvised responses
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Personal responsibility
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Action despite fear
Survival training answers the question, "What do I do when reality does not match the plan?"
Stress Changes Everything
Under extreme stress, the brain shifts into survival mode. Fine motor skills degrade. Tunnel vision narrows perception. Time distortion alters judgment. Memory retrieval becomes unreliable.
Survival training accounts for these changes. It conditions individuals to function despite them.
Safety training assumes calm. Survival training prepares for chaos.
Why Awareness Is Not Enough
Awareness without action creates hesitation. Many people recognize danger but freeze because they have never practiced making decisions in high-stress conditions.
Survival training bridges the gap between knowing and doing. It replaces hesitation with movement and uncertainty with options.
The Role of Personal Responsibility
Safety training often frames emergencies as situations to wait out or respond to after help arrives. Survival training recognizes a difficult truth: in the first moments of violence, individuals are responsible for their own survival.
This does not replace law enforcement or emergency response. It fills the gap before they arrive.
Survival training empowers people to act decisively rather than passively.
Why One Cannot Replace the Other
Safety training is necessary. Survival training is essential.
Safety training reduces risk. Survival training increases survivability.
Organizations that rely on safety training alone prepare for compliance, not reality. Organizations that integrate survival training prepare people for the moments that matter most.
The Takeaway
Safety training teaches rules. Survival training teaches responses.
In real-world violence, survival depends on mindset, decision-making, and action under stress. Training must reflect that reality.
If your organization wants to move beyond awareness and compliance and prepare people to survive the moments when plans break down, A.L.I.V.E. provides civilian-focused survival training designed for real-world conditions and real human behavior. Contact us today for a free consultation!
LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE AN ACTIVE SHOOTER!
ALSO AVAILABLE FOR AUDIO DOWNLOAD, E-BOOK, AND PAPERBACK / HARDCOVER ON AMAZON
Hear From An A.L.I.V.E. Student Survivor Of The Las Vegas Massacre
"As a retired 32 year law enforcement veteran, with several years of SWAT and tactical experience, I learned some different unique perspectives as it pertains to civilians dealing with active threat situations. Very good class for civilians who may have never experienced reacting to a life and death stressful situation."
- Christopher C.
A.L.I.V.E. STANDS FOR:
Assess
Assess the situation quickly
Leave
Leave the area if you can
Impede
Impede the shooter
Violence
Violence may be necessary
Expose
Expose your position carefully for safety
INDUSTRIES WE SERVE
Corporations
Government
Healthcare
Places of worship
Schools & Universities
Venues
MICHAEL JULIAN
Creator of A.L.I.V.E.
A.L.I.V.E., which stands for Assess, Leave, Impede, Violence, and Expose, was created in 2014 when Michael began teaching his Active Shooter Survival philosophy throughout the United States. His book on the subject, 10 Minutes to Live: Surviving an Active Shooter Using A.L.I.V.E. was published in 2017 and the online version of the A.L.I.V.E. Training Program was launched in 2019 and is now part of the corporate security training program for companies throughout the world.
Why A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter
Survival Training Program?
The A.L.I.V.E. Active Shooter Survival Training Program is a comprehensive training program designed to provide individuals with the necessary skills and knowledge to survive an active shooter incident. Its emphasis on situational awareness and decision-making makes it a practical and effective approach to active shooter situations. By empowering individuals to take proactive measures to protect themselves and others, the program can help prevent tragedies and save lives.