How can we implement security measures to enhance our safety as we exercise?
Run with confidence. Be Proactive with your Safety and Security .
Running is a great way to keep fit and fabulous. But how can we implement security measures to enhance our safety as we exercise? Too often, we hear stories about runners being attacked. Vanessa is an example of an amazing woman taken too soon by such an attack. You can read more about her and the foundation created to empower others with her story.
We will never forget Vanessa.
2024 - Heartbreaking News out of Georgia - Police suspect foul play after a woman who went for a run on the University of Georgia's Athens campus was found dead. The woman has been identified as 22-year-old Laken Hope Riley. Riley was an Augusta University College of Nursing student at its campus in Athens. She deserved to be safe. She deserved better. She should not have lost her life doing what so many of us do every day… Running..
We, unfortunately, have to think about how and why it is essential to incorporate personal safety measures. This process can be made simple with skill-building strategies to strengthen situational awareness, which is a proactive approach to minimizing risk by anticipating, identifying, and understanding the impact of a potential risk in your surroundings. We can start with a few simple steps: listen and trust your intuition, improve your observation skills, and prepare yourself by thinking through a scenario-building exercise. Consider a few “What if…. Questions” and come up with solutions, for example, “What if someone starts to follow me?” The solution may include calling someone to let them know you need help. But making a call may take a few minutes; you must find your phone, unlock it, and dial it. One of my favorite safety gadgets is a mini alert alarm, which can send an SMS of your location to your emergency contact with a message you need help with just a push of a button. You don’t have to reach for your phone. Instead, you would quickly push a button on your alert device, and then a preset message would be sent to your selected emergency contacts in your phone. This is made possible when paired up with Bluetooth on your phone. Other features you may find on the personalized alert device are a loud alarm with 140 decibels—and light features.
Incorporating personal safety measures is essential for proactive risk reduction.
Strengthening situational awareness through skill-building strategies is key to minimizing potential risks.
Simple steps such as listening to intuition, improving observation skills, and scenario-building exercises can enhance personal safety.
Utilizing safety gadgets like mini alert alarms with SMS capabilities and preset messages can provide quick assistance in emergencies without the need to reach for a phone.
These steps and gadgets can prepare you to be proactive with your safety should a situation pop up and you must react fast. The importance of strengthening your situational awareness comes down to the fact that you can be a target anywhere, anytime, by anyone for any reason. So many women have suffered “Me Too” moments, and I want to create a proactive path empowering our loved ones with strategies, tools, and techniques to stay safe. Each of us deserves the power and empowerment that comes from the freedom of movement in this world. My goal is to provide solutions to create a safe and thriving culture for everyone.
Carrie Pasquarello, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Secure Resources Inc. is a victim advocate with extensive experience in international security and risk mitigation. Drawing from over a decade of living overseas and her experience with the State Department, Carrie has dedicated her career to helping others navigate personal safety. Her company specializes in security protocols and business continuity strategies, with a focus on protecting individuals and their loved ones. Carrie is the author of Study Abroad Safety, A Parent’s Guide to Sending Your Child Abroad; her business is a certified Women-Owned business. She continues to advocate for legislation to enhance safety measures worldwide.
