Area Priorities and Communication
After we have cleared the initial room, the question arises, where do we go next? There is a good rule of thumb to follow when faced with many directions of threat. We need to prioritize which threat to address first. These are:
- Open Spaces
- Open Doors
- Closed Doors
- Partially Cleared or Previously Cleared Spaces
Like with every rule of thumb, they can be bent if the situation needs it, for example an open door can take priority over an open space if the door has just been opened in the middle of a clear, in this case use your judgement to determine what is more dangerous. This judgement will develop the more one trains.
Speaking of judgement. Communication, with clarity and brevity is very important. Communication needs to be just enough and timed well. It's very important for your team mates to know what is happening, where we are going, etc. The more one runs with the team, the better one gets at understanding how the team flows. It will eventually get to a point where communication is done very sparingly and is supplanted by reading body language. This is vital for operations where silence is required.