b'training for all front-of-the-house personnel, but the training should not stop when things go right. We fail to drill for when things go wrong.What about when things go wrong? What happenswhenthingescalate,andyou perceiveapotentialthreat?Perhapsyour warnings have gone unheeded or downright ignored. Perhaps a guest has had too much todrinkanditstimetocutthemoff . Perhaps they adamantly disagree with your observationandwishtoargue.Maybea couple is enjoying a domestic spat during the ride, it is getting physical, and they are Trainingdisturbing others even after your plea to calm down. Perhaps a passenger refuses to wear a mask and it has now escalated to a political debateborderingonmutiny.Ifyouhave made it this far, you are probably feeling that the situation may get out of control. Thatfeeling is your instincts and they are usually correct. That special part of your brain, the amygdala is releasing fi ght or fl ee signals. It is not the intelligent part of your anatomy that you want to listen to but it is a warning bell. We are not quite at MARSEC 2 but in a grey area between that and calling the fi rst responders. It is time to use special tactics to deescalate the situation in an eff ort to protect yourself, the subject, and others. De-escalation tactics is what we use during apotentiallyhazardous,dangerous,or threateningsituationtopreventaperson fromcausingharmtous,themselves,or others. De-escalation consists of verbal and physical tactics to help limit the number of staffor crew who might be injured on the job and avoid the need for physical force. Withoutspecializedtraining,weshould never consider the use of physical force. ItIs Electric is not the only way to neutralize a potential threat and should only be considered as aRight For last resort. You?Verbalde-escalationtacticsarenon-physical skills used to prevent a potentially dangerous situation from escalating into a physicalconfrontationorinjury.Physical de-escalationtechniquesarethoseusing your body language to convey authority but a nonaggressive approach. A third tactic in de-escalationinvolvesactivelyreadinga subjects physical and verbal cues. Together thesetacticscanallowthecrewmemberLets talk about itorstaff toregaincontrolofapotentially hazardous guest-service incident.Torqeedo Inc. T +1 (815) 444 8806171 Erick Street, Unit A - 1 usa@torqeedo.comCrystal Lake, IL 60014 www.torqeedo.comDECEMBER 2021 9 FOGHORN FOCUS'