GFH Force on Force Civilian Simunition Training Level 1 Review

Back in December I had the opportunity to attend a Gun For Hire (GFH) Force on Force Simunitions class (Force on Force Civilian Simulation Training Level 1) at the GFH Belleville site.

The course description mentions the following topics are covered (and they were):

• Safety Proper Use of Force on Force Training Equipment
  
• Mental Mindset
  
• Legal Considerations of the Armed Home Owner, CCW
  
• Holder Home Defense Considerations
  
• CCW Holder Considerations ( Gear selection and Placement ETC. )
  
• Realistic Force on Force Scenarios ( Set up to mirror your home defense plan or your CCW equipment layout )
  
• A video tape review of all force on force training scenarios completed that day and recommendations by our top Simunition and Law Enforcement Instructors on ways you can improve survival chances in a real world deadly force encounter
  

There were 3 students in the class, a married couple and myself, so it was a small group. The class begins with a presentation covering some legal and practical considerations for a armed home owner or CCW carrier. This in itself was very useful as the laws on when you can and cannot act were clarified for me and included some examples. Following the presentation and Q&A we moved into the 'house' for the scenarios, the 'house' has a number of real rooms, furniture etc etc.

I won't give too much away however since if you attend it will be more valuable to experience it without knowing fully what to expect. I will say that the firearms used are realistic (glocks), with recoil, brass ejecting, noise, magazines etc. The pellets when they hit you do cause some discomfort or pain (e.g. if hit on the hand), however with the face masks on and the ground rules in place the training is safe. These are definitely not Airsoft pistols.

We had two instructors, one typically on the video camera to record the session and the other as the intruder. In some cases we had two intruders. The scenarios play out relatively quickly, they set the heart beating, and while I had some degree of "it's just a game", there is definitely sufficient adrenaline and fight/flight feelings to add real value to the training.

In one scenario I was an unarmed visitor at a friend's house, and ended up being executed due to the friend's actions (or inactions)! That in itself was an experience!

Overall I would rate the course favourably. GFH are also building a much larger compound for Force on Force training which will be ready some time in 2012 and would make the class outstanding.

We had a technical hitch on our session with the video camera taking a dive to the floor which prevented the replay of the scenarios, however this did give us a little extra time to play some additional scenarios instead. My only other comment would be that depending on the group size the number of scenarios undertaken may differ.

I will be returning to try the training with MrsWombat since I saw some very valuable lessons being learnt by the married couple who attended. I have also made some adjustments in our home based on the experiences from the day.

The training reinforces my belief that just shooting paper targets in a range will not prepare most people for a real life scenario, whether it is being partially awake/disorientated, having to draw/find a weapon, having to make a decision as to whether to shoot someone, having to protect a loved one or find cover v concealment. Force on Force is therefore a valuable aspect to a broader training regime, it is also fun!

Recommended!

TheWombat