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Skill Set: Clearing and Searching
By Tiger McKee
Searching a building for a known or possible threat is never a good idea, especially if you are alone. Yet there are times it must be done. For officers it's part of the job, and they won't have backup every time they have to pursue a suspect or check an alarm call on a building. The homeowner should never clear their house unless lives are at stake. If you are in one end of the house and a bad guy has the kids in the other then you'll probably go, but we want to do it smartly.
There are two theories when it comes to clearing techniques. The dynamic mode relies on speed and overwhelming violence. While there may be times this is appropriate for an individual, it's best employed by highly trained teams. In the stealth mode you take it slow, methodically searching, and use surprise. This is normally best for an individual clearing a structure, but a team can also use these techniques.
To understand how the stealth mode works we need to discuss a few operational principles. (In future columns we'll discuss specific techniques.) First, we maximize the distance between us and the environment we're clearing. When working a corner I put as much distance between the corner and me as possible. This puts me farther away from anyone who might be on the other side of that corner, and the distance makes the geometry work in my favor as I pivot around that corner.
When moving and clearing expose the least amount of your body as possible. Ideally you want the weapon's muzzle and sights and your eyes to be the first things to break the angle you are working. This allows you to see part of the threat, usually a foot, arm, or shoulder, before they see you. If you stick your muzzle out, especially when using a long-gun, or throw a leg way out there, they see you before you see them.
For some reason the more dangerous a situation gets, the faster people want to move, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do. Think about a road intersection where you can't see around the corners. Do you stomp the gas pedal and hope nobody hits you, or ease out, scanning both directions as you move forward. Now apply the same thing to clearing a corner. When you don't know what's on the other side, you should go slowly and carefully. If you just jump out there you could expose yourself to multiple threats, which probably won't work out very well for you.
Fighting is a 95 % mental process, and this is especially true of searching and clearing a building. You have to constantly think about geometry, and that your next step could reveal a possible threat. Unless it's necessary you don't want to do it, but then again it may be required, in which case we use techniques that will result in victory.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 www.shootrite.org