National Situational Awareness Day – September 26, 2024

History of National Situational Awareness Day

In 2016, National Situational Awareness Day was approved and September 26 was chosen as the holiday. The holiday was submitted for consideration a year prior by Pretty Loaded, an enterprise that is concerned with training individuals and groups to be more mindful of their surroundings.

The founder of Pretty Loaded, Beth Warford, recounted the story that inspired the enterprise. It was an incident that involved a stalker, in which she and her children were almost attacked. She recalls being unaware of the situation until it was almost too late and was lucky enough to have a family member interfere timeously. That event made her realize that many of us are totally unaware of our surroundings. Thus, we do not immediately notice the dangers that might be lurking.

The term ‘situational awareness’ denotes an exercise that has been described in several military texts. The concept is said to be portrayed in Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War.” Also, during the first World War, the practice seemed to be adopted, especially by pilots.

Situational awareness has helped many stay alive in very dangerous situations. It also teaches many people to avoid potentially dangerous situations, like walking alone in a dark alley. Countless firms now offer lessons in situational awareness, especially on National Situational Awareness Day. Organizations and institutions have also helped their employees get necessary training that would help them be more mindful of their surroundings.

National Situational Awareness Day is observed to acknowledge the importance of situational awareness and also encourage more people to learn basic survival tips for their own personal safety.