advanced armed robbery training
Financial Institution Safety Training! The F.I.S.T. ™ Certification Program
Become part of the group of financial institutions that are setting the standard for security in the banking industry! Banks and Credit Unions across the country are providing their employees with the most innovative, leading edge, advanced armed robbery training available, Financial Institution Safety Training! The F.I.S.T. ™ Certification Program, created by Tulsa Police Officer & bank robbery expert Greg Douglass, is the first of its kind in the nation and is offered exclusively by Citadel Intelligence. Citadel Intelligence is the only official provider of The F.I.S.T.™ Certification Program.
F.I.S.T.™ is an advanced armed robbery preparedness training program designed to save lives. We equip financial institutions with the knowledge and skills to protect against and prepare for armed robberies. The program is the first of its kind in the nation and was developed by Tulsa Police Officer Greg Douglass after the First Fidelity Bank robbery on June 22, 2004. He was the first officer on the scene of this violent robbery that resulted in the death of Amber Rogers, a teller, and critical injuries to Mark Poole, the bank president, and Howard Smith, a client.
In response to this deadly armed robbery, Greg spent endless hours researching current training programs, bank policies and procedures, bank robbery statistics and suspect profiles, actions, and behaviors during the robberies. Using all of his training, experience and knowledge he immediately went to work at developing a program that would help financial institutions prepare for such violent and deadly events.
The Oklahoma Bankers Association endorsed the F.I.S.T. ™ Certification Program from 2004-2006 and many banks in Oklahoma and the Midwest have received this invaluable training.
Overview
Vulnerability Assessment – Crime Analysis
The vulnerability assessment is vital to providing a safe working environment. Its purpose is to assess the structural disadvantages of a facility, as well as vulnerabilities in daily business operations. The first line of defense against a robbery is increasing the difficulty level in allowing a criminal to access and successfully overcome a facility. A confidential report is created for each facility, highlighting specific areas of concern with recommendations for improvement and fortification. The vicinity crime analysis provides the financial institution with a detailed report of actual crimes committed in the immediate area of the branch. This report will assist in determining the threat and vulnerability status of the facility.
Interactive Instruction
With the practical application, interaction, and “hands on” examples from real life events and experiences, your employees will find this training to be fascinating and enlightening. We cover many issues including the different personalities of the armed robber and appropriate responses to each one, as well as, physical, emotional and psychological responses to a critical incident, during and after the event.
Situational Exercise (Scenario)
The scenario is the most exciting part of the training. Scenario actors portray armed bank robbers but no real weapons are used. The tellers will be at their stations and will be given instructions on how to respond. Other employees will be at their work stations, or in any position to witness the “robbery rehearsal.”
The goal of the scenario is to allow the employees the opportunity to apply the training, knowledge and skills they have just learned in a controlled stress environment. This method of learning is a tried and proven technique in law enforcement and military instruction for individuals who are required to make critical decisions in life threatening situations.
If an armed robbery should occur at your bank, your employees will be able to draw on this experience and respond more effectively, than if they were just given the information without the chance to apply it.
Debriefing
At the conclusion of the training, we have a debriefing of the training session. The employees are given an employee evaluation form where they can give us their comments, critiques, thoughts, opinions and perspectives about the F.I.S.T.™ Certification Program.
Benefits
The primary goal of this training is to instruct individuals in the banking industry on appropriate behavior during a critical incident/robbery. This information may save the lives of employees. We feel that the potential preservation of life is the greatest benefit anyone can offer. Additional benefits include:
Facility Fortification
The vulnerability assessment recommendations are valuable tools in preventing your financial institution from becoming an armed robbery target.
Employee Appreciation
Your staff will appreciate the special training, knowing that their employers allowed them to have the best training available in the nation today and implemented additional security procedures for their safety.
Employee Retention
The confidence gained through the F.I.S.T.™ Certification Program increases the likelihood of being able to retain quality employees. They are prepared emotionally and mentally to enable and empower them to continue working after a critical incident occurs. This also decreases the potential liabilities facing financial institutions after robberies, such as “failure to train” or “hazardous working environment” lawsuits.
Visible Deterrent
After the training, you will receive a F.I.S.T. ™ logo seal to place on the front doors of your facility. This trademark is becoming widely recognized in the banking industry as a symbol of superior security and training. It informs all who enter that the institution has been F.I.S.T. ™ CERTIFIED.
Annual Security Training
Once a financial institution has been F.I.S.T. ™ Certified, we will provide yearly follow up training sessions for a minimal fee. These sessions meet the yearly requirements set forth by the Banking Protection Act and alleviate the burden of individual banks having to create new security programs each year. It is also an excellent refresher course in the core principles of the F.I.S.T. ™ Certification Program.