Cooper’s color code: A simple way to stay aware every day.

We’ve all had those moments…a gut feeling, a quick glance over the shoulder, a pause before stepping into an unfamiliar space.

That’s your awareness at work. But what if you could train that awareness intentionally? What if you had a simple way to understand what level of alertness you're operating in and how to adjust it as your environment changes?

That’s exactly what Colonel Jeff Cooper’s Color Code is designed to help with. Originally used in firearm safety and self-defense circles, the color code is much more than a tactical tool. It’s a mindset model—a simple, visual way to think about how present, prepared, or distracted you are in any situation. And yes, it’s just as applicable walking through a parking lot as it is in a high-risk environment.

Let’s break it down.

⚪️ Condition White: Unaware

This is your default mode when you’re relaxed, distracted, and not paying attention to your surroundings.

You might be:

• Scrolling on your phone

• Daydreaming

• Zoned out in a familiar space

• Wearing both earbuds while walking

In Condition White, you’re not mentally prepared to notice something unexpected, which makes it harder to respond if something does go wrong. There’s a time and place for White—but it shouldn’t be your default in public spaces.

🟡 Condition Yellow: Relaxed Alert

This is where we aim to live most of the time.

In Yellow, you’re calm and confident—but you’re also observing. You’re scanning your surroundings, casually noting what’s going on, and aware of any subtle shifts in energy or movement.

Examples:

• Noticing who enters a coffee shop

• Walking through a parking lot with your keys ready

• Checking for exits when you enter a new room

You’re not anxious. You’re just engaged with your environment. This is the core of everyday situational awareness, and it’s where most prepared people stay by choice.

🟠 Condition Orange: Focused Attention

In Orange, something has caught your attention. It doesn’t mean there’s a threat—but something feels off enough that you’ve shifted focus. You’re starting to assess.

Examples:

• Someone is following you too closely

• A person’s behavior suddenly shifts

• A sound or movement triggers your instincts

In Orange, your mind is asking: “If this becomes a problem… what will I do?” This is where mental rehearsal begins.

🔴 Condition Red: Ready to Act

Condition Red means your gut check from Orange just turned into a decision.

This is the moment you prepare to act—whether that’s walking away, calling for help, confronting a situation, or physically defending yourself as a last resort. This level isn’t just about intensity, it’s about decisiveness.

Most importantly: You don’t need to live in Red. You just need to know how to get there if needed and without panic.

Why It Matters in Real Life

This color code isn’t just for law enforcement or military professionals.
It’s for:

• Runners

• Parents

• Teens walking home from school

• Travelers at a rest stop

• Anyone who wants to be more prepared in everyday life

At Paratus, we teach this model inside our Situational Awareness Course because it gives people a simple, empowering way to check in with their mindset at any moment. And once you learn to operate in Yellow by default, you'll be amazed how quickly you start noticing things you used to overlook.

Here's How to Use It This Week:

✅ Practice checking your level when you walk into a new space
✅ Make Yellow your new default (calm, relaxed alertness)
✅ Teach your kids or loved ones the concept using age-appropriate language
✅ Journal one moment this week where you shifted levels, what triggered it? How did you respond?

Want to go deeper?

Our Situational Awareness Course at Paratus doesn’t just teach you what to watch for—it teaches you how to observe, decide, and act with purpose. The Cooper Color Code is just one part of the Paratus 3P Process—Prepare. Prevent. Protect. Whether you’re walking to your car or leading a team, the way you think under pressure matters.

Start training that mindset today.
🔗 Learn more and Enroll Here

What Your Kids Should Know Before School Starts Again

A Parent’s Guide to Everyday Safety

Backpacks are soon to be packed, supply lists are checked, and the first-day jitters are on the horizon. But as you get your child ready to return to school, there’s one area of preparation many parents overlook…personal safety and situational awareness.

We teach our kids how to read, write, and follow school rules.
But do they know what to do if something feels “off”?
If a stranger approaches?
If a classmate says something that makes them uncomfortable?

As the world becomes more complex, the threats our children face, both online and in person are evolving. Now more than ever, we need to prepare our kids to recognize those threats and respond with confidence, not fear.

Here are five essential things your child should know before stepping back into the classroom this fall:

1. How to Trust Their Gut and Speak Up

Children are incredibly intuitive. But if they haven’t been taught to trust their instincts, they may freeze or second-guess themselves when something feels wrong. Teach your child that it’s okay to speak up, even if they’re not sure something is “serious.” If someone gives them an uncomfortable feeling, they need to know it’s always better to say something.

Give them permission to:

• Leave a situation that feels off

• Tell an adult they trust

• Say “no” to anything that crosses a boundary

2. Who Their Safe Adults Are (and Aren’t)

Kids need to know exactly who they can go to at school, at aftercare, or even during transit if something goes wrong. Just saying “tell an adult” isn’t enough.

Create a list with your child:

• Name their teacher, coach, principal, or counselor

• Include trusted friends’ parents or nearby family members

• Be clear that not all adults are automatically safe

3. What Situational Awareness Looks Like for a Kid

Situational awareness isn’t about paranoia…it’s about paying attention. Even young children can learn this in age-appropriate ways.

Teach your child to:

• Notice exits and safe spaces in every room

• Stay alert to people who might be watching or following

• Keep their phone (if they have one) charged and silenced, not glued to their face

• Avoid walking alone while distracted

This doesn't have to be scary, it can be practiced as a game:
“What color was the door we came in?” or “How many exits did you see in the cafeteria?”

4. How to Handle Unsafe Digital Situations

Most kids use devices daily in school. That opens doors to communication and risk, especially when it comes to online messaging, gaming, or group chats.

Before school starts:

• Set digital boundaries: no chatting with strangers, no accepting game invites from people they don’t know

• Teach them the red flags of grooming and manipulation

• Help them understand that once something is sent, it can’t be taken back

• Encourage them to talk to you if something weird happens online—without fear of getting in trouble

5. What to Do in a Real Emergency

If the fire alarm goes off, there’s a lockdown drill, or someone on campus is acting strangely, your child should already have a basic response plan.

Go over simple but powerful steps:

• Where do they go if they’re in class?

• What if they’re in the bathroom or hallway during an emergency?

• Who do they text if they can use their phone?

• What are the school’s safety words or codes?

When your child is confident in the plan, they’re less likely to freeze in a real situation.

Train Their Confidence, not Their Fear

The goal isn’t to scare your child. The goal is to empower them.

That’s exactly what the Paratus 3P Process is designed to do. Through simple, practical steps, your family can build:

• Situational awareness habits

• Critical thinking skills

• Real-world scenarios to practice

• A shared language of safety

You don’t have to figure it out alone. You don’t have to be paranoid. You just have to start preparing together.

Want to make sure your child goes back to school with more than pencils and notebooks?
Equip them with the awareness and confidence to face anything that comes their way.

Learn more about the Take Back Responsibility Program at https://www.paratus.group/takebackresponsibility

#BackToSchoolSafety #Paratus3P #SituationalAwareness #PreparedNotScared #FamilySafety #EverydayPreparedness #TakeBackResponsibility #SchoolSafety #SelfRescue #ParentingTips

Situational awareness for runners: Take back the run

For many runners, hitting the pavement is more than just exercise—it’s freedom, stress relief, and time to think. But in today’s world, it’s also important to recognize the risks that come with it. Whether you're running solo at dawn, through neighborhoods, trails, or busy streets, your safety depends on more than just pace and endurance—it depends on situational awareness.

That’s why we created Take Back the Run, a collaborative safety course from RunningMate x Paratus Group—designed specifically for runners like you.

Why Situational Awareness Matters When You Run

It’s easy to get into a rhythm—literally. But the same routine that brings comfort can also make you vulnerable if you're not alert to your surroundings. And unfortunately, news stories of harassment, abductions, or attacks while running aren’t rare.

Situational awareness gives you the ability to:

• Recognize potential threats early

• Trust your gut and make quick, confident decisions

• Prevent dangerous situations before they escalate

• Stay one step ahead—mentally and physically

It’s not about fear. It’s about freedom with confidence.

Common Risk Factors for Runners

In our course, we break down the specific risks runners face:

• Running with headphones or zoning out

• Taking the same route or routine daily

• Isolated trails or dark early-morning paths

• Ignoring subtle red flags like parked vehicles, lingering individuals, or blocked sightlines

• Being unprepared for verbal harassment or confrontation

These situations can escalate quickly—but when you’re trained to notice and respond, you gain control of the outcome.

What You’ll Learn in Take Back the Run

This course is not your typical safety lecture. It’s practical, relatable, and built for the real-world challenges runners face every day.

Inside the course, you’ll learn:

✅ How to develop daily situational awareness habits while running
✅ What your body and instincts are trying to tell you—and how to listen
✅ How to recognize red flags and warning signs before they become threats
✅ Verbal de-escalation tips and what to say (or not say) if confronted
✅ How to change your route and routine to avoid becoming a predictable target
✅ The 3P Process: Prepare. Prevent. Protect.—a simple, proven method to stay ahead of danger

You’ll also get bonus tools like route checklists, downloadable habit reminders, and real-life scenario walkthroughs.

Created for Runners, by Runners & Safety Experts

This course was built by female runners and safety professionals who understand the mental and physical side of what it takes to run with confidence. Whether you're training for your next 10K or running laps in your neighborhood, you deserve to feel strong, focused, and safe.

Ready to Take Back the Run?

If you’ve ever felt nervous running alone...
If you’ve ever looked over your shoulder or picked up your pace when something felt “off”...
If you just want to run freely—without fear—

This course is for you.

🎯 Take the first step toward confident running.
👉 Enroll in “Take Back the Run” today and start training your awareness just like you train your body.

https://mailchi.mp/paratus/takebacktherun

The Cost of Complacency: Moving from Auto-Pilot to awareness

Most of us like to think we’re safe. We stick to our routines, live in decent neighborhoods, and trust that if something bad hasn’t happened yet, it probably won’t. It’s an easy mindset to fall into—especially when life feels busy and predictable. But here’s the thing: safety isn’t about where you live or how lucky you’ve been so far. It’s about being aware and prepared before something happens, not after. And once you see that clearly, it’s hard to unsee it.

The Comfort of “It Won’t Happen to Me”

We all say it in different ways:

• “Our town’s quiet.”

• “Nothing ever really happens around here.”

• “I’ve been doing this for years and never had a problem.”

That kind of thinking isn’t wrong—it’s just risky. It leans on hope instead of preparation. And in today’s world, choosing to stay unaware is a bigger gamble than it used to be.

When “Everyday” Doesn’t Go As Planned

You’ve probably read headlines like these, or maybe even lived them:

• A woman leaves the grocery store and heads to her car. It’s broad daylight. She’s been here dozens of times. But this time, someone’s watching her. They wait for the moment she’s distracted—keys out, head down—and approach.

• A school leaves a side door propped open for a delivery. A stranger walks in unnoticed. No one is hurt, thankfully. But it shakes everyone.

• A mom runs into the gas station for a quick second and leaves her car running with her toddler inside. It’s something she’s done before. But this time, someone jumps in the car and drives away.

In all of these moments, the people involved didn’t feel unsafe. Until they were.

Not because they were careless. But because they were comfortable. Because they assumed everything was fine—like it always had been.

What Choosing Awareness Actually Looks Like

Choosing to be more aware doesn’t mean living in fear. It doesn’t mean you need to scan every corner like you’re in a spy movie. It means paying attention. It means noticing when something feels “off” and trusting that instinct.

That’s where the Paratus 3P Process comes in: Prepare. Prevent. Protect.

It’s a framework that helps you shift out of autopilot and into intentional living. Through small, daily habits, it helps you stay alert without becoming anxious. It gives you tools to teach your kids how to recognize safe exits, trust their gut, and respond with confidence.

This is the work that turns "What if something happens?" into "I know what to do if it does."

You Don’t Have to Be Perfect—Just Present

Everyone has moments when they tune out or let their guard down. That’s normal. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is presence. It’s taking back the parts of your life that you’ve handed over to routine.

You already care about your safety. You already care about your family’s well-being. This is just about learning how to put that care into action in a way that makes a real difference.

If You’re Ready to Take a Step Forward

We created the Take Back Responsibility Program for people who want to lead themselves and others with awareness and confidence. It’s not about fear. It’s about freedom—the freedom that comes from knowing you’re prepared.

This isn’t about waiting for something bad to happen. It’s about making the decision today to live differently—more intentionally, more alert, and more empowered.