Pepper Spray – Part III (Effective Deployment).

    Once you’ve chosen the pepper spray product that best suits your circumstances, the next step is becoming proficient with it.  Anyone who has chosen to use pepper spray as their feature self-defense tactic needs to know its effective deployment and performance characteristics.  As I mentioned in the previous article, many pepper spray manufacturers make inert models of their products (filled with water or some other non-active substance) that you can use to become familiar with the product’s effective range, spray density and spray distribution.  


   It’s well worth the investment in time and money for the practice and mental rehearsal so you don’t have to be stumbling through it and figuring this stuff out in an actual tactical situation.  Knowing the intricacies of your pepper spray product’s performance will also lend itself to a higher level of confidence in your ability to deal with an assailant.  Confidence helps to avoid panic.  I’ve heard a few stories about people armed with pepper spray who, due to the stress of the situation, have panicked in the face of an assault and failed to deploy their pepper spray or failed to deploy it effectively.  (Similar to what some inexperienced and mentally unprepared hunters experience known as ‘Buck Fever.’  The body performs some of the required physical activity, but the cognitive aspects of the exercise just disconnect.)


   The second element of proper deployment of pepper spray is preparedness.  There are two aspects of preparedness:  (1) Situational preparedness and; (2) physical preparedness.  Situational preparedness might also be called ‘situational awareness.’  Situational awareness alludes to knowing where and when you are most likely to be accosted.  I think everyone understands the basic precautions they should take to avoid being assaulted – don’t park in dark or isolated areas of a parking lot; don’t move about isolated areas alone – move in groups; know where the higher crime trends are in your community and avoid them if possible; etc., etc.  


   It also encompasses the concept of observing and evaluating your surroundings and all of the tings and people in it – a threat assessment, if you will.  I would describe the mindset as paranoia’s 3rd cousin once removed.  Identify anyone in the environment that you feel could be a threat.  Casually track their gaze in reference to where you are and in reference to where you are moving and your immediate destination.  Track any movements they make and note if their movements appear to be furtive.  If any movement does appear to be furtive, or if someone’s gaze appears to be untypical or unusual, consider that person a threat.  If any aspect of a person’s behavior or appearance seems uncharacteristic or unusual, consider that person a threat.  Begin mentally rehearsing a response to an assault.


   The second aspect of preparedness is to be physically prepared to deploy your pepper spray when it’s needed.  Pepper spray, no matter how potent and no matter how practiced you are with its use, won’t do you any good when it’s sitting in the bottom of your pocket or your purse.  


   When you find it necessary to move into an environment in which you might be vulnerable, your pepper spray should be maintained in your hand at a casual ready.  Many manufacturers of pepper spray products for the civilian markets make models that attach to key rings so that people automatically have them in their hand when moving to and from their vehicles.  My personal favorite is a model that attaches with a belt clip and is very similar to the size and dimensions of a cellular telephone – it provides rapid and easy access without actually having the unit in your hand.


   Should it become necessary to actuate your response plan, point the nozzle of the canister at the assailant’s target area (the muzzle area of the face) and spray a one- to-two second stream making necessary adjustments to the impact area of the stream.  (A one or two-second stream is usually sufficient, but it never hurts to be generous in this situation.)  Be prepared to change targets if there are multiple threats.  As well as spraying the assailant(s), simultaneously scream and yell as loud as you can.  Besides drawing attention to you and your situation the loud screaming and yelling will contribute to the sensory overload your assailant(s) are undoubtedly experiencing.


   One of my favorite pepper spray products is the Tornado 5-in-1 Pepper Spray unit.  Besides delivering a 10% OC solution (about the same potency of the product issued by most police agencies), the unit sounds a 125dB alarm and activates an extremely bright LED pulsating light that attracts attention to you and your assailant and drives your assailant deeper into sensory overload.  The unit provides a little more output to help deliver you from harm.


   Once the assailants’ aggressiveness has been neutralized and their mental focus has shifted to obtaining relief from the OC exposure, that is your opportunity to get away from the assailant(s) and get to help.  Don’t stick around in close proximity to the assailant(s).  Don’t hang around to watch the assailant(s) suffer and admire your handiwork.  Repeated applications of the pepper spray aren’t likely to prolong the assailant(s) debility or intensify the effects. 


   Once you’ve saved yourself, the next step is to do your very best to see that the assailant(s) wind up in the custody of the law.  That will be your contribution to the community.  Most people who engage in this type of crime are serial criminals.  If they recover from their experience with you and your pepper spray, they will likely find another victim at some point and they may even take precautions and/or change their tactics to try to prevent another OC exposure.  


   Just remember that custody is the function of law enforcement officers.  Your only job with respect to that is to do your best to get law enforcement to the assailant(s).  The arresting officers will see to the assailants’ decontamination.