The Five Levels of Competence

This is adapted from another type of training document.  It is being directed towards an individual’s ability to take responsibility for their own safety that includes theft of your property, preparing for emergencies, training for disasters, preparing your family, and being aware of your surroundings.

When you enter a room or leave a building, scan your surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. Sit near an exit or know where the exits are located.

Intentionally Incompetent – these people know they are incompetent but lack the motivation to improve their skills and change their habits. Crossing busy streets with earphones in each ear, head down, and not paying attention to the traffic around them. Walking to the car in a busy shopping center with kids and being distracted with the shopping cart or one child taking all your attention. Not properly securing your property or leaving property visible in your vehicle. Leaving the garage door open or the front door unlocked. Not preparing for emergencies and then wondering why there is so much suffering when something unexpected happens. Bad things happen to these people a lot. These people walk around like zombies in an emergency and don’t know what to do. They can put themselves further into harm’s way because of their incompetence.

Unconsciously Incompetent – These people don’t know what they don’t know because of little or no training or incomplete training and have not yet experienced an emergency situation. They know a little bit, they don’t need more training, and they don’t want to think about it further.  They have never thought thru an emergency situation.

Consciously Incompetent – These people have gone thru an emergency situation and recognize that it’s up to them to seek help in acquiring the proper skills to handle emergency situations. They begin to focus their efforts toward reaching a level of competency through training, information, and changing habits.

Consciously Competent – With proper training and practice you can become consciously competent. It is based on the quality of training and the motivation of the student. You and your family will be able to respond to most emergencies, and where you might need help, you have training documents, checklists, or notebooks to assist.

You become very confident about your ability to function in emergency situations.

Unconsciously Competent – This is the ultimate level. You have practiced and like touch typing, you know what to do without thinking. No wasted steps. You can react in a short amount of time to begin the process. Emergency personnel can operate at this level thru their extensive training. Parents learn to react immediately when children are cut, burned, or exhibit symptoms of poisoning. They don’t have to wait to call someone; they know what must be done immediately. They know that when seconds count, emergency response will be minutes away, maybe 5 minutes or more. You are the first responder and you know what to do until backup arrives.