Crisis Prevention Comparisons
Most of our major competitors have been in the crisis prevention and intervention business since the late 70s and/or early 80s, and many of our customers had been using these programs before switching to the SafeClinch Program. So, we get to hear quite a bit about the previous programs the organizations were using, and have been able to capitalize on the perceived weaknesses of these programs offered by some of our competitors.
The average cost to become an instructor with one of our major competitors is $3,000 to $5,000. The average number of years before recertification is required is 1-2 years. The cost to become a “Master” Instructor in the SafeClinch Program is $1,495, and recertification is only required every 3 years. Our competitors also require the organization to pay a fee for each end user trained by the instructor; we consider this a hidden fee. In the SafeClinch Program there are no fees paid to SafeClinch for end users trained within the Master Instructor’s organization.
Many of our competitors use “dated” manuals for instructional purposes; oftentimes using “stick” figures and meager drawings. It is for this reason that SafeClinch produces one of the most contemporary and comprehensive instructor manuals in the industry. There are over 240 photos in the SafeClinch Instructor Manual and over 120 video clips walking the student through each technique and scenario in the SafeClinch Training System. SafeClinch provides all these presentation items with the basic fee to become a Master Instructor.
Our competitors spend most of the program time on classroom lectures and exercises and spend little time on physical intervention. We at SafeClinch understand that physical intervention should be used as a last resort, but that does not mean physical intervention/techniques should be taught at the end of the program, with little emphasis. The SafeClinch Program offers an excellent training module for preventing disruptive behavior and communicating with people that are emotionally charged. However, we balance this training material with high quality personal safety and physical intervention training.
Our major competitors offer 4-5 day instructor certification programs. It appears all these programs could easily be taught in 2-3 days. The programs are full of “Role Playing” exercises, which can be good and bad. We highly recommend role playing and simulation training for your organization and take advantage of this teaching method in the SafeClinch Program. However, most of our competitors use role playing exercises as “filler”, which usually means several people in the room are sitting around with nothing to do. One reason competitors rely too heavily on “role play” teaching is that their programs lack real substance; this is especially true with regard to their personal safety and restraint techniques.
Our competitors spend a great deal of time on non-physical activity, because they lack the real world experience needed to successfully blend the physical with the non-physical; which is needed for a crisis prevention and intervention program to be truly effective. The founders of most crisis prevention programs claim to have come by their physical techniques by having some kind of background in the use of body mechanics and leverage; learned while working with special needs populations. The problem with this is that none of these people have ever participated or trained in any kind of mainstream physical control tactics. Point being, if you have never been subjected to a wide variety of physical control tactics, how can you ever know what techniques are safe, which techniques are not safe, and more importantly which techniques are most effective. We recommend that all staff authorized to use immobilization techniques be trained on the risks of positional/restraint asphyxia. Positional asphyxia can occur when a person being restrained cannot get enough oxygen. This lack of oxygen can lead to disturbances in the rhythm of the heart and serious injury can result. SafeClinch emphasizes that the least restrictive intervention should be used whenever possible. The SafeClinch Training System relies on body mechanics and safe techniques, just like our competitors. The only difference is that our techniques were discovered and perfected while participating and teaching a wide assortment of physical control tactics, in addition to utilizing our experience working with special needs populations.
Message From SafeClinch
Our goal is to provide a safe work environment. Another one of our goals is to treat people with respect and dignity.
The SafeClinch Program is so innovative and cutting edge that we feel comfortable with our potential customers and/or business partners shopping around, so they can select the best crisis prevention and intervention program for their organization.
The following is a sample of approved holds in the SafeClinch Training System.
1. S.A.F.E. Hold/Clinch
2. Side Hold/Clinch (and variations)
3. Modified Side Clinch
4. One arm over/under Hold
5. Seatbelt Hold/Clinch (and variations)
6. Bicep and Wrist Escort Hold
7. Tricep and Wrist Escort Hold
8. X-Grip from Walk Down Transition
9. X-Grip from Standing Position
