Thread: Asleep to high alert in no time flat

I've always wondered, as many of us probably have, how I would react to a sudden, loud noise in the middle of the night. I got the opportunity to discover exactly what I would do the other night.

I was sleeping peacefully in the comfort of my own bed. I was suddenly jolted awake by a loud crashing sound, clearly coming from inside the apartment. My room mate works nights so there shouldn't be anyone inside. Within seconds I am up with my .45 in hand clearing the house. Turns out my room mate took part of the night off and was home early and dropped something in the kitchen. I think I startled him more then he startled me.

I was glad for this scenario. I now know I can go from a dead sleep to fully awake, prepared, aware, and armed, in a matter of seconds. Good to know these things!

Its amazing how quickly you do wake up. I've had a few occassions when i've had to 'get with it' in a hurry. Got woken up one night after a lot of beer because of a medical emergency. That sobered me up fast!

I've lost much of that ability since getting out of the military 20 years ago. With many little kids and nocturnally active cats in the house, I'd never get any sleep if I acted now like I did then. But since I've been living alone in my RV while working on the road these last few years, some of that ability has returned. A few weeks ago, when my family came to visit me, my wife put a hand on my butt in the middle of the night and I was instantly awake and ready for action with a cocked fist pointed right at her. Yikes for both of us!

Keith

Originally Posted by Tactical SS

I've always wondered, as many of us probably have, how I would react to a sudden, loud noise in the middle of the night. I got the opportunity to discover exactly what I would do the other night.

I was sleeping peacefully in the comfort of my own bed. I was suddenly jolted awake by a loud crashing sound, clearly coming from inside the apartment. My room mate works nights so there shouldn't be anyone inside. Within seconds I am up with my .45 in hand clearing the house. Turns out my room mate took part of the night off and was home early and dropped something in the kitchen. I think I startled him more then he startled me.

I was glad for this scenario. I now know I can go from a dead sleep to fully awake, prepared, aware, and armed, in a matter of seconds. Good to know these things!

Or just be awake and ready in a controlled area instead of clearing the house like some special tshirt guy. No sense in hunting a someone in your house over a tv or whatever if a family member isn't in another part of the house.

Just my .02. I would rather be waiting in my room with 911 on the phone, rather than playing special tshirt guy and clearing my house.

Pretty much boils down to just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.

I can go from a dead sleep to being dressed and gone in 60 seconds. Great for fighting fire, but not much help when it comes to gathering ones self for home defense. After almost 20 years of jumping out of bed to respond to emergencies the first thing I have been conditioned to do is grab a good pair of socks and put on my pants. On the bright side no one will find me murdered in my boxers.

Originally Posted by JRV

Or just be awake and ready in a controlled area instead of clearing the house like some special tshirt guy. No sense in hunting a someone in your house over a tv or whatever if a family member isn't in another part of the house.

Just my .02. I would rather be waiting in my room with 911 on the phone, rather than playing special tshirt guy and clearing my house.

Pretty much boils down to just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD.

You wait... I won't...

Well, the OP did say there was a very loud crash and no-one was expected to be home. I might not clear the entire house, but I have stood watch at the head of my stairs before.

Keith

Originally Posted by Tactical SS

You wait... I won't...

That's why your name on here is tactical

Originally Posted by trainsktg

Well, the OP did say there was a very loud crash and no-one was expected to be home. I might not clear the entire house, but I have stood watch at the head of my stairs before.

Keith

Nothing wrong with that!

I just don't see clearing te whole house if you can stay in your room and be safe and only use a firearm if you have to.


Things can be replaced by insurance, your life can't.

Again my opinion is solely based on not having to get to another part of the house for a family member.

Originally Posted by JRV

That's why your name on here is tactical

If we had a reputation system here, I'd give one up for making me laugh!

Originally Posted by JRV

Nothing wrong with that!

I just don't see clearing te whole house if you can stay in your room and be safe and only use a firearm if you have to.


Things can be replaced by insurance, your life can't.

Again my opinion is solely based on not having to get to a other part of the house for a family member.

The apartment is small, there isn't much to clear and it took me less than 5 seconds... yeah it's small.

I did like the 'special T-shirt guy' quip. I gotta remember that.

Keith

I have thought to myself what I would do if this happened... and I would not clear my house... and the reason why is there are to many walls or ways a bad guy could sneak up on you. I have 2 hand guns loaded on either side of my bed one for my wife one for me and a loaded AR next to me... as well as my cell phone with 911 on Speed dial.. so come into my room I'll greet you with open arms!

Just FYI, any old cell phone, even without service, can still call 911. I keep my old Moto Razor in my nightstand. Surprisingly the battery holds a charge for many months while it's off.

I sleep so soundly that I've often joked "Firemen would have to wake me up after stomping out my flaming body." However, about 25 years ago when I was living in an unsavory part of Renton, WA my eyes opened wide at about 2:00 a.m.. It was like I went from dead asleep to wide awake in an instant which had never happened to me before.

In those days, I kept my .357 mag in an ammo can. Opening that 'may have' caused someone to leave but I'll never know. I slowly searched the house inside and out before going back to bed. I slept soundly but never put the revolver back into that ammo can.

I have been surprised at how quickly I can go from dead sleep to wide awake at an unusual loud noise also.
From what I've read it takes at least 2 people to properly clear a house and even police officers trained in clearing won't do it alone (outside of movies). I've practiced it and investigated bumps in the night but if you are pretty sure there is someone there I think the waiting with 911 on the phone and a firearm trained on the fatal funnel is the best course of action unless there are other people in the house that need to be secured.

If I am ever awoken in the night and I have no idea why I woke up. I do NOT go back to sleep until I at least listen for a few minutes. If I think someone is already in my house, I'll get off the bed, onto my knees completely armed with shotgun, .45, and phone. But if I hear sounds of someone attempting entry, I am going to investigate immediately. I have already decided to fire first and ask questions second. I don't have children.

As a kid I slept with an Arisaka bayonet next to the bed...

Keith

Back when my parents were divorcing my father went off his rocker and prowled around looking for me at night, he knew what area but not what house I was in so I slept with one eye open with my rifle (he was an armed ex-cop and pretty far off his rocker!). Later, during my first year married, my night owl mother-in-law thought it would be a good idea to bring over some clothes she had washed for us at 3 in the morning. I was still pretty hyper-vigilant even though my dad was locked up by this time. She was actually pretty quiet letting her self in but was freaked out when she turned on a lamp and saw me and my AR peeking out from around the hall corner. 15 years later she still calls before coming over and I still sleep with one open, wife won't let me bring the AR to bed though.

There is awake and there is 'ready'...two different things really....

I live in a place, where I have to drown out the cars, people, cats, ect from my 'wake up call'...it sucks...there was a time I lived in the country and it was dead quiet....I liked that, ...not only would I wake to a real noise, but I didn't have to cancel out that car or whatever...in the country if you hear a car, it's on your property, and it shouldn't be there...

I live in a very quiet neighbourhood with relatively little ambient noise, so anything out of the ordinary will wake me up and get the adrenaline flowing. Getting back to sleep afterward is usually the problem....
Whether to clear or not depends on too many variables for there to be a definitive right or wrong.
I won't. My house has 2 floors and too many blind corners and hiding spots where i could be flanked. I have no idea if it's one or multiple intruders or where exactly they might be in my house. I would park myself and cell phone at the defensible bottleneck at the end of my hallway, where my family is behind me and where there is also a 2nd exit to the street through our bedroom. (If the intruders entered that way, it would be a very different situation. However, that would be a very noisy, well lit, visible and stupid point of entry.)
If I went house clearing I'd be leaving my children and (armed) wife to fend for themselves.