The second exit is somewhere beyond the shop floor. The connecting door in the office might lock. Nobody has discussed who would call the police. These uncertainties can pass unnoticed for years. During a violent emergency, they can suddenly complicate every decision.
Ronny Schmidt’s German-language handbook Amok & Terror: Eigensicherung und Überleben examines that gap between everyday familiarity and meaningful preparation. It focuses on the period when a serious threat is already unfolding and professional help cannot yet intervene. The response of an individual is considered alongside the responsibilities of workplaces, schools and other organisations.
Three options, followed by another essential task
The central framework is Run, Hide, Fight: escape, seek protection, and resist as a last resort when the other options are no longer available. Schmidt explores these choices through the physical details of ordinary places. He considers blocked exits, the difference between concealment and protective cover, and the tendency to focus on a familiar main entrance when another route may be available.
His distinctive addition is the “3-plus-1” principle. Reaching a temporarily protected location begins a further phase: consolidation. People need to be accounted for, injuries identified, responsibilities taken and communication with responding officers prepared. The discussion continues beyond the initial escape; a closed door does not bring every decision to an end.
The opening psychological chapters examine why people explain away danger, freeze or wait for others to react. Schmidt uses these patterns to make the case for short, rehearsed responses. Readers concerned about armed violence, including knife attacks, are encouraged to consider a practical question: which options have they actually noticed in the places they use every day?
Putting preparation into practice
A substantial part of the handbook deals with buildings and the people who use them. Walk-through assessments, functioning doors, alternative routes, internal alerts and accessible emergency supplies are considered together. Four roles divide the immediate responsibilities: door security, communication, medical assistance and coordination. Sample action cards turn these roles into brief sequences that can be adapted to a particular location.
Schmidt also sets out a programme of short exercises and a training plan covering twelve months. Familiarity with rooms and equipment develops into practised procedures, while debriefings identify specific gaps for correction. A separate section on trauma-sensitive training addresses voluntary participation, the ability to stop an exercise and controlled scenarios.
The book then examines situations that challenge standard assumptions: working alone at a remote site, managing large gatherings and supporting people with mobility, sensory or cognitive needs. This brings preparation down to questions as specific as whether a protected room is accessible and whether an alarm can reach someone who cannot hear it.
For people responsible for others – and themselves
Five case studies, including Virginia Tech, the Thalys train attack and the attack on the synagogue in Halle, accompany the practical chapters. A section discusses German legal considerations, while the appendix provides action cards and a template for assessing premises. Together, these materials give readers a starting point for examining their own surroundings and arrangements.
Schmidt writes with directness and urgency. A former paratrooper and the owner of Urban Defense and Team-Survival, he places preparation and the ability to act at the centre of the book. It will particularly interest people responsible for workplaces and educational settings, staff in public-facing roles, and individuals who want to think seriously about their response to extreme violence. Readers can return to familiar buildings with questions they can answer on site: which doors work, which routes are clear, and which responses have people actually practised?
Book details
- Author: Ronny Schmidt
- Title: Amok & Terror: Eigensicherung und Überleben
- Subtitle: Vom Opfer zum Akteur: Das Praxis-Handbuch für Notfallpläne, Taktik und Prävention in Unternehmen, Schulen und im Alltag
- Language: German
- Paperback: 118 pages
- Publication date: 14 December 2025
- ISBN-13: 979-8278747635
View the German-language paperback on Amazon
About the author: Ronny Schmidt
