S.W.A.T. December 2007 - McKeesport Police Department

THE ARTICLE NAME
above: Range activities such as
shooting while advancing were
practiced repeatedly.
right: Night fire proved interesting and
reinforced the importance of repetition
and equipment familiarity. The qualification
drills were the basis for the training
evolution.
everything needed right off the shelf.
Storm Mountain is a great place to
refresh or remedy any training deficiencies.
Storm Mountain opened in 1996
and has continuously expanded its facilities,
courses and instructor staff. Storm
Mountain features 11 ranges, two shoot
houses, rappel tower, field training area,
busses, helicopter hull and automobiles
for use during training. Rod Ryan has
credentials that lend legitimacy to his
training methods. Part of Rod’s biography
reads, “Rod has spent more than 20
years combined, active and reserve, in
the U.S. military, where he served as an
operator and then NCOIC of all sniper
elements at the brigade level in a light
infantry division. While employed as
a police officer with the Metropolitan
Police Department, Washington, D.C.,
he served in patrol, training and SWAT
assignments. As an instructor with the
U.S. State Department ATAP (Anti-Terrorism
Assistance Program) and as a
civilian consultant, he has trained thousands
of law enforcement, military, and
private special operations personnel,
both in the United States and overseas.”
Storm Mountain also utilizes other
instructors with similarly impressive resumes.
One must guard against attending
a facility that is operated by someone
who has only attended another school’s
courses—it happens.
Just as important as his credentials and
background, Ryan is a dynamic instructor.
This is apparent both in the classroom
and on the range, in the way he encourages
or points out flaws in a student’s
method, readily mixing anecdotes into
his instruction. I personally like to hear
examples of why certain things are done
the way they are. Ryan is all business
and puts up with no nonsense or unsafe
gun handling. Storm Mountain philosophy
stresses the importance of mindset.
Ryan constantly emphasizes that an aggressive
mindset, supported by solid
training, is the key to surviving hostile
encounters. Maxims such as “shoot until
the target is down” and “move forward
to engage” illustrate this.
Carbine II began with a morning
briefing concisely laying out what was
to happen over the next three days. The
13-person class was an even mixture of
military, law enforcement and private
94 S.W.A.T. » DECEMBER 2007 SWATMAG.COM