Course will highlight dangers of holiday season

As people begin to prepare for the holidays, they might not consider the potential dangers that can arise in the festive months.

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A situational awareness program set for Monday at the Columbia County Library is designed to teach people how to avoid such scenarios.

"Criminals know better than you think they do what lifestyle trends are," said Jason Herrera, the owner of Superior Academy Salsa Dance and Martial Arts. "People gear up financially for the holidays."

Herrera will lead the course for adults about how people can steer away from dangerous situations. He will also teach realistic self-defense techniques.

"It's meant to give people a general idea of how to avoid dangerous scenarios in their lives," he said.

The program is meant to prevent hazardous occurrences, such as walking alone in a parking lot or to an ATM late at night, Herrera said.

Most people don't realize the dangers that surround them until it's too late, he said, noting that criminal activity occurs even in the safest areas of the United States.

"Everybody's confident in their day-to-day life until something traumatic happens," he said. "Unfortunately in most cases, when that something traumatic happens, it's so traumatic to their life that they have a lot of repercussions."

The seminar will begin at 6 p.m. in the library's downstairs meeting room and is expected to last about an hour. The course is free, but registration is required.

For information or to register, call the library's reference desk at (706) 447-7660.