I had a scary situation today with some residents who had displayed irrational behavior

I had a scary situation today with some residents who had displayed irrational behavior. Super aggressive and body language was threatening. I have done this for a long time. Not a lot scares me at work. They have shared they are disabled veterans and have ptsd. I am a compassionate person but I felt threatened. This incident happened hours ago and I am still trembling. Our world is just different. I hate working alone. What type of training or education have you had to prepare you for these types of incidents? What do you do when you feel threatened or scared at work?

We had a crazy resident, she threatened to shoot our maintenance supervisor. It was a legit threat as we received a call from her mental health facility saying they feared for his life. After that, we had an armed guard on premises til she was evicted.
But don’t forget, you can call the police on a resident.
I truly believe though that no office should ever have one person in it at a time. Just in terms of liability as well you know. God forbid you’re alone and a resident accuse you of something and not only are there no witnesses but no cameras either.
I think on any given day there should be 3 people in an office, in addition to your maintenance team, not including. Maintenance is usually out and about. But for safety and liability reasons for the company and residents.

What city are you in? I had a couple that also claimed they had PTSD and were very aggressive toward me and my team. They moved out a couple years ago.

I'm a small private LL, My family has been in the business since the 70's I cater to low income tenants but I refuto have an office and I don't let anyone know where I live... I have memories of disgruntled tenants banging on our door yelling and screaming... It wasn't fun...

I’m sorry this happened to you. Our world is different today and I despise that employees sometimes find themselves in these situations. In a situation such as this, we tell our team members to call the police if they feel their safety is at risk. We provide staff with personal alarms, which can be a deterrent. Cameras in a site office can be a deterrent but what about when the staff is on the property, which is where they can encounter trespassers and residents who may make them uncomfortable. I have found wearable cameras that could be utilized by site staff to increase their sense of safety, and could be helpful in defending unfounded claims against employees. In concerned about how staff would feel about something like a wearable camera. I e manage a lot of smaller communities where people often work alone and I am often thinking of those employees and their safety. What do you think about wearable cameras?

Today's world is filled with uncertainty and stress. Residents sometimes cross boundaries and take it out on us. Keep your cool and remain calm while determining how best to assist them. Listening and asking questions about how best to help them are good. However, if you do not feel safe, leave immediately.
I suggest talking to your corporate office and leaders to determine the best practices and resources that would be ideal for your teams. Training and discussion of best practice scenarios of what to do or NOT do is key. NAA has partnered with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing who offers Mental Health First Aid. I highly recommend it to all in our industry.  Click here for more details. I also recommend NAMI who offers free podcasts and webinars along with helpful resources. I would also contact your local police department and determine if they have a CIT (Crisis Invention Team) trained to de-escalate the situation and provide support as needed. 
 

Every team member should have training/classes on how to handle stressed difficult people. Learning to "soothe the savage beast" rather than letting them choose our behavior is critical!