Being prepared and reacting are two separate things. Preparedness is what resources, training and the mindset you have. Reaction is how you respond to a situation. You may be saying to yourself those are directly related and not necessarily something that can be compared. Just as an example everyone has either met or heard of that guy who has every tool known to man without a clue when it comes to using them or at least using them correctly. Point is that when comes to being prepared and reacting you can’t have one in its fullest capacity without the other.
Imagine yourself having wrecked while driving down the road with friends or loved ones in the vehicle. What is your initial reaction? You see two people injured, who do you help first? If that’s not enough of a stressful situation, if you haven’t had first aid training in a while or not at all you are probably not going to do anyone any good and you may hinder the situation.
If you haven’t trained or practiced in a while, well you know that statement like riding a bicycle? It is never that easy not even with a bicycle. There can’t be enough emphasis on training and practice. With training and practice in place it will be much easier to make those critical quick mental notes and assessments while remaining calm which is the key to dealing with any situation.
In conclusion, you can’t just buy preparedness. Be prepared, be trained and be practiced.
Consider this to be a living document and will be updated and revised when necessary.