I am that guy that always carries a Swiss Army Knife (SAK) and
notices where the exits are. Safety dork. Awareness geek. Ex-soldier and
boy scout. The guy you make fun of, right up to the time you need to get into your lunch at work after the electric opener
dies. And I have dorky interests like dualsport motorcycling, scanning, canning, GPS, Coleman gear, kerosene lanterns and
homebrewing that have substantial overlap in the preparedness and emergency management community.
In 2009 a couple of factors encouraged me to consider preparedness more
seriously and methodically. One of the best men I know recently reminded me of the concept
of a Bug Out Bag (BOB). Then my next door neighbors, a nice LDS couple,
invited me to a preparedness seminar. Ok, I get it. The universe is
nudging me. I started to work on my own BOB and 72-hr kit.
different levels of commitment to preparedness
But first, a note about zombies. The zombie concept pops
up frequently in preparedness circles. "Zombie" refers to all threats
that the responsible citizen should plan for: natural (tornadoes, floods,
heat, drought), man-made, panicked/unprepared people (i.e. "sheeple"), economic upset
and criminal thugs. "Zombie" is a funny/memorable shorthand term for a serious and complex set of challenges. If you are opposed to the term zombie when talking about human threats feel free to substitute terms like hordes or sheeple.
Having said that:
There is continuum of preparedness. From least prepared to most prepared it might look like this:
zombie: unaware. Likely to be caught completely
unprepared for anything that occurs. Unable to care for themselves or
others. Unable to get out of the way. Zombies make matters worse. In
emergency situations zombies will generally trample or get trampled;
they are best avoided.
citizen: Aware of personal and civic responsibility,
though with differing levels of dedication. May or may not have some
level of preparation, but generally will not cause additional problems
for others. Can usually follow direct, simple instructions well enough
to stay out of additional trouble.
boyscout: Can follow or lead as the situation
requires, willing and able to help themselves and others. Here you will
find soldiers/scouts/hikers/campers/Mormons. Is that last bit surprising?
It shouldn't be. LDS
folk are skilled/motivated in matters of emergency preparation,
particularly food storage and preservation; each LDS family is
encouraged to stock one year of supplies and the knowledge to use them
wisely. No, I am not LDS but I do respect their approach to self-reliance
and preparedness.
zombie hunter (ZH) : A person with a high degree
of awareness and preparation. A zombie hunter is a person who has an
appropriate level of readiness for most foreseeable threats. The ZH may
consider preparedness an end unto itself, or a hobby, or a lifestyle.
Zombie hunters are usually active in the community giving classes and
walking the talk. They buy their houses and vehicles with preparation
in mind. They like to fly under the radar with quality civilian gear
rather than stick out like paramilitary tinfoil-hatters (below).
tinfoil
hat: The extreme fringe of the readiness community.
Black helicopters, conspiracies, impending doom/communism/fascism/[fill
in the blank], etc. Bunker mentality, loves camo, black SWAT outfits
and looking "tactical". Interestingly, few have actual military, LEO,
or scouting experience. Best avoided.
My approach is probably "boyscout" level (my Eagle Scout card card
was signed by Pres. Reagan). Could I be more prepared? Definitely.
Could I think about it more? Sure.
But ZH status consumes more time and energy than I am willing to devote.
For me it's a decreasing-returns situation. My family and
home are best served by boyscout-level preparedness. I suspect the
trick to balanced, pragmatic preparedness
is slip-streaming it into one's current lifestyle.
Some key concepts and acronyms
72hr kit for shelter-in-place scenarios, generally your home. This may or may not overlap with the BOB (below)
Bug Out Bag (BOB) for leaving your home and
surviving for 72hrs while you find more shelter.
Get Home Bag (GHB). Any kit you have in your vehicle or person
that is intended to support you while you get to your Shelter-in-Place
(SIP) location.
First Aid Kit (FAK)
daily carry - what you have on you on an average day.
Bug Out Altoids Tin (BOAT) - an item of daily carry, the smallest
possible survival kit. Has practical value, but making functional BOATs
is great practice and is commonly found discussed in forums.
some useful strategies
when researching, keep in mind the social differences between survivalism v. preparedness. In theory there should be no real difference. In practice, sites that label themselves "preparedness" tend toward primitive/traditional skills, rural heritage, and a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Sites that label themselves "survivalist" tend toward the 'tactical', militia, political, and anti-government lifestyle.
water, then food, then protection - this is a tool to help prioritize prep efforts/spending.
practice primitive skills: shelter, fire, water gathering, cooking outdoors, ropework.
$5 and 5mins / week - spend $5 and 5mins a week working on your preps.
Keep inventory - knowing what you have (and the
expiration date!) helps you prep without waste or over-expenditure.
One tip I learned from LDS folk is to tape the inventory to the outside of
the food container (or keep a printed copy in the pocket of your pack).
I do my inventories on the PC and edit/print them as needed. Very simple
and effective.
rotate your stock - see above; keep your food
preps rotated in and replace them regularly. This will also encourage
you to prep with food you will actually like to eat. Example: don't
buy 10 cans of spam if you don't like spam.
store your stock unobtrusively and safely. 5 gallon
buckets w/lids (free from the supermarket bakeries if you ask) make
excellent, stackable, portable containers. And they are just about a
perfect size for each person's 72hr kit.
pressure canners are generally useful. Of course
you can food with them, but you can also use it as a poor man's autoclave.
Or use less fuel to cook because of the higher cooking temps.
Attend an LDS preparedness open house. Yes, you
will feel right at home with these highly-prepared folks. No, they won't
try to convert you. They will speak in terms of why they do a thing
("the Church encourages us to keep 12 months food stores at all times")
but in my experience it is to explain and not evangelize.
practice using your disaster-scenario gear.
It's dorky but important. Set up that tent. Cook on that coleman gear.
Carry that pack. Practicing before need ensures that you are familiar
with the gear and techniques, and helps you find holes in your skills
and preps.
make firestarters now. Examples: cottonballs/vaseline.
My favorite used to be those paper-mache egg cartons, each spot
filled with dryer lint and melted wax. Cut apart. 12 starters
that work great! Unfortunately, most cartons are foam now. Other
firestarter ideas.
watch garage sales and craigslist for free/cheap
items you can use for preps. There are no rules that say your
preparedness gear has to be fancy or new. A free coleman lantern that
teaches you how to do simple repairs is probably a better investment than
a new lantern. You can join a freecycle group to inherit gear someone
else doesn't want, and to donate gear that no longer meets your needs.
Survival Podcast. I am conflicted about this one. The preparedness content is quite good, though there tends to me more ranting and name-calling than I would prefer. The fellow records the podcast in his car and has to talk over the car noise. This gives it a slightly frantic/wingnut sound. I usually skip past the first 10mins to get to the prep content. Good stuff if he doesn't get on your nerves.
His best show for beginners is available as a torrent (note:ads on that torrent tracker page may not be family/work safe).
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