{"id":178,"date":"2023-07-21T16:22:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T16:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=178"},"modified":"2023-07-21T16:22:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T16:22:03","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-emergencies-epictactical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/knifevoyager.com\/?p=178","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES. \u2013 EpicTactical"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Christopher Nyerges<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Nyerges is the author of \u201cUrban Survival Guide,\u201d \u201cExtreme Simplicity: Homesteading in the City,\u201d \u201cHow to Survive Anywhere,\u201d and other books on survival and self-reliance.\u00a0 For more information on his classes and books, go to <\/em>www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.com<\/em><\/a>, or Box 41834, Eagle Rock, CA 90041.]<\/em><\/p>\n

HOW TO PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES.<\/strong><\/p>\n

VARIOUS APPROACHES<\/p>\n

We\u2019re always talking about \u201cbeing prepared\u201d but what does that actually mean, in practice?\u00a0 Does everyone prepare the same way?\u00a0 Of course not.\u00a0 Everyone\u2019s situation is always just a little bit different, depending on many factors.\u00a0 Your planning and prepping should reflect your unique life situation.\u00a0 And even if this may seem obvious to some of you , let\u2019s look at the factors that go into emergency planning.<\/p>\n

YOUR HOUSEHOLD<\/p>\n

The size and makeup of your household has a lot to do with your planning.\u00a0 Do you live alone? Are you strong and fit?\u00a0 Does your household include elderly, children, or those with special medical needs?\u00a0 Is everyone you live with all on the same page when it comes to how to be prepared for an emergency?\u00a0 (This is rarely the case).<\/p>\n

I suggest you make a list of all the \u201cmust-have\u201d needs for YOUR family, and make sure you always have extra of those items.<\/p>\n

YOUR LOCATION<\/p>\n

Do you live in an urban area, or in a rural area?\u00a0 Or do you live somewhere in-between, in suburbia?\u00a0 Do you know your neighbors?\u00a0 Are you involved with community groups?\u00a0 Do you have a sense of the people who live around you?\u00a0 Does your location experience regular deep cold or very hot conditions?\u00a0 Is your area prone to flooding?\u00a0 Do you live in an isolated area?<\/p>\n

So, although we can agree that there are certain basics that can apply to everyone everywhere, the WHO and the WHERE of your situations are going to be the key factors for how you go about your specific planning.<\/p>\n

I suggest you keep a map on the wall of YOUR area, and list all the likely<\/em> emergencies that you should do what you can to be ready for. This includes the supplies you need, the possibility of evacuation, and the need to stay in touch with your neighbors.<\/p>\n

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GEAR VS. EXPERIENCE<\/p>\n

I have found that the topic of \u201cpreparedness\u201d involves two things:\u00a0 the gear that you all love, and actual real world experiences.\u00a0 I know a lot of guys will bristle at what I am about to say, but if I had to choose how to use my limited resources to buy stuff, or to pay for classes, I would choose the latter in a heartbeat.\u00a0 That\u2019s my hard opinion.\u00a0 Stuff can get lost, stolen, or forgotten.\u00a0 And I know too many guys who have so much<\/em> stuff, in boxes, in storage spaces, that they\u2019d not be likely to get to what they need when Armageddon actually descends.\u00a0 I am not against stuff, but your learning is yours, and with knowledge,\u00a0 you can actually adapt the material stuff of the world to ensure your survival.<\/p>\n

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SPECIFICS<\/p>\n

Since we are not defining a specific \u201csurvival situation\u201d here, you can use your imagination to see what sorts of situations have happened in your area in the past, and attempt to be prepared for that.\u00a0 For example, natural disasters include flooding, high winds, tornadoes, wild fires, earthquakes, drought, etc.\u00a0 Man-made disasters include economic downturns, riots for various causes, civil war, war by invasion, deadly fumes from factories, spilled chemicals, etc.<\/p>\n

There are a lot of threats to our health and safety, and it\u2019s nearly impossible to prepare for everything.\u00a0 But knowing your local area makes a big difference, since part of your planning will be to evacuate, or figure out how to stay safe in place.<\/p>\n

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WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY<\/p>\n

I posed this question about how to set survival priorities to a variety of individuals. I wanted to learn how others approached the topic. \u00a0Some that I spoke to are experts in their fields, and some simply live with their families and want to be safe. \u00a0I told them that I\u2019d like to hear whatever they felt was important both in terms of the \u201cbig picture\u201d and in terms of not letting \u201clittle things\u201d turn into major disasters.\u00a0 Here are some of their varied responses:<\/p>\n

BARTON BOEHM<\/p>\n

Barton Boehm is a martial arts master who did his training in Japan under harsh conditions.\u00a0 He authored the book, \u201cLessons from a 21st<\/sup> Century Samurai: The Seiken Way.\u201d\u00a0 He is currently retired but still does some limited martial arts training.<\/p>\n

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He tells me, \u201cIn order to answer the question, how to \u00a0prioritize survival, \u00a0one needs to answer the question what does one mean by survival? \u00a0Everyone will have a slightly different answer.<\/p>\n

And then, no matter how much you prioritize or prepare, things will never happen how you imagined!\u00a0\u00a0 I speak from experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith this thought in mind I offer the following suggestions:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

First, \u00a0survival is not a matter of preparation or priority. \u00a0It is a way of living your life deliberately and in full awareness of what is most important to you.
Second, \u00a0we survive collectively and not as individuals.\u00a0 It\u2019s imperative we think \u2018prepare to share, not to prepare to survive.\u2019<\/p>\n

Third, \u00a0the more we think of how to help, the better our we can prioritize and what to prepare for.<\/p>\n

The actual preparations that each person does is academic and will automatically unfold before you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I found myself agreeing with Boehm in the larger sense that you should find a way to live y our life deliberately will full awareness in order to be the most prepared for anything.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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KEITH FARRAR<\/p>\n

Then I spoke with Keith Farrar, a family man and a survival skills instructor. He developed a teaching system to help students consider survival priorities.\u00a0 Farrar\u2019s perspective is that while our environments change, our needs do not. \u00a0\u00a0He believes that we do not need to re-think our priorities in different environments. \u201cWhile the items we put into our kit to address those priorities may differ from environment to environment, the priorities and how we address them do not change,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never been a fan of survival instructors that give a list of survival gear to carry,\u201d he explains, \u201cbecause you wind up with a bunch of stuff where you may or may not know their given purpose. Teaching the priorities in a survival situation and allowing the student to put into their kit whatever tools they are comfortable using to address each of the priorities makes more sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI follow the \u2018Rule of 3s.\u2019 However, I have added in two very important concepts that make the Rule of 3\u2019s a complete survival system. Lastly I look at the \u201c10 Essentials\u201d which is a list of gear to carry created in the 1930s by the mountaineering group called \u201cThe Mountaineers\u201d.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe \u2018Rule of 3s\u2019 are used like a pilot\u2019s checklist, meaning if that priority is covered, you go on to the next priority. The first aid priority is a good example; it is very high up on the list, however, if you have no life threatening or major issues (severe bleeding or anaphylaxis for example), you move on to your next priority.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe original \u2018Rule of 3s\u2019 covers how long you can live without addressing important survival needs:<\/p>\n