Survival Preparedness – Survival Skills and Emergency Kits
By Chuck McIntyre

Most of us would agree that at any moment we could find ourselves in a disaster or other emergency situation. Even if this fact is only lurking in the back of the mind just below consciousness, the statement is no less true. Anyone can suddenly be thrust into an emergency situation or have a disaster land squarely upon them quite unexpectedly. How well one survives or IF one survives may be a matter of luck. Far better to invest some time and effort in survival preparedness.

Survival preparedness for the purpose of this article is not a call to be constantly fearful of impending doom and disaster skulking around every corner, or to hoard great caches of dried beans, MREs, bullets, and gold then hunker down with your stash in some remote area.

More realistically, survival preparedness is the act of obtaining knowledge of and practicing basic survival skills, gathering survival gear, food and water together into emergency survival kits. These kits can then be placed at easily accessible points in the home, car, office, etc., or on your person.

Think ahead to anticipate what sort of situation might arise and what survival skills, gear, and supplies would be useful to successfully see you through to the end of it. Some excellent items on the list of basic survival skills to learn (and practice!) would be:

• how to build a fire with or without matches
• how to build a simple emergency shelter
• how to obtain food and water
• how to use a map and compass
• how to signal for help
• how to use the survival gear you have chosen

The size of the emergency kits and the items they contain will be determined by the scenario for which they are intended to be used; lost in the wilderness, stranded in your vehicle on a lonely back road, recovering from the aftermath of a tornado or other disaster.

Always include fire starting items, items to build an emergency shelter, survival tools, a medical kit, signaling device, emergency lighting, containers of water, and rations. There are many helpful web sites that describe complete lists of items to include in emergency survival kits of all sizes.

In any emergency situation strive to remain calm. Use your mind. It’s one of your best survival tools.

Initiative belongs to the individual. Make the time and effort for prudent preparations toward your own survival and that of others. Do not risk suffering the consequences of taking no action at all.

Survival after all is being alive at the end of an ordeal.

Chuck McIntyre is active in helping others learn basic survival skills. He offers reviews and recommendations of survival gear and emergency kits at MySurvivalPro.com

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Survival-Preparedness—Survival-Skills-and-Emergency-Kits

Over the next few years, I’ll be building a house. It won’t take me years to build (I hope), but I won’t have the necessary funds to start the build for at least another year.

I plan on building a house that is as self-sustaining as possible. Water from a well and cistern type of system, and electricity provided by some type of natural resource. That one is going to be tricky, but after spending thousands of dollars on electricity over the years, I’ve had enough. That’s an expense I would rather do without, especially since there are viable alternatives should one be so inclined. It’ll be tough, but I can do it.

I plan for the house to be situated on some land that I will find and purchase. That land will also serve a sustaining purpose. I plan for it to provide meat and veggies for my family. It’s homesteading, I guess…but it’s not going to be very far from civilization. For the most part, I like civilization. And I like technology (thus the need for electricity).

I’ll post updates here as they come in. Stay tuned, because there may be very valuable survival information along the way.

Everyone needs a bug out bag. Why, you ask? The answer is simple. You never know when you might need it. Emergencies are emergencies because people don’t see them coming. The disasters strike suddenly and with great force. Then, all of a sudden, you are surrounded by crisis.

Having some gear ready in the event of a crisis can help you keep a clear head. If you don’t have to worry about your next meal, or what you’re going to use for shelter, you can spend your energies focused on the actual crisis. Ideally, this gear should be in a single bag — something with which you can just grab and go.

Later on, I’ll write up a little piece about what you should put in your bug out bag, but for now you can just take a look at this bug out supply shop and pick up a few pieces. Those pieces may save your life, or, less dramatically, make a bad situation a little easier.

To many, emergency preparation means getting ready to bug out. These individuals have their bug out bags and their bug out plans. When disaster strikes, they are ready to go and they execute their plan. But, I wonder, is this really the best course of action?

Another option that some merely glaze over is the concept of bugging in. Bugging in is similar to bugging out, but you just stay at home. Sometimes, you bug out to a cabin, then bug in for a long, rough time. This is something that I have found is overlooked far too often.

What do I mean by bugging in? Well, simply, have enough provisions at your place to last a week to a month. These times are used as examples, and may or may not fit your particular emergency situation. Wherever you are going to ride out the storm, be ready to function without running water, electricity, road access, and friendly neighbors. If you have a family, you must prepare accordingly.

This is really something that should be given a lot of attention, because regular seasonal disasters can leave you stranded in your home for a few days. And if you have paid attention to the news over the last few years, you would have noticed that some of the largest cities can be left without power for long periods of time. Not only must you prepare for a break down of society, but also for natural and man-made disasters.

What do you do in a situation like that? Staying at home may be the safest, most plausible course of action. But that won’t do you any good if you don’t have supplies. Canned green beans only last so long — your family may need more substatial food. Along the same lines, if you are stuck in a blizzard, you might get cold. Your electricity might falter, and, though I have no particular experience with this, I’m sure natural gas used for heating can be interrupted as well. Sweaters, blankets, and a warm fire can help out with that, but only if you have enough.

Chances are that you will experience a few emergencies in your life — some small and others big. No matter what happens, it’s best to be prepared, and ready to get out of town, or to just sit tight until the storm clears.

Being aware is important to your survival, whether you’re just out for a hike, or if you’re in an emergency situation. What do I mean by being aware? I mean paying attention to your surroundings all the time, at least on some level. Even being minutely aware of the mean-looking clouds in the distance, or some strange sound in the forest, can mean the difference between comfort and disaster.

The idea of being aware does not only apply to literally being out in the wilderness and paying attention. It also means that you need to plan. You should be aware of some possibilities and plan for them. For example, if you are going hunting in the afternoon, it might be a good idea to bring along some type of shelter, like a tarp, just in case you get stuck over night due to something outside of your control.

If you are the type that doesn’t really pay attention, start. You don’t have to pay attention like you are in some stark classroom, but you do need to be aware of what’s going on around you. And if you think you just can’t pay attention, that you are somehow designed to just be out of it all the time, you’re wrong. Paying attention is something that can be learned. Just ask any Marine recruit.

To illustrate the necessity of this, picture a man walking down a busy street. He’s on the sidewalk, reading or daydreaming, or whatever, when he suddenly realizes he’s at a crosswalk. Instead of being aware of what’s going on around him, he walks out into the street without a care and gets squashed by some garbage truck flying by at 60 miles per hour.

This may seem like an extreme case, but similar things happen all the time. Go to work in an ER for a while and you’ll see what I mean.

Be aware of your surroundings and what goes on around you. It could mean the difference between comfort and discomfort, or the difference between life and death.