I wanted to get some opinions on this: If you were going to design a Survival/Preparedness Curriculum what would it include? We spend alot of time talking about equipment, the mistakes we made and what works and does not work, but what if you were going to recommend/make a list of training for someone who wanted to start developing some relevent skills from scratch. Obviously there is no replacement for experience; that being said what training or skills and in what order?

Marc

"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats."
-Howard Aiken

For starters, you could use the survival section of the Washington State Hunters Education booklet ( or any similar hunter ed booklet from other states that include this section in their curriculum).

From there, it would be easy enough to elaborate. It is a good starting point, and the booklet is free with the class (or you can contact the dept and order one for the price of postage I believe).

You will also get a lot of other really great information, not just about hunting, but about firearms safety, outdoor ethics, basic first aid (non-certified), and wildlife identification. All in all, a nice package considering the class is free (donation only).

Starting with the basics I'd want First Aid/CPR training, orienteering, HazMat/WMD awareness, fire building, edged tool safety (knives, axes, etc.), shelter building, fire safety course, weather safety/awareness, water acquisition/purification, food gathering, 72hr kit construction, and actual disaster case studies (what people did right/wrong). The Boy Scout Fieldbook is a great reference for some of this stuff.

Survival Class

Here are my thoughts on a survival class:

I think I would start by giving the statistics on their chance of needing to be rescued and how long it will take to find them. Most experts say that you are likely to be found in 72 hours. Many survival kits are designed for 72 hours.

The rule of 3s gives people the priorities on where they need to focus. 3 seconds (if you do something rash it could have terminal consequences), 3 minutes (if you have a serious injury it could stop oxygen to the brain), 3 hours (you can die from hypothermia), 3 days (you can die from dehydration), 3 weeks (starvation).

That means the first thing is to be calm so you don't do something rash that could get you killed (S.T.O.P.,Stop Think Observe Plan). Then you need to treat any life threatening injuries. After that you need to provide shelter and fire. Then you need to consider your water situation. Once you are stabilized you need to think about signaling. The best seems to be a Fox 40 and Storm whistle, a real signal mirror, and a strobe light. My understanding is that you will have about 30 seconds to deploy your signal mirror to catch an aircraft. That means it needs to be around your neck or close at hand. The Tikka/Zipka Plus has a blink mode that lasts for 40 hours, or you could carry a small strobe light.

I think you need to carry all the fire and shelter items you need with you so you can throw them up quickly with cold numb hands. If you are in the first stages of hypothermia and you go looking for shelter materials you may never finish before you are dead. I say grab your commercial cotton fire starters and sparker to start a fire and set up your heavy duty Space blanket with stakes and rope you have with you. Get warm and dry and then think about how to make it better.

I think the best bet is to give the students a list of PSK gear and then practice with it. Make them comfortable with a fixed set of gear. They will know its values and be more likely to take it with them. When I have gone to compass classes the students showed up will every kind of compass that is sold. The trainer was only teaching basic, base plate, compass. All other compasses were almost useless for the class. If you have a fire starting class; have everyone make Vaseline coated cotton balls and use a BSA Hot Spark with a knife. Have everyone show up with a HD Space Blanket and 50 feet of braided nylon cord and have them make the same shelter.

The next problem is being bored while you wait and worry (F.U.D., Fear Uncertainty, and Doubt) that someone will really come to your rescue. This is where fishing or setting snares comes in. You don't really need the food but it keeps you occupied. A few candy bars is better than any wild plants or game. Also a small am/fm radio can help. Of course you may need to spend some time and effort to find water.

It seems to get water you have to be prepared to get water by numerous means. You need a neckerchief, a sponge, a ziplock bag, a 3 foot small tube, a pot, and water purification tablets. Dew in the mornings can be collected with a sponge and the neckerchief. If there is dirty water you can put your neckerchief over the top of your pot and pour the water through it. You can use the ziplock bag to skim shallow water. You can use the tube to suck up fresh rain water. If you have salt water or bad water you can boil the water in your pot and put the neckerchief over the top to collect the steam. You wring it out in your ziplock bag and then put it back over the pot to get more. You can also try digging a hole and if moisture forms you can use your sponge or neckerchief. You can then wring the water into your ziplock bag to be purified with the tablets. To kill viruses you can boil the water in your pot. Only purified water should go in your water bottle.

The skills I would focus on are how to start a fire quickly with commercial fire starters. How to best set up a Space blanket or thin plastic tarp for protection from the rain and cold. Then I would describe ways to get potable water. I would then show them the best signaling devices and how to use them. Some time should be spent on how to stay cool from the summer sun and how to stay warm in the wet and cold. That would be how to make shade with one or two Space blankets with rocks and sticks. The value of a wool stocking cap, a neck wrap (neckerchief), poncho (wind break), and gloves for the cold. You could tell them how to stuff vegetation in their clothes for insulation.

Dates? Times? Fees? Do I need to bring anything? <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Hmmm.

There is one way to teach this course which is to teach wilderness survival skills { shelter making, fire, etc.} This assume the student will have an emergency in the woods/ fields/jungle.

Let me suggest another approach;

A combination of basic skills to apply in any situation { threat assessment, first aid, prepardnessetc.} and the idea of Zones -- getting to safer "ground."

Let me explain:*

If there was a fire in your office building, your first move should be to move to a safer "zone" away from the danger and out of the building. Your second move, if necessary would be to move away from the building and toward safety.

Knowing this, you would aqquire information, skills and the tools to get you quickly and safely through each "Zone". this way of thinking could be applied to a plane crash, house fire, drowning, hurricane, car accident, etc.

Each " zone" requires a change in planning/ thinking -- and it easy to see and think about.

Its a meta-tool for thinking about survival.

Teacher RO

I agree with what is being said, I have taken A LOT of training in my profession (IT), and it seems there are two different different faces to any skill set. One is the technical skills, how to start a fire, collect water, configure a router, etc. The other is a thought process. This "process" is what you use when you are overly excited, everything you have tried hasn't worked, or planning to try something different. This process is what allows you to troubleshoot and make smart decisions without learning the "old fashion way" I think a typical example is from Chris K's experience http://www.equipped.org/0601rescue.htm , Jeremy decides to go fishing, and hurts himself (something I absolutely can see myself doing). While he may be the greatest fishermen in the world, the "survival thought process" was not there. Namely taking into account some of the risks associated with applying a technique. Anyway, I think things like STOP and the rule of 3's, and even Craig's sig (Thermo-regulate, hydrate, and communicate) are very good and not too complex. Lastly, I think it sounds like most would agree; First Aid is both one of the first things someone should learn as well as the first thing to perform in a survival situation.

Marc

"Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats."
-Howard Aiken