When you are fed up with my scenarios , just press the (STOP) button and I'll stop . Heh heh eh <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

ahem, back to serious stuff. Very serious indeed.

Family is bugging out. Mom or dad is injured. Boken leg or some serious injury and family is not using a vehicle. They are either on foot or on bikes.

Do you leave the injured husband/wife and take the little ones to safety, or stay together no matter what ?

And <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

if the injured spouse dies.
Will you leave or stay with the body ?

I would never leave one adult alone, unless it was myself.

What are you bugging out from???

And dead is dead, no need to stay in danger for a dead body...

If it was me, I would tell the spouse to leave me, and I suspect that if the position was reversed she would tell me the same.
If possible, I would try to get her to some place where she has some chance of survival. Get the kid's to safety (if possible) and then go back for her.

Dead is academic. I would bury or cremate the remains , time and the tactical situation permitting.

p.s. I think that these scenario's are a good idea because anyone who is serious about equipping to survive has to consider and be prepared to face and take the hard decisions.

I gotta agree, try to make them safe and give them a chance and then get the little ones to safety.

Once they are gone... nothing can be done for them. You got to move on.

I agree that leaving the body of a loved one is the logical decision to make, but how well do you think that decision would stand up in the emotionally charged atmosphere after a death in the middle of a disaster?

Could you really surrender a loved one's remains to rising flood waters or abandon them to scavenging animals? Do you take the the time and effort to bury a body? Time that may not be availible effort that wears you out. Creamating a body is harder then most people imagine. It requires a substantial amount of fuel and time to fully creamate a body. Not to mention the gruesome factor of having to set a match to someone you love or the legal difficulties after the crisis is over. Finally, there is the trauma to your children what ever decision you make.

I'm not trying to be morbid or offend anyone. I'm not married, but the thought of having to deal with one of my parents' or my brother's death makes my stomach clench enough already. How far do your mental preparations go? Picking the most logical decision while facing a typed question is one thing, dealling with it while it is actually happening is another. Can you set aside your feelings and force yourself to grieve later?

I don't know the answers to those questions with regards to myself, so I don't expect an answer. I just thought that maybe "Abandon the body to save the children and myself" might be a bit quick or pat. If I'm wrong and you've done the soul searching to arrive at that decision, I'm sure you understand laying out the questions that underlay the decisions for other people.

I agree that leaving a loved one would be a gut wrenching decision to make, however better one dead than many, assuming that death to all was imminent. If the chance of rescue exists later or if I and or others could get them out now that would be the best solution. No easy answer. Evaluate on a case by case basis, using all available resources to protect life. Remembering though, " We Do Not Trade Lives Ever..."

Here's my flying-off-the-handle response:

By the time you and your family are in a position like that, you've probably already made so many bad decisions that what you do now isn't going to matter very much. You're probably all going to croak. The local coyote family is going to have a few good meals.

First, I do realize that these are just mental exercises. But if there's one thing I do know, it's that if you need to bug out, you'd better be d*mn careful what you're doing.

Heading for the hills on foot with young kids sounds really stupid to me. Is it raining or snowing and the trail is slippery, and you're still moving? Bad choice. You should have holed up before now.

Are you and your spouse in poor physical shape and you decided to head out on foot in rough country? Another bad choice.

Are you heading for a specific Safe Place, or just running away from the shelter, warmth, food and water that you left behind? Maybe another bad choice?

Are your kids used to this kind of travel? Or are they whiney couch potatoes who've been wired into their electronic toys since birth? Oops, another bad decision.

Food supplies? How long do you intend to stay up there?

Where is your water supply? Got a way to purify surface water?

Winter is coming on? Did you bring enough warm clothes, blankets or sleeping bags for everyone?

Are you aiming for a real shelter, or are you going to have to build a leaky, drafty one after an exhausting day on the trail with complaining kids?

Does anyone know how to build a travois? Do you have the stuff to make it with? Do you have any strength left to pull it?

Which is the bigger problem, the one you think you're running from, or the one you're running to?

Sue

Shall we just take it that staying in the area means certain death from drowning / radiation poisoning / apocalyptic biker gangs?
It did occur to me later it might be possible to rig a stretcher / travois between 3 or more of the bike. Depending on the road conditions or terrain.

I would say it is all about the balance of risk. For me and mine, I don't reckon we would act much differently for each other as we would for anyone else worth making the effort for. We'd likely be more remorseful for each other, but we'd tend to be objective about it.

If the chance of saving the person were worth the risk to my life, then it doesn't really matter who it is. Likewise, if there's simply no hope that further risk would be of any benefit, then one must do what they can for those who stand a resonable chance for survival.

As for the dead, well, they'd be missed, and grieved for. The character Worf the Klingon on Star Trek TNG said it best; a dead body is just an empty shell. There's simply nothing you can do for a dead man to prevent nature from rendering them the greatest indignity. You serve the dead best in memory of their life.