<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>In a related (I hope) vein - we seem to be somewhat complacent about urban situations - not trying to be Chicken Little or alarmist, but is there a significant role for a PSK in urban settings? Does a PSK for the unskilled or unpracticed carried in an urban situation ("daily carry") need different crib sheets than a wilderness PSK or a general purpose PSK?<p><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>The urban situations that may remove us from our routine are very different from the wilderness situations. This forum has not really had a decent discussion on these differences so, in an attempt to spur a discussion I wanted to list the characteristics of an urban emergency.<br><br>People are abundant.<br><br>Infrastructure is disrupted but not missing<br>-- there may be downed power lines to worry about<br>-- there is a greater risk of structure fires<br>-- there may be leaking gas<br>-- there may be leaking water<br>-- there may be roads that are usable<br>-- there may be supplies available<br>-- -- there may be price gouging<br>-- -- there may be bartering<br>-- -- there may be sharing<br><br>Law enforcement will be disrupted or more inadequate than usual<br>-- The abundant people may pose a threat<br>-- The community may be a protective resource<br><br>Some thoughts on gear:<br>In an urban setting primitive signalling devices such as mirrors and whistles. We can usually tap the nearest person on the shoulder. OTH, in an urban setting we may have more need of concealment, evasion and defense if the emergency is social in nature.<br><br>In an urban setting most uses of fire would be a bad idea. The increased fire threat posed by damaged structures and the increased attention that the fire will bring may both negative. OTH we may have access to community responses that supply all the food and water we need after a relatively short time and long before things return to normal.<br><br>In an urban situation you could certainly use a snare to catch pigeons, squirrels, cats or dogs and stay well fed but this behavior is frowned upon by the locals and most of the non-domesticated urban stock is of questionable edibility. You might be better off including some mainstay rations in the vehicle / briefcase / purse rather than a snare in the psk.<br><br>In the urban setting during anything short of a complete disruption of civilisation with no expectation of a return to normalcy, money is useful for just about every need. In the wilderness paper money is kindling and metal money is dead weight to carry. I wouldn't expect to use a credit card in either situation during an emergency due the effect on the communications required to process credit cards.<br><br>From the write-up on urban survival that Doug put together it seems that the defense from bipeds is the primary concern for urban survival so-far expressed. Short of keeping you "urban psk" in you holster and wallet, what does one really need in an urban setting during:<br><br>earthquake,<br>fire,<br>hurricane,<br>flood,<br>industrial chemical spill,<br>terrorist caused disruption of the infrastructure.