This basic preparedness primer was originally published in September, 2020. It was intended to help people become more prepared for the uncertainty of an upcoming election. With the recent flooding in North Carolina and Tennessee I thought it would be a good time to re-post it, along with a substantial update. I added a couple thousand words to this very long article, including a brand new section on bug-out bags. I sincerely hope this article helps you become better prepared to deal with emergencies.
Why You Should Become an EMT
I was MIA for most of last week. I was doing clinicals – 12-hour shifts in an ambulance – for my EMT class, which didn’t leave me much bandwidth for anything else. While I was riding around in an ambulance I had a lot of time to reflect on a recent reader question: Would you consider penning [an] article regarding your EMT course? That’s something I’d be interested in pursuing…
Wilderness Survival Basics
I was recently asked to teach a wilderness survival class. Though not specifically in my lane of expertise, I jumped at the chance. No guidance was provided other than “wilderness survival basics” and I was given a three-hour block. This article is what I decided to teach. I am making the full content available here to my readers, and to serve as a resource for my students afterward.
Lessons Learned As A Professional Instructor
I have spent the better part of the last ten years as a professional, full-time instructor. I’m not a “presenter,” “speaker,” or “lecturer” – I am a (capital “I”) Instructor and I take great pride in my craft. People walk away from my classes with quantifiable skills. I’m not an expert on many of my interest areas, but professional instruction is a topic on which I consider myself extremely well versed. Today I’m going to share some generalities and observations I’ve picked up over the years. Before I do that, I’m going to talk about my experience. I don’t want to belabor the point, but I do feel it is relevant to the topic at hand.
My Thoughts on Pepper Spray
In my recently published on-body EDC items article, I talked about pepper spray. To be honest, I’m very curious by the talismanic quality of The Gun and how many in the self-defense community completely ignore everything else (not all, but many to be sure). If you’re not carrying pepper spray, here are my best arguments to convince you otherwise. You can expect to see more articles about pepper spray here. I am going to do my best to encourage everyone to consider this tool.
State Concealed Carry Class Review
I recently had to attend my state’s concealed carry class. Most concealed carriers don’t get to attend these classes too often. I haven’t attended one in years, but through a bit of a fluke I had to attend one to one to get my current state’s resident permit. I love training, but was I ever disappointed in the class. Today is going to offer an after-action review of my state concealed carry class.
Micro-Preparedness: Staging Your Clothing
This post is going to launch what (I hope) will become a recurring series on “micro-preparedness”. Micro-preparedness refers to very small processes that incur little to no time or financial penalty, but that may have a large impact on your overall level of preparedness. Today’s step is going to cover staging your clothing and belongings before you go to bed at night.