Bow Drill Fire Making
Bow Drill Fire Making is among the most common of primitive fire making skills. Once mastered, it provides an endless supply of one of the basic necessities of life. Without fire you cannot cook food (ok baring you have a bushel of limes lying around in lieu of fire), warm yourself, and in some cases keep predators at bay. It is also one of the single biggest moral boosters whether you are camping or trying to survive in an unfortunate situation.
Project Appleseed on Fox & Friends, Mon August 30th
Tune in to Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel this Monday August 30th, 2010 during the 8:00 a.m. (ET) hour to hear an engaging success story about how the Revolutionary War Veterans Association (RWVA) is teaching early American history and rifle marksmanship through a nationwide, all-volunteer program called Project Appleseed. Times may vary. Please check your local listings.
Since its inception in 2006, the RWVA has doubled the number of Appleseed clinics and attendees served each year. This year, at least one thousand clinics will be conducted across the country. The exponential growth and quality of instruction has caught the attention of national media – making this upcoming interview the third to offer nationwide coverage during the past thirty days.
At each Appleseed, Americans discover things about their heritage they never knew, as they hear the story of the events of April 19th, 1775 – the one they never heard before – historically accurate, inspiring, encouraging. They also learn the answer to four questions every American should be able to answer:
1. When and where was the American Revolution fought and won? (The answer, directly from a Founder, will astound you!)
2. When and where did the Revolutionary War break out? (Not at Lexington, not at Concord, but at an obscure place few have ever heard of – until they come to an Appleseeed.)
3. What caused the professional British Army to break and run at the North Bridge, after exchanging gunfire with colonial farmers and blacksmiths – for two minutes? (We give you the numbers that answer that question.)
4. Last but definitely not least, we’ll answer the question which has so bedeviled historians for two centuries: Who fired the first shots at Lexington? (Yes, and we’ll offer convincing proof in the form of historical facts.)
About the Revolutionary War Veterans Association
The mission of the Revolutionary War Veterans Association is to encourage civic participation, preserve the heritage of rifle marksmanship and to develop an understanding and appreciation of our nation’s founding. Project Appleseed brings about RWVA’s mission across the country through two-day clinics that teach everyday Americans about their heritage and rifle marksmanship fundamentals.
The rifle marksmanship portions of the clinics are devoted to developing marksmanship skills that allow students to shoot rifles safely and accurately out to five hundred yards, a distance traditionally known as the “American Rifleman’s Quarter Mile”. Students are taught the six steps to firing a shot, proper sling usage, Natural Point of Aim, proper positions of standing, sitting and prone, and how to diagnose and correct common shooting errors. The history lectures at each clinic highlight the inspiring stories of colonial Americans on the day of April 19th, 1775 – the day of the historic battles of Lexington and Concord. Project Appleseed clinics are family-friendly, safe and fun.
The Revolutionary War Veterans Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in North Carolina. For more information, visit our website at http://www.appleseedusa.org.
Women, kids under 21, and military shoot free, and recently, law enforcement has been added to the growing list of those who shoot free.
CERT: Emergency Response Training For The Masses
A couple of years ago, after reading Emergency by Neil Strauss, four friends and I enrolled in a CERT Program. It seemed like it would be a good first step on our road to preparedness and a great first step gaining practical Urban Survival Skills.
What Is CERT
Triage - Are They Dead Yet
CERT, short for Community Emergency Response Team, is an 8 – 9 week program (four hours every Saturday or Sunday depending on what is offered in your area) teaching people the basics of dealing with a disaster, natural or otherwise.
Participates are educated about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their area. They are trained in basic disaster response skills such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT members also are encouraged to support emergency response agencies by taking a more active role in emergency preparedness projects in their community.
The information is dispensed in a classroom setting through the use of slides, a text-book provided by FEMA and DHS, and topic relevant guest speakers that are professionals in the fields of; Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, Fire Fighting, and Search and Rescue. These speakers provide first hand knowledge on the topics and offer real world perspectives, stories, and tips only industry experience provides. The class is typically taught in two part segments. The first half of the class is in the class room presentation. The second half of the class is hands on exercises to reinforce and further elaborate on the instruction.
How Did CERT Come About
Learning To Use Cribbing
The CERT concept was originally developed by the Los Angles City Fire Department (LAFD) in 1985 and went by the name Disaster Preparedness Division. As the story goes, higher-ups in the LAFD noticed that after large Earth quakes, citizens tended to band together and attempt to render aid in a disorganized way. The LAFD decided that since their resources were stretched so thin during major disasters, it might be very helpful to properly train citizens to render aid on a scale impossible for emergency responders to accomplish on their own.
The program became a quick success and drew national attention. Eventually the CERT concept was adopted on a Federal level and taken under the wing of DHS and FEMA.
Why Does CERT Exist
The simple answer is, because during large disasters Emergency Responders can’t do it all and be everywhere all at once.
Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services will not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life-sustaining needs.
Was It Worth It
Learning To Use Fire Extinguishers
In total, my band of merry men and myself gave up nine Saturday mornings. If you asked us today if we thought it was worth it you would get mixed reviews. I felt the information given was too limited and felt like it was a way of getting private citizens to help, but mostly keep busy and out-of-the-way during a disaster. Over all though there was a lot of useful information. For instance, I had no idea how to properly search a building for survivors or the correct placement of a fire alarm before the CERT Course. The list goes on, but you get the idea.
The impression of the program I get is that in some areas CERT is a tightly knit community in which there are many opportunities to apply the skills learned and further your education. In other areas, the opposite is true.
So far I have received a boat load of emails asking for CERT Volunteers to help with local marathons, an Extreme Makeover episode, and other city events. Apparently, my city views CERT as a free labor pool for just about anything. Admittedly, I did consider volunteering for the Women’s Marathon, but figured the girlfriend would not think that was as funny as I did.
Emergency Response Chainsaw Class
To date, I have received two offers for continuing education. The first was a two-day intensive course on chain
saw operation and debris removal - which I took. The second was for a forty hour course with certification on History and Principles of Crime Prevention, Concepts of Security, Security Alarms, Security Lighting, Locks, Doors, Windows, Glass, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV), Checks and Credit Cards, Shoplifting Awareness, Internal Theft Awareness, Robbery Awareness, Operation Identification, Neighborhood Watch Program overview, Crime Stoppers Program overview and both home security inspections and commercial security surveys to include Liabilities and Resources. Had I been paying attention to my emails, I would have attended this.
I know my tone sounds like I am not a fan. The contrary is true; just trying not to raise people’s expectations beyond where they should be. If you have the time and inclination I would highly recommend attending a CERT Course.
Going Beyond CERT
Once you have completed the CERT Program you can check with your instructor for information and classes in your area to further your knowledge.
The next step for additional Emergency Medical training is to go through a Red Cross First Aid and AED course. Once you have completed all that the Red Cross has to offer, finding further Emergency Medical training is pretty tricky unless you have the time to go through an EMT program. You will notice a drastically different mindset in the Emergency Medical taught by CERT vs Red Cross (I will cover in a future article about the Red Cross).
If you are interested in the CERT program, also checkout the book What to Do When the Shit Hits the Fan.
Also checkout Ready.gov
How To Field Dress A Deer
Field Dressing a Deer, or any animal, is a very important skill. It is the process of removing the internal organs and skin from the animal. Once this process is completed, the meat can be harvested by butchering the deer. Taking down food is great, but if you don’t know what to do with it once you have it is a pointless death for the animal.
This is a short article in a series of articles to come dealing with properly dressing and butchering animals. While this may not seem related to Urban Survival, it is part of the larger topic of Survival and an important skill to have. Read more
Blackout Kit: How To Build
If a blackout or emergency arises in the middle of the night, will you be prepared? Outages that leave you in the dark can be extremely disruptive and dangerous. Aside from outfitting your home with a generator, one of the best things you can do to mitigate issues that arise during a blackout is to put together a Blackout Kit. Read more
Preparing an Emergency Information Packet
An EIP (Emergency Information Packet) is one of the most often overlooked items of Preppers and Modern Survivalists. Yet, putting one together can be one of the most important things you do. The fact is, even if you are not a Survivalist, Prepper, Sheepdog, Ostrich, or a Sheep, this really is something everyone should have. Read more
Lock Picking: Why Would You Learn It
Lock Picking is a skill with it’s own mystique. To some is takes on a scary even criminal connotation. To others it seems like a neat skill to have. Read more
New Category Added: Social Engineering
Just added a new category to the site: Social Engineering. Articles will pertain to the art of manipulating people and groups as it relates to survival.
