Just taught a one-day Urban Survival class at the Scottsdale Gun Club this past weekend. We had a full house of 39 students! Along with many good questions on pre-disaster issues, there were considerable, useful tidbits by several EMTs in the audience.
The class was a blend of lecture, group activities, and individual evacuation planning strategies. The focus was not on looking at each individual disaster type but on how to develop a self-reliant mindset and lifestyle by acquiring the necessary skill sets.
It wasn't hard to find a personal example as we, as a family, had to pull out of our home two weeks prior due to the annual, summer wildfire threat. This one caused by an arsonist on the loose who started 20 fires only 1/4 mile from where we live in the woods.
I led off with this and we delved into other areas listed below
-Planning and preparation as the keystone to self-reliance and a look at successful survivors
-When to stay put at home and when to bug-out
-The 7 critical priorities for surviving a disaster
-Home preparation involving food and water storage, meds, and more
-Evacuation planning for your neighborhood
-Bail out kits and shoulder bags for the office, home, and vehicle
-Water purification methods
-Sanitation and hygiene issues for long-term living
-Roadside survival
-First aid kits and common injuries
-Urban trapping
A question arose on how wilderness survival differs from urban survival. One could argue over the radically different environments and the obvious personal defensive considerations in a long-term urban disaster, but the fact is that the body needs certain things to stay alive. Dehydration, hypothermia, medical and hygiene issues, and caloric intake will rear their heads in both urban and backcountry settings. The body doesn't care where it's at! There are many parallels but the goal is the same: Surviving and extricating yourself from the immediate danger. More on this to come...
Thanks to SGC for hosting the course. They have hosted my 1-day Desert Survival courses in the past and are a pleasure to work with.
The next Urban Survivor, run by our company, will be on October 8 in north Phoenix as well as several others throughout the US in the coming year.
Stay safe,
Tony
Ancient Pathways, LLC
http://www.apathways.com/
Ancient Pathways, LLC
Welcome
to Ancient Pathways, LLC
Outdoor Programs
in Desert Survival and Bushcraft
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Recent Urban Survivor Course in Scottsdale, AZ
Labels:
bugout bags,
disaster,
emergency preparation,
off-grid,
urban skills,
wildfire
About Ancient Pathways
Ancient Pathways has been offering experientially-based courses in Desert Survival and Bushcraft Living Skills since 1989. Our school is designed for those seeking to develop proficiency in both primitive and modern wilderness skills.
We also offer comprehensive corporate training programs that highlight outdoor survival training for professionals, corporate groups, and companies who find themselves working in remote wilderness regions.
All outdoor survival courses are steeped in the rich natural-history and archeology of the southwest and, in addition to learning valuable outdoor skills, you will be able to explore ancient ruins and hike in some of the finest canyon country in North America.
Each survival course is light on theory and heavy on pragmatic, time-tested skills. We receive high marks from our students who say that they are amazed at the scope of practical wilderness skills that we cover and the wealth of handmade primitive tools that they walk away with.
The classroom we use for all of our outdoor programs is the Colorado Plateau. This stunning region comprises most of Northern Arizona and is the ancestral homeland of the ancient Anasazi, Sinagua, and Cohonina people whose aboriginal dwellings still dot the landscape. Survival courses are held throughout northern and central Arizona and at our outfitted basecamp near the Painted Desert located an hour from the Grand Canyon.
We also offer comprehensive corporate training programs that highlight outdoor survival training for professionals, corporate groups, and companies who find themselves working in remote wilderness regions.
All outdoor survival courses are steeped in the rich natural-history and archeology of the southwest and, in addition to learning valuable outdoor skills, you will be able to explore ancient ruins and hike in some of the finest canyon country in North America.
Each survival course is light on theory and heavy on pragmatic, time-tested skills. We receive high marks from our students who say that they are amazed at the scope of practical wilderness skills that we cover and the wealth of handmade primitive tools that they walk away with.
The classroom we use for all of our outdoor programs is the Colorado Plateau. This stunning region comprises most of Northern Arizona and is the ancestral homeland of the ancient Anasazi, Sinagua, and Cohonina people whose aboriginal dwellings still dot the landscape. Survival courses are held throughout northern and central Arizona and at our outfitted basecamp near the Painted Desert located an hour from the Grand Canyon.
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