Survival Basics

The fundamentals of self-protection are simple. The art of self-protection is a continuous learning process throughout one’s lifetime. As we enter the 21st Century, one rule remains that has been true since the beginning of time:

Your Mind Is Your Greatest Weapon

One of the most common objections I hear to the common sense of these fundamentals is, “Well, I’ve done that hundreds of times and nothing bad has ever happened to me.” That moronic myopia is equivalent to jumping off the Empire State Building and, as you plummet past the 50th floor you say to yourself, “Well, so far so good!”

From Columbine to Columbus Avenue, the rules of engagement have changed, yet remain the same. The nature of the threat remains the same, but its character has changed somewhat. The rules remain the same, even if the situation is new.

1) Awareness – Awareness – Awareness: Always know where you are, where the exits are, how you can get away if panic breaks out (fire, gunfire, bomb, riot, etc). Anyone can wind up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Always chart your means of escape (like paying attention when the stewardess tells you where the exits are). Sit on an aisle instead of in the middle of a crowd. Sit near an exit in order to minimize the chances of being trapped in a bad situation. Know the layout of any place you are in. Train yourself to be aware of escape routes, and your surroundings in general, wherever you go. Don’t become a trapped target. When you assess a situation and find it unacceptable, leave. In a New York after-hours bar with only one entrance/exit, over 100 people were burned because they were trapped in the un-inspected, unlicensed bar when fire broke out. Memorize layouts – be prepared and vigilant, and you can be relaxed.

2) Curiosity Kills More People Than Cats:
(a) When you hear gunfire, drop to the ground immediately. Practice doing it over and over again, until it becomes your natural reaction. Assess the situation from down on the ground - find exit or cover, and then move.
(b) When you dear an explosion, do not stand around gawking or go to the window to see what happened. (Most people killed by the truck bomb in Saudi Arabia were lured to the windows by a hand grenade that was blown a few seconds before the truck. Over 80% of the fatalities were from flying shards of broken glass). Unless you want to get your head blown off, don’t go poking it around a corner to see what’s happening.

3) Carry a Cell Phone: Make sure it’s charged and carry it. You may help others or yourself in an emergency. Have emergency numbers pre-programmed in.

4) Learn First Aid and CPR: The life you save could be your own, your child’s, or your best friend’s. At Columbine, students who knew First Aid were able to keep David Sanders alive for hours. Sanders didn’t make it, but he came close. Without that help, he would have had no chance at all.

5) Put Kevlar Inserts in Backpacks: A Kevlar insert placed into a child’s backpack (available from US Cavalry, Brigade Quartermaster, etc) could be the difference between your child’s life and death. If the child runs from gunfire, their back is protected. If they get down, they can place the knapsack in front of them and have movable protection (cover) that is superior to “camouflage” such as a table or desk is far less likely to stop a bullet. If a child runs from gunfire down a hallway, train them to stay in the middle of the hall, not follow their instincts and hug the wall as they go. Bullets will skip down and hug the wall. It’s the most dangerous place to be. The middle is safer. Teach them to run erratically – a moving target running away in a straight line is not a moving target at all.

6) Create Order out of Chaos: Assess the situation, looking for ways you can help or escape. Be an expert witness that can describe in exact detail the attackers, what they are wearing, what happened, etc. Be able to “walk” SWAT or rescue teams into the situation prepared. This will also help you avoid panic and keep you busy. Keep track of everything that is happening to you and around you. Note times, locations, tactics, weapons, the number of attackers, who is in charge. Are they well organized and following orders like a military team, or are they running amok?

7) Teach Your Children to Protect the Weak, and to Celebrate Unity: I am ashamed to say that when I was a kid, I did not stick up for the underdogs. I picked on them or ignored them. Children must learn to respect the unique individual rather than the “clique of cowardice,” The Pack. “In-Crowd” packs are composed mostly of cowards who cling to a group to avoid being ostracized themselves. They are weak individuals who try to build themselves up by tearing others down – especially those who are different. Today, the underdogs are spraying their schools with gunfire and planting bombs. The “revenge of the Nerds” has taken on a whole new meaning. If enough children do not ostracize those who are different or simply not part of the “in-crowd,” the sense of isolation and rage that has driven this recent rash of school violence will be diminished or eliminated. Some teenagers will always be self-righteous snobs, and nothing anyone says or does will change that. But if others with more honor, integrity, and courage reach out to the meek and/or the out-crowd, the power of the pack will be diminished. The weak will be protected. The schools will be safer. Not only that, the mavericks and outcasts will have a better chance to develop into productive members of society rather than beaten or angry misfits, simply by extending them some kindness and common courtesy, so that they feel that their world is less dark and hopeless.

Make sure that behavior that is potentially dangerous is known. Train your kids to come to you with information about who is violent or about to explode. If someone is on the edge, you need to know about it. Contact the teachers or authorities at the school that are in the best position to deal with the situation – and then follow-up to find out what has been or will be done. Do not trust that the school will solve the problems rather than sweep them under the rug until they explode. Most schools are better at avoidance behavior that fixing difficult problems. For example, when my niece was attacked by a gang of girls in school, the school’s answer was “perhaps she should consider home-education.” It was tougher to discipline 5 bullies than short-change one victim. This is the logic of the pathetic – often the realm of school administrators.

When your kids go away to college, make sure they know which neighborhoods are safe and which are not. Make sure that they take basic precautions at parties and in bars:

1) Never leave a drink unattended or accept one from anyone but a waitress or bartender. If your daughter or son goes to the lavatory, they must take the drink with them or get a fresh one when they return. “Rufies” are too easy to get and used too often. One of the worst news stories I’ve heard described a teenager who woke up in a motel bathtub filled with ice, looking at a note that said “Call 911.” Someone had slipped him the drug, and harvested his gallbladder.

Make sure that they always carry an emergency credit card somewhere OTHER THAN in their wallet, along with the phone number of a car or taxi service that accepts credit cards. If they get robbed or are in trouble, they have an alternative besides 911 to get out of there. If a mugger confronts them – show them cash (also kept separate form the wallet) and toss the cash in one direction as you run in the opposite direction (having already identified the best escape route). Given the choice of you or the cash, you stand a good chance that they will choose the cash, giving you precious seconds to escape.

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