Reader’s Survival Story: Lessons from Living Out of a Car

Written by

Editor's Note: We recently received the following email from a reader named Keith Luethke, who shared a powerful story about how he barely made ends meet and survived living out of a car for two years.

This story is a reminder that survival isn't necessarily about facing a large-scale natural disaster or collapse of society — it can also be about struggling through tough times on your own, and using every resource at your disposal to stay safe while you work to improve the situation. Keith's email gave us a renewed appreciation of the small joys in life as we enter the new year. We hope you also find it encouraging.

Photo: Flickr.com / Charity Davenport

If there’s something in life you really want, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it. In my case, I wanted a bachelor’s degree. I was accepted into the University of Tennessee in 2006, and had enough money to pay for my books and classes, but didn’t have a place to live on campus. Undeterred about such a trivial thing, I decided to live out of my Subaru Forester. I’d already obtained an Associate's degree from a community college, but it had drained nearly all my financial funds. All I had to do was stick it out for two measly years and then I could hang a university degree on the wall.

Photo: Flickr.com/juanelo242a | CC BY-SA 2.0

Above: Although Keith doesn't have any photos from that time period, he made his home in a car similar to this one.

I wouldn’t recommend this lifestyle to anyone, but I learned how to truly survive in the modern world without housing for two years.

I had a simple plan. First, I bought a parking tag and always parked near a museum where a guard monitored the property. This is one of the most important aspects of being homeless for any period of time. Safety while awake and asleep is vital to survival in an urban setting. If I needed help the guard was always within walking distance. This cut down on the risk of my car getting broken into or anyone messing with me. It’s easier to sleep at night knowing somebody decent is around.

Photo: Flickr.com/laffy4k | CC BY 2.0

Secondly, I purchased a stainless steel tumbler. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have a cup with a lid. I could fill it up with water from any fountain on campus, or warm up water in the cafeteria microwave and shove a pack of ramen noodles down into it. It’s great for soup as well.

Thirdly, another critical part of modern survival is money. I was able to get a job on campus working part-time, which turned out great because I had a little income to buy a cooler for storing drinks and food, and I also purchase a small solar powered fan to chase the lingering summer heat away.

Fourthly, I needed clean clothes and a place to shower. Luckily, my tuition covered use of the gym which had a shower, and there was a campus laundromat which I used once a week. Being clean cuts down on being sick. I’ve heard stories from homeless men about how they’d lock themselves in the bathroom at public restrooms and take a sponge bath. I never had to do this, but I would’ve if it came down to it.

Photo: Flickr.com/kimberlykv | CC BY 2.0

Above: The university library served as a daytime refuge for Keith, as well as a place to study.

The only factor I’d overlooked was the weather. In Tennessee it’s still blazing hot well past summer and into October. At night I would crack the windows and run my small fan but I’d still end up sweating and burning up. When the library opened up at six in the morning I’d be the first one inside soaking in the A/C, filling up my cup from the water fountain, and sleeping in a comfortable chair until my classes started later in the day. Although I was sleeping in my car at night, the library had become my sanctuary. In winter they’d even offer free hot chocolate and cookies every Friday.

Winter nights in my car were always the worst. I didn’t dare to turn on the heat for fear of being spotted by the guard. No matter how many blankets I used, the cold would always find a way in. Every night I would place a blanket from the steering wheel to the backseat. The driver’s seat would be laid down flat like a makeshift bed, and I had another blanket for warmth underneath. If anyone shined a light into the car, they’d only see blankets. And yes, from time to time I did see flashlight beams, but nobody ever knocked on the window or came for me.

Photo: Flickr.com / Joel Kramer | CC BY 2.0

There were nights when it was so cold I could see my breath and shivered until sunrise, and opening up those beautiful library doors was sheer heaven from the bitter winter.

While in class I made friends, went to free events that offered free food, and I turned an eight-floor library into a daytime home. It was rough, but after two years I got what I wanted. More importantly, I learned to value the little things in life and to work hard for what you want out of the world. It’s amazing what a person can do if they really want to.

Years later, I finished my Master's degree online from the comforts of my home. I’ll never forget the lessons I learned from being homeless for two years, and the things we take for granted each day.

Read More

Video: A Year in the Life of an Off-Grid Grandfather

Written by

What does it mean to live off the grid? There's a wide range of answers to this question. Some will say it means a lifestyle that generally prioritizes self-sufficiency. Others will apply a more literal connotation related to independence from the power grid and municipal utilities. There are also interpretations related to maintaining privacy, security, or an innocuous appearance in order to remain under the radar. Each of these perspectives has validity, but the concept of living off the grid has existed for many centuries longer than the term itself.

In a recent documentary by Northmen, a film crew followed a 76-year-old grandfather through his self-sufficient routine at a remote cabin in the woods. As the video description states, “He is an old and experienced horse logger and is doing all the farm work all year round using only horse power… He has been living off the grid, before there even was a grid.” This 52-minute film is broken into four segments: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall.

As with previous Northmen short films we've featured, no narration is present — the beautiful cinematography is allowed to speak for itself. If you've got a free hour, check out the full Grandfather documentary above. It gave us a renewed appreciation for the persistent, self-reliant mindset that allowed this elderly man to thrive while living off the grid. There's much we can learn from his example.

Review: 10 Survival Books for Children & Families

Written by

I became interested in survival around the same time I became a parent. When you bring a baby into the world, your thought process instantly changes from “me, myself, and I” to “Holy crap, how do I keep this helpless child alive and well?!”

That led me on a path to take preparedness seriously. My emergency management and homeland security degree studies have given me a unique perspective to preparedness through various government initiatives, and my parenthood has given me the ability to take this information and translate it into kid-appropriate vernacular.

While a parent knows their child best and knows what will speak to them effectively, it’s helpful to find curricula, books, or movies that can aid in that conversation. It’s essential to convey an understanding of why we prepare and the difference between paranoia and preparedness.

What I look for in prepping-related books is the quality and breadth of information, as well as the author’s portrayal of preppers or survivalists. There are so many TV shows, books, and movies that portray survivalists or preppers as crazy people waiting for the sky to fall. I don’t want my children thinking that’s reality.

Finding decent survival books for adults is a challenge, much less ones for kids. Here we’re going to dive into 10 different books on survival. A few of them are geared toward kids, and the others are intended to teach survival practices to adults with families. I was pleasantly surprised with the manner in which many of these books spoke to family preparedness. Hopefully, our synopses will help you decide if purchasing one of these makes sense for you and your children.

Books for Children

Prepper Pete Prepares: An Introduction to Prepping for Kids

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★★★

Author: Kermit Jones, Jr.

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 44

Publisher: Kamel Press

The Premise: This story follows Prepper Pete and his family as they prepare for the unknowns of the future. What we see is that Prepper Pete (portrayed visually by an ant) has many reasons to prepare. Pete walks through what prepping is and how to do it with consideration for a family.

The Specs: You can purchase this book from Kamel Press or via Amazon. It has 33 colorfully illustrated pages with a few more pages for grown-ups. It’s not currently available as an audiobook. Also available on Kindle.

The 411: This book was one of the kids’ favorites. We enjoyed how Prepper Pete has a family, and we get to see mama ant and the kids prepping with him. It makes prepping a family affair. This book also weaves in FEMA directives regarding having 72 hours of emergency supplies just in case. I felt this added some much-needed validity to the concepts presented in this book. We see Prepper Pete purchasing vital supplies such as food, water, tools, and even a generator as a family! We also see Prepper Pete building a storm shelter. The one aspect that was a challenge for me as a parent and for my kids is that this book tries to talk about solar flares, an EMP, and war. The kids that I read to didn’t have any idea what a solar flare or an EMP was, and it was difficult to explain that concept to their age level (boys and girls ages 3 to 10). Also, the concept of war on American soil was a little too scary of a topic to dive into for the younger ones.

Prepper Pete also talks about plagues, economic collapse, civil unrest, riots, and burglary. While the author did a great job keeping these concepts kid-friendly, they did garner questions that’ll take some thought for a parent to approach with their child. I thought it was very interesting that Prepper Pete keeps his prepping a secret. We enjoyed that concept on a personal level, because the whole world doesn’t need to know your business. This is a prime example of why.

I did like that Prepper Pete speaks to firearms training courses, paying off debt, and purchasing precious metals for barter after an apocalyptic event. Many adults I’ve come in contact with don’t have these concepts down, much less children. I thought this type of information was critical for the kids to understand.

One of the last pages says, “Our family does not have to be afraid, because we prepare!” I think it’s critical for us as parents to help our kids understand that there doesn’t have to be fear in prepping or survival. That fear can be eradicated by the proper, methodical, and logical prepping.

The Verdict: The kids gave this 5 out of 5 stars. They enjoyed all the concepts that were presented. I gave the book 4 out of 5. I’d love to see them explain those tough concepts and weave them into the story, but at the end of the day, that’s what parents are for.

Survivalist Sam Stocks Up: The Four B’s of Prepping for Kids

Adult: ★★★☆☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Kermit Jones, Jr.

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 38

Publisher: Kamel Press

The Premise: This book follows a badger named Survivalist Sam. The story walks the reader through why Sam stocks up and what he stocks up on. He turns prepping and survival into an easy method of remembering the 4 B’s: Beans, Bullets, Bandages, and Barter. The story then walks through each of the B’s, what they are, and why they’re important.

The Specs: You can purchase this book from Kamel Press or via Amazon. Like the other offering by this author, it has 33 colorfully illustrated pages with a few more pages for grown-ups and isn’t currently available as an audiobook. Also available on Kindle.

The 411: All in all, the book was great. If you compare it to its parent book, Prepper Pete Prepares, it comes across a little intense. While the information was well laid-out and explained, the book made Survivalist Sam come across like a hermit and someone whose thought of as a crazy person by society. However, this book does a really good job at explaining why it’s important to gather books, become educated, and have a stockpile of supplies. We see Sam reload ammo, which is an important skill. We also see that Sam has his EMT certificate, which is also important, as he can administer medical aid to those around him.

I do like that this book focuses on the lack of fear needed when one prepares. The tagline in the back of the book is “Don’t scare…prepare.” I think that’s a really important point to instill in children — there doesn’t have to be fear associated with the unknowns of the future. When I was reading this book to my boys and their friends (both genders ranging from ages 3 to 10), they were all captivated. The book can be difficult to read for adults because there are many words that all start with the same letters, and some of the terminology is above most kids’ head at this age (ammunition, barter, etc.). Overall, they liked it.

The Verdict: I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars. The graphics are a bit cheesy, and it’s difficult to get the point across about the validity of the story when it has animals for main characters rather than people. The kids gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. The reason is that it explains things very well and lays out a template for survival and prepping; however, the terminology took some explaining.

Outdoor Survival Handbook for Kids

Adult: ★☆☆☆☆
Kids: ★★☆☆☆

Author: Willy Whitefeather

Price: $13 (Amazon)

Pages: 104

Publisher: Roberts Rinehart

The Premise: This book follows two characters, Dooley and Tina, on an adventure outdoors. The story starts with Dooley and Tina wandering off from their parents and their campsite. Interwoven into the story are practical survival tips and techniques that Dooley and Tina use on their adventure to find their way back home. The storyline includes spending the night outdoors, how to make a shelter, how to find water, how to navigate your way if you get lost, dealing with bugs, filtering water, starting a fire, and a plethora of other survival tips. The tips and story are so intertwined that we get to see Dooley and Tina using all the techniques and why they’re important. By the end of the story, Dooley and Tina find their way back to their campsite and their parents by using their survival skills.

The Specs: It has 96 monochromatic pages of information. Not currently available in audiobook form, but can be purchased on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: This book was a challenge to get through. The categories are placed together very well, but the pages seem almost handwritten and use poor grammar to boot. The pages seem muddy with doodles and different handwriting/fonts to bring the story together. It’s difficult to keep your place on the page when reading because there are no natural paragraph breaks. Some of the information contained in this book is valid, such as starting a fire. The chapter on fire-starting walks through making a bow drill and tinder. However, the method for testing potentially poisonous berries and plants isn’t something I’d share with my children.

There were parts of the book that seemed a bit hokey. He tells the readers to essentially “speak it and it will be so.” There are times where it’s simply too hot or too cold and saying anything otherwise is just silly. The author also suggests asking the “spirits” for advice on how to get home. Again, not necessarily information that I’d give my children. Lastly, he tells children that moss only grows on the north side of trees to help them find the cardinal direction and ascertain which direction to go. As was covered in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 20, this is a myth — moss doesn’t only grow on the north side of trees so it’s a misleading and potentially dangerous piece of advice.

The Verdict: I gave this book a 1 out of 5 stars, because it was too difficult to read. Frankly, it was boring to look at as well. It also had some harmful and outdated advice that I’d never share with my children. The kids gave this book a 2 out of 5 stars. They thought the story was cool and enjoyed the fishbowl perspective that we see Dooley and Tina operating in, but there’s no color to the pages, and it was incredibly difficult to read for them.

Jake & Miller’s Big Adventure

Adult: ★★★☆☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Bernie Carr

Price: $16 (Amazon)

Pages: 32

Publisher: Ulysses Press

The Premise: Jake & Miller’s Big Adventure follows a boy, Jake, and his trusty sidekick dog, Miller, on an adventure that’s rife with survival tips integrated into the story. Jake wakes Miller up to start prepping for the adventure that’ll take them all over the globe, through all types of survival situations from extreme cold, to extreme heat, to dense jungle. Miller is cautious of Jake’s idealistic plan of traveling the globe, but Jake explains why he’s preparing and that there’s an absence of fear when one prepares.

The Specs: This book is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Kindle, and 31 of its pages are beautifully illustrated.

The 411: This book was really cute and is perfectly geared toward children ages 4 to 6. The book is too wordy for those under 4 years of age and too childish for those over 6. The graphics in the book are adorable. They’re colorful, vivid, and explain the storyline very well. The survival content was very age-appropriate. It covered the basics of survival: warmth, water, shelter, medical, and food. The younger kids from my group loved it, but got a little bored with the content after a few pages. I felt the survival content was spot on for the ages it speaks to. It explains why it’s necessary to carry food, water and water purification supplies, and bandages. Also covered are some situations you may find yourself in where those supplies are necessary. The biggest takeaway the kids had from this book was that if you pack canned goods for survival, bring a can opener.

The Verdict: The group of kids gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. The older kids wished it had more information rather than storyline, but the younger kids loved practically everything about it. I gave the book 3 out of 5 stars because it’s very appropriate for the ages it targets, but isn’t really interesting for those outside the narrow age range.

Lost: A Wild Tale of Survival

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★★☆

Author: Thomas Kingsley Troupe

Price: $6 (Amazon)

Pages: 56

Publisher: Stone Arch Books

The Premise: This book follows a girl named Kelly who is off to the woods to get bugs for a science project, gets distracted by a butterfly, then proceeds to get lost. A bear chases Kelly for her sandwich, which she willingly gives up to escape. We follow her as she attempts to find her way home by crossing a river and narrowly escaping the oncoming waterfall. The book uses common sense and age-appropriate concepts of survival with little to no gear.

The Specs: You can purchase this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble; it’s only available in paperback.

The 411: The book is really short, so it’s the perfect setup for ages 9 to 13. My son is 9 and was able to read through the book in less than an hour. It’s an intense, action-packed story that left him wanting more. It has eight chapters that walk us through Kelly’s survival techniques and how she found her way back to the cabin she was visiting. In the back of the book is a section that covers what survival gear is important to have and why. There’s a glossary for terms that can be difficult for some readers. One of my favorite aspects of this book are the writing prompts and discussion questions found in the back of the book. The prompts and questions are great conversation-starters for parents and kids to discuss what Kelly could’ve done differently, what she did well, and how she could’ve used the survival equipment if she had it. We’ll definitely be looking into Troupe’s other books, as this was a huge hit.

The Verdict: The kids gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. They liked the action/adventure aspects of the book and that the bear was chasing them for PB&J. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars also. It was great for older kids. The kids under the age range found it a little boring, as it’s a chapter book with black-and-white pictures.

Ultimate Survival Guide for Kids

Adult: ★★★★★
Kids: ★★★★★

Author: Rob Colson

Price: $10 (Amazon)

Pages: 96

Publisher: Firefly Books

The Premise: This book covers every survival situation one could think of. From spider bites to getting lost in the woods, avalanches, tornadoes, and crocodiles, it covers a wide variety. This book gives quick, concise advice to kids for 24 different survival or emergent situations. The book is broken down into four sections that consist of animal dangers, natural dangers, human hazards, and basic (kid-friendly) survival skills. This book is very adequately geared toward 10- to 13-year-old children, but is also a great guide for adults who are new to the survival world.

The colorful pages grab the reader’s attention really well. There are many colorful insets on the pages that give tips and fun and interesting facts about each section. The margin notes are also a beneficial touch of critical yet interesting information. This book isn’t structured like a regular chapter book. It’s interesting to read through once, but seems best-served to be stashed in a bug-out bag for reference during a critical situation.

The Specs: This book is only available in paperback and can be purchased from Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The 411: The book is structured into four sections. This aids in the ease of finding necessary information quickly. In reading this book by myself and again with the kids, I felt enamored with all the fascinating features it has. The facts are practical, but they still have the kid-friendly “cool or gross” factor that this age group of kids loves. Many of the kids I read this book to were under the recommended age, but they all loved reading through it. The younger ones were attracted to the vibrant pictures, and the older ones thought the information was practical and interesting.

This book covers many different survival situations that may not all be a danger in the reader’s area, but it encompasses a wide variety of disasters to prepare for. One tip that we learned through reading this is that a mere 25 inches of flood water can carry away a vehicle. The flood chapter walks through the best method to lay sandbags, the importance of keeping non-perishable food stocked, and filling up sinks and bathtubs with water so you can have uncontaminated drinking water (assuming those surfaces are clean). This is a great book that I’ll keep on hand for gifts to kiddos in the future.

The Verdict: The kids and I gave the book 5 out of 5 stars. We loved reading each section and learning fun, interesting facts about common (and not-so-common) survival situations.

Books for Families

Survival Mom

Adult: ★★★★★

Author: Lisa Bedford

Price: $14 (Amazon)

Pages: 323

Publisher: Harper Collins

The Premise: This book is entirely geared toward parents and families and is frankly indispensable, which is exactly what sets this book apart from many others. Parents who read this book don’t have to search for practical applications for themselves and their small children, as it’s already there. The author touches on some key factors such as preparing being the key to overcoming fear — something many parents deal with when thinking of TEOTWAWKI. Lisa goes into great detail on topics such as water, basic sanitation outside of a restroom environment, and the ins and outs of food storage.

The author expounds further on the financial aspect of prepping. The pre-disaster financial tips are something that I’ve not seen many authors, columnists, or bloggers cover the way she does. There are many tips and facts about getting out of debt and how to budget for survival supplies. This book has numerous charts, graphs, and checklists that make it painless for those new to prepping. There are also dozens of prepping tips and tricks that us seasoned preppers can also use.

The Specs: While not yet available in audiobook form, it’s available via Kindle and Nook.

The 411: The author includes several checklists and templates in this book that make it critical to have as part of your pre-, mid-, and post-disaster repertoire. One of the biggest things I learned from this book was from her financial chapter on gold and silver purchasing for bartering after a crisis event. This was a topic that I hadn’t had a chance to study much yet, and she broke it down in plain English, but gave a very detailed synopsis on the pros and cons of precious metals and how to barter. This book covers nearly every aspect of disasters and preparing — there’s not one thing I’d add or take away from this book.

The author even goes as far as pointing out that children will need special one-on-one time with their parents during a crisis event. Not many books cover the emotional needs of the family at all; the author does this amazingly well. She also speaks to the need for a community. Prepping and bugging out don’t have to be lonesome events. She discusses partnering with friends and family to make a more resilient group of people, and even includes a recommended reading list, recipes, and a plethora of tips to help you in your preparedness journey, regardless of where you are.

The Verdict: I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. Lisa Bedford covers it all.

52 Prepper’s Projects for Parents and Kids

Adult: ★★★☆☆

Author: David Nash

Price: $12 (Amazon)

Pages: 232

Publisher: Skyhorse

The Premise: This compilation of projects is a great way to involve the kids in your prepping. The purpose of this book is to involve children in the methods of preparing for a disaster and teaching them self-sufficiency and self-reliance in a fun, educational way. This book lays out 52 projects that’ll let the child have a front-row seat, with plenty of involvement, in what prepping looks like, on their level. Some of the projects included are apple pancakes, hardtack crackers, rain barrels, homemade fire starters, and pie iron pizzas.

The Specs: This book isn’t available as an audiobook, but can be purchased for Nook and Kindle.

The 411: This book is broken down into 52 projects that seem unrelated to prepping, but the author does a great job at circling back around to the practical side of prepping and the projects prepping applications. Unfortunately, some of the projects are a bit of a stretch for a prepping application. One particular lesson on making wire baskets out of chicken wire and coat hangers was said to be a great geometry starter. However, I question the relevance of geometry for children in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. The soda bottle anti-drip cooler project is another questionable example. These particular projects are fun, but the prepping applications seem a bit farfetched. For the most part, the projects are engaging, which is always needed and wanted during family time.

Some of the more helpful projects are the rain-barrel collection project and the mini survival kit builder project. Both of these include a clear picture of their prepping applications and talking points. This book is geared toward parents to use with their children. I enjoyed the family time we got from going through the projects together. Many of them were very relevant to the preparedness applications we’d want to instill in our children.

The Verdict: I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. Some of the projects weren’t necessarily relevant to survival and preparedness, but we had a great time working through them regardless.

Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival

Adult: ★★★★☆
Kids: ★★★☆☆

Author: Denise Long

Price: $9 (Amazon)

Pages: 240

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

The Premise: This resource is geared toward children 9 and up, and walks through basic to moderate survival concepts. It’s not so much a “sit and read” type of book, but rather a guide that you’d throw in a backpack before a camping or hiking trip. It walks through all types of shelter building, signaling, medical tips, bugs and animals, water, and all the standard survival concepts. It’s well-written for the age group in that it’s presented to with simple, easy-to-understand instructions on how to give aid, start a fire safely, pack a survival kit, and much more.

The Specs: Available on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: This book is split into 12 different chapters that breaks down each topic with incredible depth. I felt that the majority of the info was applicable and well-written. From a practical standpoint, I thought the author did a good job of explaining what animals people might run into during a hike or camping trip. The author also provided good information about how to avoid the animals, some characteristics, and what they’re indicative of.

My 9-year-old son loved this book. He read it through a few times, and the content led to many conversations about how to properly obtain water in a safe, clean manner. I was thrilled that the author covered the medical section as thoroughly as she did. Many kids’ books skimp on the medical information, but this resource provided clear instructions on cuts, scrapes, burns, CPR, and even checking for a pulse. It was a little dramatic in a few spots, which might induce a few eye rolls from parents, but since the book is geared toward kids, it was good for capturing their attention.

The Verdict: I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was very thorough and well-written. The kids gave it 3 out of 5 stars, because there aren’t many pictures and it’s a bit monochromatic even for the age group that the book is geared toward.

Urban Preppers With Kids, Pets & Parents: Disaster Survival for the Family

Adult: ★★☆☆☆

Author: James G. Mushen

Price: $40 (Amazon)

Pages: 490

Publisher: CreateSpace Publishing

The Premise: The practical survival information covered in this resource is well-presented and walks through anything from power outages, water filters, types of long-term food, personal protection, shelter-building, and other essential survival concepts and skills. The purpose of this book seems to be centered around educating members of the general public with children and pets on the need for survival and preparation in an urban setting.

The Specs: This book is available as an audiobook, and also on Kindle and Nook.

The 411: I must admit that if I saw this book on a bookstore shelf, I’d laugh incredulously and walk right past it. The cover art is a bit ridiculous. Perhaps that was intended, but it looks like a selfie that was snapped with a potato. I do appreciate that this book is both geared toward the whole family and urban-focused. That’s a rare find.

However, the first chunk of this book deals with America as it was under former President Obama’s administration. Some things have changed under President Trump’s first term. I feel that this book is fueled by fear-mongering about the FEMA camps that the author believes we’ll all be herded into in the future. I found the author’s stereotypes of preppers or survivalists to be a little off-putting. While I’m not generally offended by other people’s opinions, it just seems a little uncouth and unprofessional to use blanket statements like “survivalists are paramilitary, gun-loving G.I. Joes.” That’s a false reading on the majority of preppers and survivalists out there.

While the author states he’s not a “paranoid nut job,” I wonder if he’s trying to divert attention away from the fact that he might actually be closer to that than he’d like to admit. I also find it a bit of a turnoff that he uses Bible verses to back up his survivalist principles, and not always in the most correct context. If you’re going to use the Bible as a reason to prep, at least study the entire section for contextual reasons to ensure accuracy. But I digress — this book has a lot of information that’s prudent to the times. Regardless of the current level of government instability, we mustn’t look at the federal government as a cause of or solution to all our problems. That’s not its job.

The Verdict: I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars. There are nuggets of wisdom in it that are truly helpful, but digging through the rest of the content to find them, frankly, isn’t worth it. Besides, the positive reviews in the front of the book seem hokey and possibly fake, since the website www.survivalstory.org isn’t a presently active site, and the mentioned YouTube channel is no longer active either.

Infographic: Privacy Concerns in Smart Cities

Written by

Like it or not, technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in the privacy concerns of our daily lives. Aside from the devices in your pockets, backpack, home, and office, tech is also being rapidly integrated into the infrastructure of our cities and towns. Some of this tech is fairly innocuous, simply meant to provide more reliable and affordable utilities through automation. Other types of smart city technology, however, have led to privacy concerns about invasive tracking of citizens or exploitation of these systems for nefarious purposes.

Photo of a dense urban center insinuating the privacy concerns that may exisit.

The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) created the following infographic that offers an overview of smart city technology in transportation, utilities, telecom, government services, and environmental sectors. You're probably already aware of some of these systems, like digital utility usage meters, parking sensors, and traffic monitoring software. Other systems in the graphic are still on the cutting edge, and may not have been implemented in your area yet.

Infographic pointing out various privacy concerns of a smart city.

What are your privacy concerns about smart cities and how their underlying tech is used? It's worth keeping these in mind and voicing them in the future, because it seems unlikely that our cities and towns will become less tech-reliant any time soon.

Self-Defense Takeaways from Real-Life Violent Encounters

Written by

Just like sh*t, violence happens. It tends to come at the worst times, in locations you thought were safe and from people you might not expect to be the provocateurs. It could be at home, work, or your local supermarket — you just never know. When it comes to defending yourself and those you love, it’s all on you. Although our tax dollars pay for law enforcement to keep the peace, it’d be foolhardy to expect law enforcement to be there instantly when violence erupts and you need them the most. When it comes to self-protection, a smart person learns from their own experiences, and a truly wise one learns from the experiences of others. With this in mind, we dug deep into our list of experts to assemble a panel of “been-there-done-that” kind of badassery.

These experts may surprise you with their answers. Some statements were elegant in their simplicity, while others were downright brilliant. You’ll recognize three common recommendations: get the knowledge, get the training, and be aware of the laws in your area. Our panel consists of Jared Wihongi, a SWAT operator, head of Pekiti Tirsia Tactical, and combatives instructor to law enforcement and military agencies around the world; Hakim Isler, Iraq War veteran with Army Special Operations, holder of multiple black belts, and certified bodyguard; Michael Janich, lifelong martial artist, co-host of Outdoor Channel’s The Best Defense, creator of Martial Blade Concepts, and a U.S. Army veteran who served at the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and Joint Casualty Resolution Center; and George Kelakos, lifelong martial artist, attorney, and managing director of Kelakos Advisors LLC.

Lessons Learned Through Violence

RECOIL OFFGRID: Share with our readers a violent encounter from your past.

Wihongi: I’ve been in violent physical encounters several times throughout my life. The most memorable have been in my adulthood, working professionally as a nightclub bouncer in Hawaii while attending university, and during my 19 years of experience in law enforcement (including both full-time and reserve duty). One that stands out was during my early exploration of martial arts and their application. I was training Kali, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the same time I was working as a bouncer in Honolulu, and frequently had opportunities to put skills I was training into practice. One particular night, a large fight broke out between a group of patrons in the club and the bouncers working the floor. I went from the door where I was working to help the bouncers expel the violators, and ended up in an altercation with one of them. Even though I always mentally prepared to only use elbows, knees, and other “hard weapons,” I ended up hitting him a few times with my fists before I entered into a clinch and took him to the ground with a hip toss. I held onto him in a cross-body position until I was helped to usher him out.

Isler: I’ve been in several altercations in my life. The one that sticks out the most is when I was a teenager. It started because two high school seniors manipulated me and another freshman into believing that we were enemies so that we would fight for their entertainment. After the heavy manipulation, we met in a parking lot near the school. The kid grabbed me, and I punched him in the face twice. Out of shock, he pushed me away and I tripped over my own foot, hit my head on a car, and then on the concrete, which knocked me out.

Hakim Isler, To-Shin Do Ninjutsu head Instructor at Elevo Dynamics.

The next thing I remember, I was surrounded by my friends and was bleeding badly from a big knot on my head. I had to go the hospital and could not lay on the back of my head for weeks. I ended up smashing my opponent’s nose and causing severe bleeding, which is why he didn’t stomp on me while I was out. Most people considered me the winner of the fight, but I didn’t feel like a winner, considering I had to deal with a concussion and a swollen mass on my head.

Janich: While living and working in Asia, I was involved in a number of incidents in which I had to defend myself with unarmed physical skills, and a couple of incidents in which I drew a weapon to defuse the situation.

Martial Blade Concepts owner Michael Janich teaching self-defense techniques; photo courtesy Martial Blade Concepts.

Kelakos: While living in Israel, two friends and I were surrounded and harassed by a dozen older boys who threatened to beat us up. I drew my sheathed knife — I carried a knife from the age of 9 — and we covered our escape by throwing stones at them. I’ve been attacked with broken bottles and bats by multiple assailants (I solved that problem by taking a broken bottle from the alpha and holding it to his throat); by someone who flashed a concealed handgun (problem solved when I quickly put my hand on his weapon, pressed it against his body, and put a finger in his throat); by a perp who attempted to carjack me (he threw a brick at my driver-side window, and I proceeded to drag him down the road for a few feet while keeping his hand tangled in my steering wheel); and several attempts to rob or attack me by various perps who threatened me with a knife or stick weapons (I relieved each of their weapons to defuse the situations).

What are your takeaways from these fights?

Wihongi: First, a broken bone in my hand from punches to the violator’s head. Although I mentally prepared to not use my fists, training kicked in under stress and I used what I was commonly training at that time. Second, when we hit the ground after the hip toss, I received a large laceration to my arm from broken glass on the ground. Environmental factors caused considerable injuries to me with the technique I used. This, coupled with the broken bone in my hand, put me out of training for a couple of months and limited my work. And third, while holding the violator on the ground, for a couple of minutes I felt very vulnerable in a crowded environment where several people were nearby, and I didn’t know who his friends were. My visual and auditory awareness were also obscured due to the nightclub music and strobe lights. I felt very vulnerable to third party intervention — and I was.

Above: Tiga Tactics owners Conrad Bui and Patrick Vuong teaching at the Academy of Combative Defense and Fitness (ADF). Photo courtesy Tiga Tactics.

Isler: Be mindful of whom you allow into your mind. Read clearly the motives of those who are feeding you information. And no one ever really wins a fight.

Janich: These incidents taught me that when it’s time to act, do so with commitment and intent. Carrying a weapon and having the ability to use it effectively also give you a tremendous advantage.

Kelakos: The important lessons learned were first, I was not “present” and my mind was elsewhere. Second, I could have taken steps to avoid the conflict, like running, or avoiding the conflict initially, but didn’t. I didn’t sense the potential for danger because I wasn’t in the moment. Third, I’ve since learned to scan and be aware of what’s going on around me and what people are doing around me. I now rely on my instincts more in sensing my surroundings. I constantly practice my ability to scan my surroundings with peripheral vision. Lastly, I’ve learned to stay calm and relaxed so that I might flow through and manage conflict. As a part of my current job, I practice all these principles and techniques during cross-border business negotiations.

General Self-Defense Tips

What advice do you give to your students in regards to self-protection?

Wihongi: The violent encounter you’ll always survive is the one you’ve been able to avoid. Next, martial arts conditioning, or attribute development, is as important as learning techniques. This includes, but is not limited to, speed and power development, timing, and precision.

Isler: The advice I always give my students is that in any altercation there’s always a before, during, and after. What could you have done to avoid the situation? If the situation is upon you, then what can you do to defuse it and keep it from escalating? If the situation is happening, what can you do to stop it with measured response? While responding, what can you do to ensure the image you’re projecting is one of intent to the aggressor, but defense to bystanders? When family is involved, it’s important to remember to teach them what to do so that everyone has a game plan. Defending when you have a young child is a very tough, dynamic role, so playing how you would handle different scenarios is of great value. Lastly, what actions happen after an altercation? Do you run, call the cops, or enlist help? Also, know how to articulate your actions.

Janich: First, understand that physical skills are a last resort, and the ultimate goal is always to go home safe. You can’t change the world, only your reaction to it, so make your brain smarter than your ego and do everything possible to avoid conflict. Second, understand and work with the body you have. Although you should do your best to develop physical endurance, strength, and stamina, ultimately, you will have to fight with the body and physical attributes you have when the attack happens, so be realistic and cultivate a personalized system that meets your needs and individual capabilities. Most importantly, you don’t have to fight like me or anyone else — you just have to fight well. Although studying organized systems of martial arts is good, for real personal protection, focus on the skills and tactics that work best for you. The individual is always more important than the system. With all due respect to traditional martial arts and sport-oriented systems, if you’re not getting practical, usable self-defense skills from an instructor, move on. It’s a free country.

Above: See our feature “So You Want to Be the Karate Kid or Cobra Kai?” in Issue 27 about selecting a martial arts discipline. Photo courtesy Tiga Tactics.

Kelakos: I’m not an “in the box” kind of person so I’ll answer the question in this manner: Be in the present, use common sense, and when you sense danger, extricate yourself from the situation if you can. Naturally, I encourage people I meet to study practical self-defense for a variety of reasons. I often use this hypothetical situation in my conflict management training — you just arrived on a train at Grand Central Station and plan to walk to a meeting. You’re carrying a briefcase, or a purse and a briefcase. Before you begin your walk, ask yourself a few questions: Should I use my smartphone while walking to my destination? What am I thinking about as I walk there? Am I carrying items in both hands, and am I really prepared for the unexpected?

Tools & Force Multipliers

What do you recommend our readers carry for self-protection?

Wihongi: I recommend people carry a weapon that provides the highest level of protection and is within the bounds of their local laws. If that’s a weapon commonly considered as deadly force, then people should also consider carrying a less-lethal force option. However, there are two things that should be taken into consideration. How likely are you to keep the chosen weapon(s) accessible on a regular basis? If convenience of carry starts to become an issue, it’s likely you’ll eventually start to leave that weapon at home. Have you trained with the weapon you choose to carry? Being armed is not necessarily being prepared, and I always recommend people get training from a credible source.

Isler: I always recommend one medium- to long-range projectile weapon (such as pepper foam or spray) and one short-range weapon (such as a kubaton/pocket-stick or knife). I tend to recommend the less-lethal options if you’re out and more-lethal options if you’re home, since laws can be difficult to navigate when it comes to self-defense with a deadly weapon. I always highly recommend getting training — if you carry anything, you should get trained on how to deploy and use it under duress.

Above: Pekiti tirsia kali practitioner Jared Wihongi trains self-defense against blunt and edged weapons. Photos courtesy Michael Leukel.

Janich: Weapon carry is very much a matter of legality and personal commitment. In addition to doing your homework on the laws in your area to determine what’s legal, you should also do some serious soul-searching to make sure your commitment is consistent with the weapons — or potential weapons — you carry. For example, if you carry a knife with even the thought of using it as a self-defense weapon, you must understand what that entails and be mentally and physically prepared for that reality. The only way to do that is to actually train diligently in its use. The one item I believe everyone should carry is a tactical flashlight, which reminds you to be aware (especially at night), can be used to blind a threat from a safe distance, and can be used as an improvised striking weapon. Carrying a flashlight also gets people used to the commitment necessary to carry a weapon religiously and make it part of your lifestyle. Best of all, a flashlight can go with you virtually everywhere — including environments that prohibit other weapons.

Kelakos: This isn’t an easy question to answer. What’s the context? If you’re an operative in hostile environments, you might want to carry a concealed firearm and a backup blade (I prefer fixed blades to folders, but I always travel with a small folder). I travel for work in Asia and often find myself in sketchy environments. Where permissible under local law, I carry a small folding knife that I can pass off as a utility knife. Where carrying a knife might present a problem with local laws, such as in China, I just carry a few pens. I always carry ballpoint pens. If you take my conflict management course, you might also start carrying a cheap folding umbrella when heading into an urban environment.

Potential Legal Issues

Are there any legal pitfalls our readers need to be aware of in terms of defending themselves and their loved ones?

Wihongi: The intricacies of force in defense of person or property will differ from place to place, but a few common-sense rules can help you err on the side of caution. One is to always consider the imminence of unlawful force being threatened or perpetrated against you or those you feel a duty to protect. Your defensive actions must adjust as the imminence of that threat increases or decreases. Second is to only ever use force that can be considered reasonable and proportional. Is your force response reasonable considering the level of threat you perceive that you’re facing? For example, deadly force should only be used or threatened if you perceive that your life (or that of someone you feel a duty to protect) is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. Third, is your force response completely necessary, or could you have avoided the situation? For example, could you have left the location to avoid the necessity for a force response, or did you somehow instigate the attack?

Isler: Always be aware that in our modern day, you can be bright and right, but still be considered wrong in the eyes of a courtroom. Never assume that because you feel you had to defend yourself that others will perceive it that same way. Know the laws in the areas you frequent and understand how to operate effectively within those boundaries.

Janich: Self-defense is all about the judicious, reasonable use of force. If you use physical force to defend yourself, your actions may very well be legally scrutinized, so they must be justified. This is where the techniques of many traditional martial arts can lead you astray, as they are often battlefield-oriented, not self-defense-oriented. For example, in the Filipino martial arts, many counter-knife techniques involve disarming the attacker and immediately using his own knife against him. In the eyes of the law, as soon as you’ve disarmed the weapon, you’ve most likely ended the threat to your life. Using a knife against a now-unarmed attacker is therefore not justified and immediately makes you guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and potentially attempted murder. As the saying goes, “you will fight the way you train,” so make sure your training is consistent with the principles of lawful self-defense.

George Kelakos teaches disarming techniques to students.

Kelakos: I’m a lawyer, but not a criminal lawyer, so this isn’t legal advice. However, let me try to provide you with responses from a common-sense perspective and from a person who spends more than half of his time traveling and working in countries outside the U.S. First, be aware of local laws. Note that in the U.S., there is no “right” of self-defense. It’s a privilege and depending on your actions, you could be prosecuted for assault and battery (or worse) if you use a weapon (or wield one) at the wrong time or in the wrong situation — and even if you manage to duck the criminal charges, you could still face a civil lawsuit.

 

Second, use common sense. Carrying a knife or firearm may save your life or help you avoid an unpleasant situation, but balance that with the burden of carrying a weapon. I would add that you should rely on your most important weapon: your brain. If you’re threatened by a drunk thug in a bar, just walk out. If he puts his hands on you, brush his hands off and walk away. I would suggest that you use the minimum amount of force to respond to situations like this and be sure that your actions and demeanor convey to the observers that you did all you can to avoid the situation. If you’re in a conflict situation and law enforcement shows up, remember that anything you say could be used against you. Better to stay silent and request to speak to an attorney. Laws vary in the U.S. For instance, you might have more leeway in a “stand your ground” jurisdiction. Still, better to use the minimum amount of force needed.

I teach my martial arts students to evade and avoid conflict, but if necessary, intercept, disrupt, and neutralize — in one beat, if possible. If you post videos where you demonstrate disarm techniques or responses to blade attacks, just remember: If you find yourself in a courtroom as a defendant in a criminal case or a civil lawsuit, your social media postings could come back to haunt you. Full disclosure, I’ve not researched this issue as I have no experience as a criminal lawyer, but I would expect that a trained martial artist would come under greater scrutiny in a courtroom setting. Lastly, if you teach or practice violent responses to attacks and you use these techniques in a real-world situation, there could be consequences. I encourage my brothers and sisters in the martial arts world to balance their martial arts practice with conflict management training. Consider taking negotiation or mediation training courses. Again, you may avoid being prosecuted for defending yourself against the perp, but beware of the civil law consequences of putting a perp in a hospital.

Sources:

Controlling Chaos: Tips for Dealing with Traumatic Injuries

Written by

Photos by Dave Miller and Erik DaTrek

Medical training hasn’t always been the most popular topic in the survivalist community, with many preppers choosing to prioritize skills that sound more exciting or impressive — the sort of thing you’d see in a James Bond movie rather than a textbook. However, in my humble opinion, medical training is just as important as being trained in the use of a firearm. With a little bit of knowledge and practice, the average person absolutely can render aid in the critical first few minutes of a trauma scenario, and those actions might make the difference between life and death.

We often hear that it takes around seven minutes for an ambulance to arrive on scene. In that time frame, someone could bleed out and die without intervention. A four-hour class on the use of a tourniquet could’ve saved a life. If the scene had multiple casualties, a two-day class could’ve started the process of organizing the scene so that EMS could focus care on the most critical patients. Think of yourself as a pre-first responder. You could make a difference and save someone’s life. Once official first responders arrive, you can hand off, report, and aid as needed.

Students applying their acquired skills in a mass-casualty scenario.

Trauma Care Training with Dark Angel Medical

In an effort to check out one of the “pre-first responder” training opportunities that are currently available, I went to the Northern Woods Training Facility in Luther, Michigan, for Dark Angel Medical’s class, Direct Action Response Training (DART) 2. Kerry Davis was the lead instructor, with Doc Bridger (Mike Rohan) and Ross Francis assisting.

As the name implies, DART 2 is a continuation of DART 1, Dark Angel’s flagship course, covering their version of MARCH (M-massive hemorrhage, A-airway, R-respiratory, C-circulation, and H-hypothermia) and trauma scenarios. This came about as a way to prioritize assessment in the trauma patient and is synonymous with the Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) training courses that teach pre-hospital medical care in combat/trauma scenarios.

Dark Angel Medical interprets the MARCH acronym in their own way by using HABCDE — Hemorrhage, Airway, Breathing, Circulation, “Da brain,” and Environment. Their version expands upon the original ABC acronym (airway, breathing, and circulation) from basic life support classes. Out of necessity, hemorrhage is given its due place at the front of the line as the largest contributor to casualties in combat. I like that “Da brain” is included in the HABCDE acronym because traumatic brain injuries (TBI) aren’t always detected during initial assessments of trauma patients. The last element, environment, encompasses more than just hypothermia and can bring in to play assessing, or re-assessing, scene safety.

Dark Angel Medical’s Casualty Algorithm:

  • H — Hemorrhage
  • A — Airway
  • B — Breathing
  • C — Circulation
  • D — “Da brain”
  • E — Environment

Another key concept that was emphasized, as the scenarios became more complex, was the use of the color-coding system to categorize, or triage, trauma patients in a mass-casualty scenario. The color coding helps to organize and prioritize what patients need to be evaluated and transferred to higher care. The colors used are Green, Yellow, Red, and Black.

Green is commonly called the “walking wounded,” consisting of minor injuries. When you’re the first to come upon a mass-casualty scenario, you should stand in one place and say, “If you’re able to walk, please come toward my voice now.” These patients are now in one area and may be able to start providing basic first aid for themselves by taking care of minor cuts or injuries. Next, you have to quickly move through the remaining patients to see who falls into the Red category. These patients have life-threatening injuries, such as massive hemorrhaging, and need immediate treatment.

Triage Categories:

  • RED: Immediate — These patients will die if care isn’t rendered immediately.
  • YELLOW: Delayed — These patients are wounded, but have no immediate threat to life, limb, or eyesight.
  • GREEN: Walking Wounded — These patients have injuries, but are able to ambulate or provide self-care.

Once relatively stabilized, move these patients to an area where they can then be transported to higher levels of care. Next are the Yellow patients. These are people who may not have immediate life-threatening injuries, but will need higher levels of care in the next few hours. These people could move up to the Red category as their condition changes. Reassessment of these patients is more easily accomplished if they’re all moved to a common area. Black patients are those who have died due to their injuries or whose death is imminent.

The hardest part of this system is hammered home in Day 2, when the scenarios get complex and you’re the one determining triage levels. In fact, Day 2 of DART 2 is all scenario-based. There was no down time, as every opportunity to learn was maximized during scenario setup. The amount of work put into this class was abundantly clear. Nobody came away disappointed and everyone learned something valuable. Here are some of the takeaways from the class.

Moulage was utilized to enhance the learning environment.

Nobody is Coming to Save You

While the firearms and preparedness communities have an inherent focus on self-reliance, most of society doesn’t. The concept that nobody is coming and that, in an emergency, you’ll likely be on your own, should be embedded in your noggin. Medical training is as important as self-defense or survival training when preparing for threats unknown. We always train as if we’re going to win the fight but what if we, or other members in our cadre, have been significantly injured in an altercation? Without medical training, you’d probably call 911 and wait. Sometimes you wait for seven minutes, and sometimes you wait for 20. In a remote wilderness setting or a widespread disaster, you might not be able to reach anyone for hours or days.

You need to have the mindset that you’re the pre-first responder by starting triage and treatment immediately once the scene is safe. Whether the trauma is a gunshot wound, an edged-weapon wound, a broken bone sticking out of the skin, or some other injury, you can be the difference between life and death if you’ve invested in some medical training. It’s absolutely up to you to get medical training and to carry medical gear every day.

Initial Patient Assessment Questions:

  • S — Signs and symptoms
  • A — Allergies
  • M — Medications
  • P — Past medical and surgical history
  • L — Last oral intake
  • E — Events leading up to the medical situation

Medical Skills Are Perishable

Just as firearm skills are perishable, so too is your proficiency with medical skills. Although you have the ability to put on a tourniquet, how fast can you do it effectively under stress? Can you place a tourniquet with your weak hand only? How about in the dark and upside down while whistling Dixie? No? Well then, keep practicing! During intermediate and advanced medical classes, like DART 2, you often learn the basics of the medical gear and how to apply it. Each of those skills, in turn, becomes part of a larger scenario where you use several pieces of gear during an absolutely chaotic situation.

Above: Students honing their wound-packing skills using Phokus Wound Cubes, as seen in in Issue 28.

The stress is compounded by sensory overload as the scenarios become more complex. These skills, like tourniquet application, chest-seal application, and triage, are all part of the big picture of scene management covered in this two-day class. The bottom line is to keep practicing your medical skills. It’s easy to cut corners when you’ve let these skills perish. Sure, you might get most of the scenario correct; however, the one part you missed could cost someone their life.

Improvise as Needed

Hopefully you have your everyday-carry medical gear (EDC-M) with you at all times. It’s just as important as your standard EDC. Both can be specific to you, your needs, and your training. Neither should be ignored. Maybe your EDC-M is a tourniquet and a cravat. Maybe it’s one or the other. Maybe it includes your favorite clotting agent. If you don’t carry any of it, what’s your backup plan for medical gear? Should you use your belt for a tourniquet? It’s not ideal, but I have one patient who’s alive, minus a leg, because the responding officer used the patient’s leather belt as a tourniquet to slow his bleeding.

Improvising should be a planned alternative in which you’re aware of the risks involved. You’ll also need to pay extra attention to the improvised method and constantly reassess to make sure that it’s working as you intended. That’s not to say that if you used your favorite tourniquet, you shouldn’t reassess, but it becomes absolutely imperative with an improvised device.

Change is Constant

Things always change, so we need to constantly reassess the scene, the patient, and ourselves. Perhaps the scene safety has shifted, requiring you to take cover or move the patient to a safer location. Perhaps the patient’s condition has changed, and they’re now bleeding despite having a tourniquet in place. Maybe the patient’s mental status has changed, suggesting a bump up in triage from yellow to red. Taking care of one patient can be hard enough, but when there are multiple casualties, reassessing and communicating are critical.

Unless you’ve trained for a mass-casualty event, it’s impossible to conceive the level of chaos that occurs. By taking a scenario-based class like DART 2, you’ll be more comfortable at managing multiple patients and their injuries. As a result of this element, I think the attendees, including myself, all had a better perspective of the importance of a solid knowledge base, communication, improvising, and constant reassessment in the event of a mass-casualty situation. Be prepared to handle one casualty, but understand there may be multiple casualties. Seek out training to test your skills in complete chaos. You’ll come away with an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. Practice often, because your level of confidence is guaranteed to diminish without regular refresher courses. Hopefully your skills are good enough to save a life someday.

Sources:

About the Author

David L. Miller, DO, FACOI, is an internist in private practice for 20 years. His experiences away from the office have included time as a fight doctor in regional MMA events and as a team physician for 10 years at a mid-major university in the Midwest. Currently, he serves as the lead medical instructor for the Civilian Crisis Response team based out of Indianapolis.

Editor’s EDC Gear Overhaul – New Year, New Me

Written by

Photos by Patrick McCarthy

It’s a new year, and a new decade. A time to reflect on successes, shortcomings and what we learned from each. Over the last month or so, I have made some significant changes to my EDC loadout – in some cases, ditching or altering gear that I have been using for most of the last decade. I figured that maybe some of the lessons I’ve learned, and the logic behind my changes, might be useful to some of you. So, without further ado, here’s what I’ll be carrying into the new decade…

Watch

Old: Casio G-Shock

New: Same watch, upgraded

Lessons Learned: I saw no need to get a new watch. This particular G-Shock survived 13 deployments to Afghanistan with me as a Private Military Contractor. It has a stopwatch, dual-time-zone function, military time and backlight. That’s pretty much everything I need a watch to do. However, I did bulk it up a little bit with two accessories.

The first is a Suunto Clipper compass. This traditional button compass is a clip-on, no-frills accessory that does…well…compass things. I have always been directionally challenged. (Veterans: insert your favorite jokes about Lieutenants and LandNav) And since my watch does not have a built-in GPS function, I figured I should at least have a way — besides the sun — to orient on the cardinal directions.

The other is the A-K Band, by Gearward. The Anti-Kidnapping band is a length of bike tire innertube that slides over your watch band to conceal a few key escape and evasion tools, which are included as a package. Specifically, a plastic handcuff key, a length of Kevlar line, and a ceramic razorblade. These tools, combined, give you methods to overcome the three most common restraints: handcuffs, zip ties and duct tape. The A-K band is far from invisible, but it’s more discreet than a paracord bracelet.

Fixed Blade

Old: None

New: JB Knife & Tool Ditch Pik

Lessons Learned: I’ve wanted to carry a small fixed blade for self-defense for years. I’ve tried several, none lasting more than a week or two before being put in the spare gear box in the garage. My two top priorities are a double-edged blade and a grip shape that facilitates both point up (saber) and point down (ice pick) grips. Nothing I came across seemed to do what I wanted while still being comfortable to carry – until I found JB Knife & Tool. Their fixed-blade collaboration with OFFGRID alumni Ed Calderon has turned out to be my Goldilocks knife. It’s slim, lightweight, razor sharp on both edges and comes with a kydex sheath that can be configured for multiple modes of carry. The one you see here was recently “proofed” in one of Ed’s Organic Medium classes, wherein I was able to repeatedly sink this blade into a pig torso wrapped in Level IIIA soft body armor, with no issues except a small ding in the tip and a little discoloration. (Both of which will be remedied shortly.)

Light

Old: SureFire EDCL1-T

New: SureFire G2X LE with Thyrm Switchback ring

Note: The G2X LE and Switchback (pictured above) hadn't arrived at the time our pictures were taken. As a result, the old EDCL1-T is shown in our photos throughout this article.

Lessons Learned: The EDCL1-T is an awesome, dual output single-cell carry light with built-in pocket clip. Output is 500 lumens on high, 5 on low. Refer to our previous review of the light for more info on it. The only gripe I have with this light is the switching. This features SureFire’s “tactical” tail cap arrangement: press halfway for low, press all the way down for high, twist down for constant on. As much as I like the L1-T it seems I could never find that pressure sweet spot to get low mode on quickly. More often than not I end up blinding myself with a blast of high output before easing my thumb off just enough to get low. For this reason, I have always been a huge fan of “clicky” tail caps, which are standard on the G2X line.

The G2X button is press halfway for momentary, press fully for a hard click constant-on. The “LE” version is setup to offer high-output on first click for emergency use. To reach low mode, click off and back on in less than 2 seconds. (The G2X Pro runs the opposite, with low mode being the first output.) I prefer having high-output on tap, which drew me to the LE variant. I also added a Thyrm Switchback 2.0, which allows use of the light while maintaining a two-handed grip on a pistol – much more difficult to do with a traditional pocket clip. The 2.0 update of the Switchback includes a break-away feature which allows the ring to open up and free itself, as opposed to breaking your finger in a grappling match.

Pistol

Old: Gen 3 Glock 19, modified by TMT Tactical (above left)

New: Gen 3 Glock 19, modified by Sonoran Defense and Southwest Precision (above right)

My previous EDC Glock 19 build has served me well for many years.

Lessons Learned: Our TMT Glock has served a stellar career as an EDC pistol that ran through countless range sessions, multiple thousand-round classes and any other pistol-centric event I’ve attended in the last decade. The modifications to the slide and grip were spec’ed out by me directly with TMT, to deliver exactly what I wanted: enhanced grip traction on the front and back straps with the sides left slick for comfort during AIWB carry. The slide includes textured areas at the front and rear to increase traction during manipulations, regardless of what grip or method is used to run the slide.

But as the years have gone on, two very significant features previously considered boutique have become commonplace on duty and defensive pistols. The first is miniature red dot sights. Long maligned as unreliable and slower to acquire at close range, developments in both technology and training have made these complaints all but fictitious in today’s pistol-slinging market. This slide, milled by Southwest Precision Arms and coated by P4 Coatings, included a cut to accommodate the Holosun 508T which features a 35 MOA ring around a 2 MOA dot for rapid sight picture at even across-the-table distances, as well as titanium housing for lightweight ruggedness.

The other feature is recoil reduction. This has come primarily in the form of thread-on compensators to divert exhaust gasses from the muzzle in such a way to reduce muzzle flip and felt recoil. There are dozens of these comps on the market in a variety of sizes, shapes and designs. But all add length to the gun, which could require a new holster or changing your method of carry. But Southwest Precision’s Shoot Flat ported barrel package offers aggressive recoil reduction without adding a millimeter of length to the pistol. The package includes this barrel, as well as a stainless steel guide rod and reduced-weight (13-pound) recoil spring for smoother functioning.

The frame work here is from Sonoran Defense, which actually uses lasers to texture frames. This is their Hybrid Atrox package which, again, features a more aggressive texture on the front and back straps with a less aggressive texture on the rest of the frame.

One thing I did not change was the trigger. I started out with an amazing trigger from Johnny Custom Glocks, which I have been running exclusively since about 2014. This trigger is so effective for me that I transplanted it from my TMT Glock into the new Sonoran/Southwest hybrid gun. You will notice that the triggers look different. This is because Johnny recently released flat-faced, branded trigger shoes. When it came time to move the trigger into the new gun, I had this shoe added in. But the internals were unaltered in the move — they were perfect (for me) as-is. While a Johnny Glocks trigger is one of the pricier options on the market, it might also be the last Glock trigger you ever have to buy. To us, it is an overwhelmingly worthwhile investment.

Holster

Old: T-Rex Arms Sidecar (above left)

New: LAS Concealment Ronin 3.0 (above right)

Lessons Learned: I have been, and will remain, a fan of appendix carry. It keeps my pistol close to center line, and my body type allows total concealment with a t-shirt. But the LAS Ronin’s design offers some superior design features – primarily the flexible joint between holster and spare mag pouch. This allows the holster to move with my body, making it more comfortable for longer wear. It also is molded to accept red dot optics and suppressor height sights out of the box. The steel belt clips are, admittedly, a bit of a pain to get off at the end of the day. But the flip side of that is the confidence of knowing once your holster is clipped in, it’s not going anywhere for any reason unless you make it.

Med Kit

Old: USPALM AFAK (above left)

New: Live The Creed Pocket IFAK (above right)

Lessons learned: The now-defunct USPALM was one of several companies producing a velcro-and-elastic trauma kit for wear around the ankle. This particular kit worked really well for me awhile. It offers a lot of carry capacity, but did require some wardrobe considerations. It’s not really any good with shorts, which makes it a hassle in Arizona summers. Also, it requires the use of taller, thicker socks than I normally wear. Your mileage may vary on these constrictions, depending on your natural wardrobe trends. But the ankle kit is also a little too bulky to transition well to off-body carry when I choose to do that.

My chosen replacement kit comes from Live The Creed. Their pocket IFAK is barely larger than my wallet, which makes it beautifully convenient to drop into the back pocket of my jeans, or in the admin pocket of a backpack or purse. However, you do lose some load capacity. For me, the biggest downside is not being able to carry a “hard” tourniquet (the CAT is my preferred). In its pre-loaded configuration, the LTC kit comes with a SWAT-T, which functions as both a tourniquet and pressure dressing. This dual-use potential maximizes utility while keeping bulk/weight to a minimum. But I still prefer a dedicated hard tourniquet, and have mitigated this by carrying one in my day pack. In higher-threat situations, a CAT or SOF-T can be carried horizontally on your belt with a rubber band. (I carried like this for several years while contracting overseas.) All in all though, the LTC pocket IFAK is a much leaner, more convenient way to carry trauma medical supplies and I suspect I’ll be sticking with it for the duration.

Accessories

Finally, I clipped two new accessories on my Tuff Writer carabiner/key ring. One is the Carbon Tactics TiSlice. This well-machined little chunk of titanium and brass is basically a miniature box cutter. This gives me a dedicated “household chores” blade to avoid dulling the blade on my Ditch Pik or defensive folder.

The other accessory is another Gearward gadget – the Ranger Bic lighter holder. The Ranger Bic is specifically designed to hold a mini-Bic lighter, inside a section of bike tire inner tube with a grommet at one end to attach a lanyard or key ring. When you insert the lighter top first, it offers a waterproof seal and the rubber material itself can be cut up and burned as tinder.

The ability to create fire on demand is a primary, immediate-need capability in both bushcraft and urban survival scenarios. While I usually carry a cigar lighter for recreational use, having a dedicated survival lighter, and built-in tinder in a package that dangles from my key ring is a key redundancy to have.

Well Informed: Things to Know Before Building a Well

Written by

A fitness guru once said, “If you’re craving something and you don’t know what, it’s water. It’s always water.”

Indeed, water is our most basic human need, a resource that we’d only survive for three days without, so water availability naturally ranks high on wish lists of the self-reliant. Local governments have lobbied hard over the last decades to carry public water to even the most rural areas. As a result, 87 percent of the U.S. population has access to a public water supply, which explains why we never hear home seekers on those real estate-themed reality shows ask, “Does this place have water?”

If your chosen dwelling has access to a municipal water supply, an argument can be made for embracing that. The federal government regulates public water to ensure its quality against bacteria, heavy metals, and other contaminants, but when it comes to the purity of well water, the property owner is essentially on his or her own.

But 13-million homes in the U.S. still rely on wells, whether by necessity or choice. If you aren’t blessed with a spring or an idyllic mountain stream in your backyard and you desire to meet or supplement your family’s water needs without “city water,” then a well could be a viable option. Furthermore, with proper construction and regular monitoring of water quality, it’s entirely possible to have well water that’s as safe and reliable as your neighbors’ public supply.

Not all wells will require a storage tank, but it is an option.

“In some regions, there may be a large cost barrier for drilling a well, maintaining it, and treating the water,” explains Ryan Bushong, president and owner of Bushong Drilling LLC in Marysville, Ohio, and a fourth-generation driller. “For the most part, however, a complete private water well system will cost less to install than a private septic system, and the toughest barrier to overcome is the age-old stigma that well water is stinky, stains everything it contacts, tastes bad, and is unsafe.”

How Wells Work

A hand-cranked well is simple, but can be susceptible to contamination. Photo by Elizabeth Farris.

A portion of surface water will make its way deeper and deeper into the ground, eventually accumulating in the pores and fractures of a layer of soil and rock. This accumulated water is known as an aquifer, and aquifers can be classified as either confined — bound both above and below by impermeable layers — or unconfined.

Confined aquifers tend to be deeper than unconfined, and because the water can’t move directly down into them, it may enter from a considerable distance away. The water contained in a confined aquifer may be thousands of years old.

A well is simply a drilled or dug hole that intersects that aquifer, allowing the water to accumulate in the bottom of the hole to be carried to the surface as needed by a well bucket or a pumping system.

A forgotten well can be both a safety hazard and a source of groundwater contamination.

Depending on the depth of the well and the hydrogeology of the site, it may take hours or years for water to move from the surface into the aquifer. Therefore, a seasonal drought won’t necessarily impact the availability of water in the well, at least not immediately.

Generally, the closer to the surface the aquifer, the more the water will be influenced by surface conditions, such as pollution or climate. Unconfined aquifers are more prone to contamination from the surface, due to the limited buffer between what goes on above and what makes its way below.

Types of Wells

There are three types of wells that may be used in supplying water to a home: bored, driven, and drilled.

Bored or dug wells are what most of us past a certain age may remember from our childhoods. Imagine the picturesque, stone-lined wells with a bucket on a rope dangling at the top. These are typically only 10 to 30 feet deep, with a relatively large diameter. Again, because they tend to be accessing aquifers that are relatively close to the surface, this type of well is most directly impacted by surface activity.

Driven wells are the result of a pipe being driven 30 to 50 feet into the ground. This is usually done in areas with large deposits of sand or gravel, where the depth to the groundwater table is only 15 feet or less. As with bored wells, contamination from the surface is a moderate to high risk.

“Most people want a drilled well, so it’s drilled into bedrock with casing at the top,” explains John Jemison, an extension professor for soil and water quality at the University of Maine. “The well head sits up above the ground, and it has to be separated from the septic system.”

Drilled wells typically extend 500 feet or less, but modern drilling technology makes it possible to drill in excess of 1,000 feet.

Preliminary Steps

Bushong suggests a bit of homework for anyone contemplating a well, including requesting a database of historic well records for your area from your state’s department of natural resources. This will provide an idea of the quantity and quality of water, as well as average depth. This is also a good time to talk with neighbors, as their experiences with the process and with certain contractors can be invaluable.

“Be careful to ask others in the area how productive their wells are,” advises Jemison. “If your well recharge is less than a gallon a minute, you may need to install a cistern to hold water in times of greater use.”

In determining the placement of the well, the contractor’s expertise in the local hydrogeology will guide you toward the most reliable water. Beyond that, the goal is to avoid anything that could contaminate your water supply.

Vet any contractors and speak to previous clients to determine the quality of their work before hiring them.

“Well placement is usually done based on access, distance from septic systems, and drainage,” says Jemison. “You would not want to drill where water might sit around the well head.”

Distances can vary from region to region, but as an example, Texas law requires wells to be at least 50 feet from septic tanks, cisterns, non-potable water, and property lines; 100 feet from septic leach lines and drain fields; 150 feet from where fertilizer, pesticides, and animal feeds are stored and from pet and livestock yards; and 250 feet from any liquid waste disposal area.

During this fact-finding phase, consider any old wells on the property, which can provide a direct link from the surface to the aquifer, in addition to being hazardous to people, pets, and livestock. If old, unused wells are present, it would be wise to factor their decommissioning into the overall project cost.

Finally, a phone call to the local courthouse or reputable contractor can help determine what permits and other paperwork, such as a well completion report, may be applicable. The red tape can be confusing. Legal requirements vary from state to state and even across counties, so enlist someone in the know to help navigate. If a permit is needed in your situation, that’s likely to cost a few hundred dollars.

Construction

The website of the National Groundwater Association (NGWA), wellowner.org, has a contractor lookup feature, allowing users to pinpoint professionals based on location and certification.

“Contractors who are actively involved in their industry — and who undergo continuing education — are more likely to construct a well in compliance with industry standards and governmental regulations,” explains Bushong, “and more likely to construct for you a water well that can last a lifetime.”

He furthermore suggests that potential well owners seek a contractor who’s certified by NGWA and who’s licensed and/or registered and bonded through the appropriate state. Don’t be afraid to ask for references when seeking a contractor and speak with two or three customers about their experiences.

The process of constructing a well will include the actual drilling, followed by the installation of the casing, a steel or plastic tube that protects the borehole from contamination.

“In most areas with abundant water from precipitation,” says Jemison, “the key is getting a good seal — getting the casing fitted into the bedrock so that water can’t run right down the well head and drip into the well without getting adequately filtered. That’s the biggest issue I have found over time with new wells.”

The space between the casing and the sides of the drilled hole will be “grouted” with cement or bentonite. The depth of the casing and grouting will be determined by the geology of the site and/or by local or state law.

Finally, a watertight well cap can prevent contamination. Older types of well caps allowed insects to move inside, thereby transferring any bacteria or chemicals to which those bugs had been exposed. Modern well caps exclude that type of exposure and may be required by local ordinances.

In some instances, water flowing downward into a confined aquifer will create enough pressure to push water to the surface without the aid of a pump. This is known as a flowing artesian well. However, most water wells will require some type of pump, be it electric, solar, manual, or wind-powered.

A pump house is one way to both protect the investment and lessenliability.

Says Bushong, “Pump technology has come quite a long way in the last hundred years — from hand pumps to jet pumps to submersible pumps to variable frequency drive (VFD) pumps. The conventional pump systems of yesteryear could provide pressure varying between 30 and 50 psi, and later, between 40 and 60 psi. Today’s VFDs are constant pressure systems that can provide a constant 70 psi at every tap.”

When the well is up and running, a minimum flow rate of 6 gallons per hour (gpm) should be sufficient to meet the demands of most households. However, even with lower gpm, a plastic or concrete storage tank or cistern can ensure that water is available during peak demand.

Well construction costs alone will range from $2,500 to $8,000, not counting the pumping system and water treatment. According to Bushong, expect to invest an additional $2,500 to $4,500 on a pumping system and $1,800 to $4,900 on water treatment.

Keeping it Clean

The quality of well water isn’t static, but can be influenced by a number of factors. The hydrogeology of the area can certainly influence water quality, as can construction, agricultural, mining, and other surface activities near the well. The integrity of the well itself, as well as the condition of household plumbing can have negative impacts on water quality.

Yet, with all these variables that can lower drinking water purity, it’s estimated that 80 percent of wells have never had a maintenance inspection. Most well owners tend to fall into the rut of being reactive, addressing maintenance only when a problem is noted.

It’s important to handle samples according to the lab’s instructions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency monitors the public drinking water supply via the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act, setting standards for biological and inorganic contaminants, but private wells are unregulated at the federal level. That means the well owner is solely responsible for ensuring the quality of his or her drinking water.

Testing for coliform bacteria should be conducted annually. Coliform bacteria isn’t harmful in and of itself, but it’s an indicator organism that can signal that surface water is moving into the well, and more serious bacteria such as E. coli could be present.

Every three years, the pH of the water should be checked, and a sample should be tested for total dissolved solids (TDS). Depending on observed water issues or surrounding land use, other testing may focus on lead, arsenic, copper, iron, manganese, nitrates, water hardness, sulfates, fluoride, iron, and sodium.

Well water testing through a land-grant university looks at several parameters of water quality.

Some land-grant universities offer formal well-owner education through their Cooperative Extension program. Texas A&M University, Pennsylvania State University, Montana State University, and Virginia Tech all offer programs that include classroom training on well construction and maintenance, as well as water testing. Water sampling may cost in the neighborhood of $300 through a private lab, but can run considerably less than $100 through one of these programs.

To find out if this type of outreach is available near you, do an internet search for “[your state] extension well water program,” or ask Cooperative Extension personnel who serve your county.

Specific Contamination Issues

  • Lead: Likely due to older plumbing; there’s no acceptable level.
  • Arsenic: Naturally occurring in some types of rock; linked to cancer, stomach pain, paralysis, blindness.
  • Copper: Blue-green staining; nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps; children and infants most susceptible.
  • Iron and manganese: Often occur together; reddish-brown staining; metallic taste; not usually a health concern.
  • Sodium: Salty taste; corrosion of plumbing.
  • Nitrate: Could indicate contamination by sewage, livestock manure, fertilizers; serious health threat to infants.
  • Hydrogen sulfide: Rotten egg smell; naturally present near coal or oil fields.
  • Fluoride: Naturally occurring, as well as added to public water supplies; long-term exposure linked to bone cancer.
  • Total dissolved solids: General indicator of water quality; sources may be either natural or man-made.
  • Hardness: High levels of calcium and magnesium; not a health risk; shortens lifespan of plumbing and fixtures.
  • pH: Mainly associated with the geology of site; general indicator of water quality.

Is Dowsing a Real Thing?

Dowsing or “water witching” is the process by which an individual walks across a parcel of land with a forked stick or bent wires in search of water. The claim is that, once the person walks over top of water, some form of subtle energy causes the stick to bend downward or the wires to cross.

The scientifically minded will argue that the practice is based on the outdated belief in underground rivers. The fact is that, in an area that receives sufficient rainfall, water will be encountered practically anywhere you dig, so the spot signaled by the water witch is no better or worse than a spot 100 feet away.

On the other hand, believers share stories of the almost supernatural success that their own dowsers had in finding just the right spot. See “Debunked” in RECOIL OFFGRID Issue 28 for more on this topic.

Conclusion

Constructing a water well is within the realm of possibility for most folks in the U.S., but it isn’t a do-it-yourself project, nor is it a drill-it-and-forget-it endeavor. It will take an investment and ongoing commitment, but the prize is the one thing that life on this planet needs the most.

Says Bushong, “Please understand, especially if you are a self-reliant type, you can own your own personal low-maintenance water plant on your own property for a reasonable cost that provides you and your family with water pressure and quality that meets or exceeds municipal water pressure and quality. Knowing this, why would anyone want to rely on a public water system when you can tap into Earth’s most precious resource right beneath you?”

Video: DIY Magazine-Fed Pump-Action Slingshot

Written by

It's all too easy to think about survival weapons in terms of commercially-made items you can buy at a local gun store or hunting gear retailer. However, there may come a day when what you can buy is less important than what you can make. If you're able to use some ingenuity to build a tool for small-game hunting or even self-defense in your garage, you won't be dependent on store-bought consumables. German YouTuber Joerg Sprave is famous for creating many such weapons, especially DIY slingshots and bows.

We've previously written about some of Sprave's grin-inducing inventions, such as the full-auto crossbow he built based on a power drill. In his most recent video, he shows off a magazine-fed, pump-action slingshot he named the Instant Rufus after famed slingshot marksman Rufus Hussey. The Instant Rufus slingshot is an extremely cool device, and is designed to fire 12mm steel ball bearings in quick succession.

Clever touches like the magnetic feed mechanism, thumb trigger, and metal barrel appear to make this into a reliable and accurate weapon. Sprave says it also avoids legal issues because it's not classified as a firearm under Germany's weapon laws, but is instead part of the same category as blowguns. Although it's not as powerful as it could be given its short pump length, he says with a smile that it's “powerful enough” — after watching it in action, we'd definitely agree with this assessment. We want one.

Red Teaming Retrospective: Survival with an Adversarial Mindset

Written by

Red teaming (sometimes abbreviated as just RT) can be described as executing an operation against a corporation or government entity to identify various gaps in their security policies. This could cover physical security, digital security, personnel/employee screening, and so on. The goal of a professional Red Team is to find as many shortcomings as possible so they can be brought to light and fixed before they can be exploited by a bad guy.

Taken down to the individual level, RT can also be used as a way to take an inward look into yourself to find a solution to an internal struggle you’re dealing with. Ultimately, anything and everything can be red teamed. It’s not all code, MultiCam, and tradecraft. It can be as simple as looking at an issue or situation and assessing it from various angles.

In this article, we focus on the mindset used by “red teamers.” When it comes to this way of thinking, it’s commonly referred to as the adversarial mindset — which is a fancy way of saying “think like a bad guy.” Now, why would the adversarial mindset be helpful to the average person? How can you filter this down to make it useful for the prepared citizen? If you approach your personal security (or PERSEC) not from your own perspective, but from the vantage point of a potential bad guy, you’ll be able to defend yourself, your family, and your property more effectively.

I’ll give you a simple example. Let’s say you’re thinking about installing a CCTV camera somewhere on your property. Where would you put it? Probably someplace that has the best view of the area you wish to monitor, right? But would you mount it at a height of 6 feet? No? Why not? Maybe because it would be easy for someone to reach and tamper with? That’s a good point. Congratulations, you just used the adversarial mindset. Now, how many other ways you can apply that same line of thinking to protect yourself either at home or in your workplace? The following are a couple of lessons that I’ve learned from red team assignments throughout my career. Hopefully they can provide a foundation for you to take a hard look at your routine and find some safety gaps to fill.

When I was asked to do this article, I was posed this initial question: “What are some of the lessons learned from your work on a red team?” My immediate response was “Lessons learned are simple; it’s really easy to park a car somewhere and blow it up. Everyone’s too busy looking at their phones to notice a guy park a Buick in the always-open handicapped spot and start walking across the street to another waiting car and take off.” Although accurate, this scenario was hypothetical. The rest of these events actually took place.

A Hardhat, a T-Shirt Transfer, and a Clipboard Can Get You Anywhere

Is this a legitimate utility company representative, or a fast-talking con man?

How often has a service provider or utility company employee knocked on your door unannounced to read a meter, check your internet cable, offer you a today-only discount on extermination services after a free on-the-spot assessment? How do you know they were actual employees with sincere intentions? Was it their attire? Or the plastic ID badge they had on? Was this enough for you to let them in your home? One of my favorite red team covers or MOs (modus operandi) is to pose as a utility worker. An MO is generally defined as “someone’s habits of working.”

What do you know about a utility worker’s MO? Probably not much, when you think about it. Just that they usually wear a hardhat and have a clipboard — both are cheap and very easy to obtain. Usually they have a shirt with “Electric Company” on it. Maybe a logo, which is also easily obtained off of the company’s website. With a quick trip to the local office supply store, I can print said logo onto transfer paper, and iron the name and logo onto a shirt. While working on an assignment, I was able to gain entry to the client’s office building while dressed as utility worker.

When I checked in with security, I provided a fake company ID and driver’s license. The guard attempted to scan the bar code on the back of the ID, which didn’t work. But I had already created a very convincing crack in the ID which explained the lack of scanning ability. I told him I had cracked it while attending a baseball game after sticking it into my pocket without a wallet. I also built in an ample amount of “aging” to my fake ID by lightly rubbing the freshly printed card on my blacktop driveway prior to deployment. The guard then entered my info manually, took my picture, and I was granted entry under the guise of “checking feeder line equipment.” Don’t know what that is? Neither did he.

The gist: Perception isn’t reality. As Ronald Reagan once said, “Trust, but verify.” If an unfamiliar or unannounced person comes to your home or place of business and wishes to be granted entry, you can be kind but cautious. Look at their attire and identification, then verify it. If you’re at your place of business, contact your security staff if you have one. Or, based on the person’s perceived business (utility worker, construction foreman, etc.), contact that specific department to see if they’re expecting anyone.

Ultimately, if a visitor is granted entry to your place of business, they should never be without an escort. If you’re at home, check their attire and identification (company issued and driver’s license). Make sure the names and pictures match and the license is local, then ask for their main office number so you can verify their identity. Before dialing the number, type it into Google to make sure it’s not a cell phone and that the number is prominently published on the company’s website. Never accept cell phones or unpublished numbers as a means of verification.

Above: Generic “Security” badges can be bought online. When paired with matching shirt and slacks, a false air of authority can ease most people’s suspicions. Don’t be afraid to question. 

Don’t take the “that’s my supervisor’s cell phone” excuse. Once you’re able to verify the person’s intent and identity, it’s still up to you if wish to grant them entry. If you’re a stay-at-home mother with children running around or napping in the next room, schedule an appointment when your spouse is home. Especially when there are two or more people requesting to enter your home, don’t put yourself in a situation behind closed doors where you’re outnumbered. And above all, trust your intuition.

Even if everything checks out and you have that “bad feeling” or the hairs on the back of your neck start to stand up, listen and dismiss the unannounced visitor(s). Remember, most companies advertise that their personnel are “background checked,” but there are many different types of background checks and they aren’t all created equal. Every bad guy who has ever lived has had a clean background at one time or another. A clear background means the person doesn’t have a known history of criminal activity, nothing more.

Tip: Check to see if your locale has “solicitation licenses.” Many areas have started requiring these for door-to-door salesmen and the like. They usually require a background check prior to issuance. In many cases, just asking if they have a solicitor’s license will cause them to leave. If they do, ask to see it and then call your local police department’s non-emergency number and ask them to verify the license, then check with business that they’re supposedly representing to verify their identity (just as I described above). Also see if your area has a “no-knock list.” This is something else that many locales have started using to cut down on the number of people going door to door unannounced. If your area has one, take steps to get your address on it.

A Backstory, a Smile, and the Fog of Legitimacy

During a job, I was asked by the client to measure the risk of the “ex-employee route” to see if I could gain entry to their facility while having a moderate understanding of what the business’s culture was like — their internal system for identification, access control, etc. They wanted to know if I could circumvent their physical security using only internal information about day-to-day operations — the kind of information any current or former employee would know. After taking some time to understand how the business functioned, I noticed that in many cases, associates who predominantly worked from home, or worked closely with clients, weren’t normally issued access badges since they weren’t coming into the office on a regular basis. That meant there was a good possibility that the security guards had no idea what some of these people looked like.

On top of that, in many cases the company’s internal employee directory system provided no individual photos either. So, if you were a remote employee who knew specific internal information, you’d be granted entry. I then chose an employee who worked on the opposite side of the country who was a “remote employee” as my cover and fabricated the remainder of the MO. I created a fake driver’s license from my cover’s home state (harder to identify since it’s not local and unfamiliar), memorized his employee ID number, and created a backstory about why I needed to be there.

When I approached the receptionist, I explained who I was (the cover’s name, an active employee); gave her my (fake) license; provided the employee ID number; explained that I was on vacation, a deal with a client was going south, and that I needed to access the LAN (local area network) to assist my team. I then off-handedly complained about my hotel’s Wi-Fi. Because I had a driver’s license with the correct name, as well as an employee ID number that was valid and matched the name in the employee directory, I was eventually granted entry. There was no picture available to provide verification and no one called the employee’s supervisor to verify my identity. Just a backstory, a smile, and the fog of legitimacy. They even offered to create an access badge for me so I could access that building, or any of the client’s other sites, going forward.

The gist: If someone wishes to gain access to your place of business and they present themselves as a fellow employee, that doesn’t mean they aren’t a former employee who has knowledge of internal information. Take all appropriate steps to verify their identity — a name and an employee ID number aren’t enough. A picture should be included in the verification process (and if it isn’t, you should take steps to have your business leadership implement a system that includes pictures). If you’re provided an unfamiliar or out-of-state license, a quick Google search of that state’s name followed by “driver’s license” should bring you to that state’s DMV or similar department. Then verify that it’s a current license type.

Also, be sure to utilize internal assets to verify the employee’s perceived identity. In the scenario above, if the receptionist had placed a call to the supervisor of the individual of which I assumed his identity, my cover would have been completely blown. Also, if your business utilizes an internal messaging system, check to see if that person is logged in. Also check to see if the individual has an out-of-office message on their email or internal phone number. In many business and corporate settings, it’s considered bad form to go on vacation without setting an out-of-office message on your voicemail and email.

Curiosity Killed the Katz

Let’s remove physical access from the picture altogether and focus on digital information security. Could you let someone in your home or workplace without even opening a door, or even giving them a key? Of course you can. Digital intrusion is the way of the future. If I can gain entry to your life without having to worry about creating an MO or spending large amounts of time on preplanning or reconnaissance, why wouldn’t I?

(Note: This isn’t my technique, I didn’t invent it, but I’ve used it and so have many others.) What if you found a memory card or USB stick laying on the ground in a public place or in the cafeteria in your office? Would you want to be the Good Samaritan and return it to the rightful owner? Would you maybe be curious about what’s on it? It’s the modern-day equivalent of finding a blank VHS tape. Let’s say curiosity, or your intentions of trying to find a “rightful owner,” get the best of you, and you insert the device into your computer. You know enough to know not to download or run any software or program files since that could install a virus.

When you open up the device on your computer, it only looks to be pictures and video files. You commence to opening the pictures and they open just fine. But you’re not installing anything, right? Wrong! The pictures had malicious code in them and they’re creating a “back door” for me to access your computer. Ah, but you have virus protection software and a whole gaggle of cyber-security software that’ll protect you. Maybe. Or maybe not, since there are plenty of ways to subvert these applications and malware designers are constantly evolving and updating their code. The news showcases examples of this on prime time what seems to be almost monthly. So, if I gain entry to your home or office computer, what do I have access to? Think about what’s stored on those computers and what could be done with that information. All because you looked at a picture.

The gist: Be just as suspect of things that you plug into a computer as you would of people who you grant entry into your home or place of business. No amount of curiosity should supersede your goals of maintaining your personal or professional INFOSEC (information security). If trusted friends or family give you a memory stick to copy family photos, then you’re most likely safe, just be sure your virus and digital security software are up to date. Beyond that, only use memory sticks that you’ve purchased yourself from a trusted source, and ensure they’re unopened and show no signs of tampering. Never use USB devices that are sent through the mail for promotional purposes. Promotional material is very easy to fake and doesn’t even have to be sent through the mail, it can be easily placed in your mailbox while you’re at work.

There are several examples of this being successfully executed across the globe. In 2017, a major U.S. insurance provider created the perfect opportunity for this attack to be launched on a large scale, but luckily no one, to my knowledge, exploited it. Someone thought it would be a good idea to provide USB devices in a mailer that would give you information on the services you could expect from their insurance company. Because of the sheer number of these that were mailed out and the very real danger that it posed, INFOSEC professionals and digitally savvy civilians alike took to the internet to scold this prominent insurance provider of their clear violation of what should be common sense protocols.

Perhaps the most famous use of the technique was discovered in 2010, allegedly part of a multinational cyber-warfare initiative. The Iranian nuclear program was disrupted after a sophisticated malware known as Stuxnet targeted its uranium enrichment centrifuges, causing them to fail to produce usable nuclear material. Analysts believe the malware was covertly introduced to those secure facilities on infected USB sticks.

If you didn’t buy it, it didn’t come from a trusted source, or has been exposed to the general public out of your control (left at a coffee shop or received in the mail from your new insurance provider) consider the device compromised and destroy it. It’s not worth the risk.

Conclusion

Utilizing the adversarial mindset in your everyday life comes down to applying a few different “lenses” to your outlook: observing what’s happening around you, thinking about how actions or decisions could be exploited by those with ill intent, being kind but cautious when dealing with people you don’t know, and the old adage of “trust but verify.” Every day, we go to work and are posed with problems that we are tasked with solving. The adversarial mindset allows you to be proactive, troubleshooting the problems before they arise so you, your family, and your workplace can be as safe as possible. Never forget to think like a bad guy.