Out of the Smoke: 5 Survival Lessons from Elite Firefighters

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This article originally appeared in Issue 15 of our magazine.

Here in Ocala in the middle of Florida, far from the coastal breezes and surrounded by pine forests, we’re sweating even in the shade. Behind us a four-story concrete building burns from the inside out. Black smoke pours out of every door and window. It stings our eyes even though we turn our backs to it.

No, we’re not witness to a wildfire that’s engulfed a nearby office building. This is an intentional inferno, set at the Florida State Fire College as part of the Florida Smoke Diver School. This intense one-week course teaches firefighters to survive and thrive in situations that would incapacitate some of their less-experienced counterparts. It’s meant for the best of the best, sort of like the SWAT academy of firefighting — which might explain why only one in four candidates passes the course.

Fortunately for us, we were given an all-access pass to the program, observing what it takes to become an elite firefighter and finding out how to apply these training concepts in civilian life. Whether you’re a prepper looking to reinforce your skills or just a concerned reader hoping to learn more about surviving a fire in another hot summer season, you’ll no doubt find some valuable — and perhaps life-saving — information in these pages.

 

Real-World Intensity

Standing near the burning bunker, we wait for one of the Smoke Diver instructors, Lieutenant Chad Belger of the Gainesville Fire Rescue Department. He engineered the rebirth of the Florida Smoke Diver School in 2012, almost a decade after it was forced to shut down due a candidate’s accidental death in 1994. Originally structured primarily as a beat-the-sh*t-out-of-you weeklong physical challenge, Belger revamped the program to include mental training, as well. He focused on stress indoctrination training, getting firefighters to calm down and think straight even as their surroundings collapsed around them.

Belger knew the training was hazardous. But firefighters were dying in real-world fires as well, in part for lack of experience with life-threatening fires. Improved fire-resistant construction meant that large blazes were being encountered less often than they used to be. “That was our biggest argument,” Belger says. “Training is dangerous, but the industry standard for special operations is training at a high enough level where you may get hurt. That’s the nature of the beast. That intensity is necessary to perform in the real world the way that we’re expected to.”

Four years after its reboot, the Florida Smoke Diver program is one of the most elite in the country. Other states including Georgia and Texas have begun similar programs, although the Texas school remains shuttered due to its own accidental training death in 2012.

After spending some time with him and the other Smoke Diver instructors, we learned the following top five lessons that can be applied to anyone’s prep work:

Lesson 1: Know Your Limits, Your Real Limits

“We teach that it’s all about self-awareness,” Chad says. “Be aware of your abilities and limitations, but also be aware that those are just perceptions. You are capable of so much more if you can condition your brain to allow your body to do what it’s capable of.”

In other words, there’s a perceived limit to what you can do. This limit does not exist. You can do more than you think. The Smoke Divers want there to be a muscle memory response, based on past experience with similar situations through their own brand of stress inoculation training. As a result of this constant training the body should be able to say to itself, “OK, we’ve been here before, and we came out alright. We didn’t die. So maybe everybody should just calm down, and we’ll figure a way out of this.”

“Whether or not that’s actually the case is irrelevant,” Chad says. “You might end up being OK and you might not. The point is that you keep fighting, believing that you will be able to find a way out — or in if you need to get in.”

How does the school teach this? “We create situations where people are at the limits of their physical and mental ability,” Belger says. “They need to be fully pegged. We get you to the limit, but then ask you to perform basic firefighter tasks. Perform a rescue, crawl through a stud wall, the types of things that in a non-stress environment any firefighter in the country could do without a problem.

“In these situations the fine motor skill tasks become much more difficult. So throughout the class you learn — you either learn or you fail — how to make yourself slow down, control your breathing, fall back on your muscle memory training, and not let that instinctual freak-out reaction take over. Otherwise you don’t pass the class and need to come back when you’re more prepared.”

Prepper’s Application: While you won’t have your own fire school to practice running in and out of burning buildings, you can do your own training to push yourself to, and beyond, your limits. Strap on your go-bag and go for a run. Time yourself, then improve. And read our Health column every issue for more ways to improve your physical fitness.

Lesson 2: Focus on Your Breathing

Firefighters who fail to control their breathing let their heart rates skyrocket out of control. Some who have gone “into the black” have been found inside closets and pantries, literally trying to claw their way through a wall mindlessly. If you lose control of your breathing, you’ll lose your senses — figuratively and literally. A threat (real or perceived) can spark shallow or excessive breathing, which in turn can bring on tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, and lack of fine motor control, among many other negative physiological effects.

Firefighters hoping to become certified as Smoke Divers must pass stringent physical conditioning tests — in full...

“We reinforce breathing from the start,” Belger says of the Smoke Diver School. “We make people aware of their finite available oxygen, which is what they’re wearing on their back. On every drill we make them monitor their consumption. Then we have benchmark evolutions where you must improve your air consumption throughout the class to make yourself more aware. Otherwise it’s a critical failure. That’s the crux of the whole class.”

Even Belger — who routinely works in buildings where it’s 450 degrees F at the floor and 850 degrees at the ceiling — has his moments when he needs to center himself. “Myself, I got more overheated than I ever have in my life on one of our training burns,” he says. “I thought to myself, ‘I can’t go back in there or I’m going to pass out.’ But then I used Dave Grossman’s breathing techniques from his book On Combat [see next lesson]. I was able to become self-conscious of my breathing, and then bring myself back in and finish the job.”

Prepper’s Application: When you focus on your breathing, you can slow it down along with your heart rate. This prevents the negative physiological effects (tunnel vision, hyperventilation, etc.), increases your self-awareness, and allows you to make sound decisions under duress. Practice this the next time you’re working out or in a situation where you might otherwise panic, e.g. you hear a bump in the night or almost get into a car accident.

Lesson 3: Read “On Combat”

Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman’s landmark book is referenced by police, military, and self-defense instructors throughout the United States. It’s also a foundation for lessons that the Florida Smoke Diver School teaches every day. The book discusses at length the critical skills that warriors need to survive in any situation, from an always-on mindset and mastery of breathing and heart rate, to continuing on with the mission even after being shot or wounded.

Don’t think you’re a warrior just because you’re a civilian? As Grossman says in his book, “If you are in a war, you are a warrior. Is there a war on drugs? Is there a war on crime? Is there a war against terrorism? Are you confronting and containing aggression as a peace officer at home, a peacekeeper in some distant land, or a warrior combating terrorism around the world? Or perhaps you have chosen to be a martial arts practitioner or an armed citizen, seeking to defend yourself or your loved ones in their hour of need? Are there people who wake up every morning determined to send you back to your family in a box? Then you are in a war and you are a warrior.”

Depending on your perspective and your awareness of world events, the warrior mindset taught by Grossman could be more applicable to civilians than you would first think.

“From that book,” Belger says, “I learned the phrase that biology is not destiny. Just because I was born a certain way or that I have this amount of proclivities and weaknesses, doesn’t mean I need to accept that. I can transform myself in almost limitless ways.”

How did that apply to him? “I was never a good athlete growing up. I was an overweight kid. I had asthma. My whole family had health problems. But by now I feel like I’ve changed my biology to the point where I am a high-performing athlete, at least as much as an amateur athlete can get. I didn’t realize it until I read the book that I became aware of the process and was able to do that much more.”

Prepper’s Application: Without mental fortitude, all of your physical fitness and prep work can be for naught. Read books like On Combat to prepare the oft-neglected aspect of survivalism: mindset.

Lesson 4: Know Your Equipment

Smoke Divers train to refill their air bottles even in complete darkness, even when they are out of air, and even when they have been out of air for the last 60 seconds. They want there to be muscle memory so that their hands and bodies move without conscious thought or input. Because no matter how experienced you are, your heart will beat faster in stressful situations. Increased heart rate can lead to loss of fine motor skills, so if your body doesn’t know how to respond by instinct then it may not respond the right way.

“Every day in Smoke Diver School, we start with an hour of gear check and physical training with gear,” Belger says. “It’s all about knowing your equipment, all of its capabilities and your capabilities in that equipment. The first part of our day is just putting our gear on as fast as we can, properly, so that we can get in or out of a bad situation. You need to know that everything is in its proper place ready to go to protect you.”

Above: The first step to being prepared for a blazing inferno or inevitable disaster? High-intensity training with the clothes and equipment you’ll most likely wear when SHTF.

Prepper’s Application: Imagine if smoke’s filled your house or you’re in the middle of the woods at night time without a flashlight. It’s not enough to know what’s in your bug-out bag (BOB). You have to know where everything is in your BOB and practice getting to it — even without sight. Practice accessing items from your pack with your eyes closed or while in the dark. If you own a firearm, practice malfunction drills with dummy rounds while your eyes are closed.

Lesson 5: Always Leave a Reserve

“We train at max effort,” Belger says. “But in a real scenario you always want to leave a reserve — 75/25 is a good rule of thumb for physical exertion. But I like to account for mental awareness as well. For that I like to do 80/10/10. That means 80 percent for your task, 10 percent for an escape plan or a Plan B for when sh*t hits the fan, and 10 percent for your breathing.”

One Smoke Diver graduate told us about performing a search-and-rescue scenario at the end of the day, when he was already tapped out. He searched a smoke-choked building on hands and knees to find a weighted mannequin “victim,” conveniently with no legs and just one arm, which made it harder to carry. Hoisting it over his shoulders, the Smoke Diver to-be stumbled out of the building with five minutes of air remaining. He then triumphantly set the victim down at the feet of his instructors. “That was real good,” they told him. “But there’s another victim in there.”

Most people stop when their bodies are done. Smoke Divers stop when the job is done.

“That ability only comes through repeated training,” Belger says. “You have to know what 100 percent feels like to be able to scale it down. Obviously you can’t quantify 75 percent effort, but you have to know what your maximum ability is to be able to say to yourself, ‘OK, I’m redlining right now, and I need to bring it back a little bit. Otherwise I’m going to burn myself out.’

“We leave a reserve because you know never know when you’re going to need that last 25 percent, whether to rescue yourself or your buddy. And if you’re tapped out then who is going to come rescue you? Who are we supposed to call?”

Prepper’s Application: This can be applied on two levels. The first would mean always having reserves in your preps. For example, pack extra food in your BOB or map multiple evacuation routes in your emergency plan. The second would mean having reserves in your physical fitness and mindset (see lessons 1 and 3).

How to Escape a Fire

It’s important to learn and practice exiting the home drills with your family at least once a year. Remember, a fire may block your main exit through the front or back door. So practice getting out of a window, too. Here are some general guidelines:

Crawl to Exit: If a fire alarm goes off or you smell smoke, crawl on the floor toward the nearest door. After checking it for heat, open it. If the way is clear, keep crawling and go for it.

Out the Window: If not, close the door and exit out a window.

Shelter by the Window: If you can’t crawl out the door or climb out the window (maybe you’re in a tall building), stay near a window. Firefighters will use a Vent-Enter-Search (VES) protocol, and the windows are the first places they’ll check. Use duct tape or towels to seal the bottom of a door and air vents. Open but don’t break the window, in case smoke enters the room from outside the building. Use a flashlight or light-colored cloth to signal firefighters.

Rendezvous: Make a plan with your family for where you’ll meet (e.g. the big oak tree in the backyard). This will prevent frantic and unnecessary searches.

Conclusion

The lessons Belger has learned (and teaches) can do more than just save firefighters’ lives. They can help each one of us who plan on facing our own personal Armageddon-style scenario one day.

“The lessons we teach at the Smoke Diver School are applicable to civilians because it teaches about preparedness,” he says. “Whether you’re a gun guy or a get-the-hell-out-of-Dodge guy, it comes down to knowing yourself and your equipment. And it comes down to making sure your family knows how to use the equipment.

“At some time, everyone reaches the point where they have to make a decision: Am I going to keep pushing or am I going to give up?”

Belger already knows his answer. What’s yours?

Sources:

About the Author

Andrew Schrader is certified as a structures specialist responder by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is assigned to the State of Florida’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. He is the founder of Recon Response Engineering LLC, a professional training outfit that specializes in educating the general public, first responders, and construction companies on how to respond to (and prevent) building collapse caused by natural or man-made disasters. www.reconresponse.com

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original print version for the web.

Video: Yucca Stalks as a Survival Water Source

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As we've studied foraging over the years, we've come to the realization that nature provides a few “Swiss Army Knife” resources that seem capable of assisting with just about any problem. The yucca plant is one such resource. We've previously covered how it can be used to make improvised cordage, soap, fire tinder, and even a chemical compound that stuns fish. And of course it also offers several edible parts. But the more we study this strange-looking plant, the more it seems to provide. Our latest discovery was thanks to a video from Texan survival instructor Bob Hansler.

In the video below, Bob shows how ripe yucca stalks can be harvested, peeled, and chewed to extract the sugary liquid within. He actually refers to it as “desert sugarcane” because he says it's equally tasty. Given the prevalence of yucca plants throughout the American southwest, especially in hot and dry areas where other sources of water are scarce, this is a great tip to remember.

Interestingly, Bob says the stalks can be charred over a fire and left to ferment, producing a primitive alcohol. The yucca is a relative to the agave plant, which we all know is the source of tequila, so it's not too surprising that it can be used to make some DIY booze.

The seed pods attached to the stems are also edible once ripe, as are the blossoms — but the blossoms, stem, and pods will all ripen at different points in the season. If the stalk appears dried-out and bare, it's too late to used it as a food source, but that dry material makes excellent tinder. Further evidence that the yucca always has something to offer in a survival situation.

What If the Eye of a Major Hurricane Has You In Its Sights?

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This article originally appeared in Issue 15 of our magazine.

Illustrations by Sarah Watanabe-Rocco

The hard rain droplets sounded like small stones, popping against the windowpanes. Yet, you peered through the window anyway, trying to spot your father’s missing dog — you didn’t want to leave the animal behind. Your father was likely to refuse to leave if you couldn’t produce his missing dog, and the idea of leaving a beloved pet behind made you feel guilty.

The conditions worsened as each minute passed. Delaying your departure on account of the missing dog risked not making it out at all — and then where would your other loved ones be? The hurricane preparedness and survival plans you carefully made with your family began to fall apart because of a lost pet. You couldn’t get to your supplies, nor get your aging father to a safer location, and you could be stuck in a creaky old house that was likely to collapse in the storm all on account of whether that dog came back or not.

All of your disaster plans were about to be useless; you and your father might even die. You moved to the back door and called again, “Gus! Come here, boy! For the love of God, come here, dog!”

For this edition of What If?, we asked, what if a hurricane arrives 12 hours sooner than expected? And to find out how this story would unfold among different experts, RECOIL OFFGRID asked three different survival writers to tell you a unique story. In this installment, we’d like to introduce Candice Horner, who is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, registered nurse, and competitive shooter with experience in federal law enforcement.

We also have we have Ryan Lee Price, a freelance journalist and outdoors enthusiast who has also contributed to the SHTF column in our sister publication, RECOIL. Finally, I have been a professional survival instructor for more than two decades, and written bestselling books on survival.

And this is what happens when the meteorologists get it wrong — really wrong.

The Scenario

Situation Type
Hurricane

Your Crew
You (male, late 50s) & your father (late 80s)

Location
Tampa Bay area, Florida

Season
Late Summer

Weather
Cloudy, 90 degrees F

The Setup: In your late 50s, you’re the owner of an HVAC repair company in Tampa. The hurricane watch went into effect this morning, meaning scientists estimate it’ll be 48 hours before Hurricane Stuart hits land. Thankfully, if you bug out, you already have an evacuation plan and a 4WD truck. If you bug in, you have six months’ worth of food, fuel, and storm supplies to board up the house.

You text your 13-year-old daughter, Jazlyn, who lives with your ex-trophy wife, to make sure they’ve been following your prepping suggestions. No response. Jazlyn is your reason for living. So, you begrudgingly try your ex, Diana. Also no response. Next, you call your father, a frail man in his late 80s who’s living under the care of your older brother who, unbeknownst to you, left on a brief business trip. “Why didn’t he tell me?” you shout. You promise to make the one-hour, 45-mile drive after work to pick up your father in Bradenton and take him back to your house.

The Complication: You’re busy helping your father pack and trying to find his dog, Gus. He’s either hiding or run off somewhere. By now, Jazlyn texts you back to say they’re only just now out buying water and plan to shelter at your ex-wife’s house. When your ex-wife comes on the line, you tell her to instead go immediately to your house. She says she has everything under control and will shelter at home.

But, just then, you get a message on your phone. You pull it away to look at the screen: It’s an emergency broadcast alert. Hurricane Stuart has changed direction and could now potentially hit landfall within six to 12 hours. You rush to the backyard to look for Gus and notice that things have taken a turn. The skies are dark, the wind’s already fierce, and it’s raining hard. You have to move — now.

The New Plan: Do you transport your frail father and risk a detour to pick up your daughter in St. Petersburg, which is 26 miles away? Or do you focus on transporting your frail father and hope to persuade your ex-wife to drive your daughter to your house? And what about the dog?

Former U.S. Marine: Candice Horner’s Approach

Leave it to my brother to make my plans go awry. Even as kids, he couldn’t follow simple instructions. And now, as adults, he didn’t even have the decency to call me and let me know he’d be going out of town, leaving dad on his own for a week. Because of him, my preparations were all for naught.

Every time there was the slightest inclination of a tropical storm, my grandfather would default to his story about the hurricane of 1921. It was the last time Tampa had been hit directly. No one else in my family took grandpa’s story to heart, but I knew it was only a matter of time until Tampa would feel that level of devastation again. I grew up with the mindset of a prepper thanks to him.

As I stood there, on my dad’s back porch calling for Gus, I damned my brother. He told me not to worry about the dog. The strain of his inflection told me otherwise; I couldn’t leave Gus, he was the only loyal companion my dad had. Fortunately, even though dad wasn’t in great health, his mind was still very much intact.

He reminded me about Gus’ Pod pet tracker. He’d charged it earlier that day, so it should still give a good signal. At this point, I was going to have to prepare for the worst on the fly since we weren’t going to make it back to my house in time. I grabbed my Gregory Baltoro 65 go-bag from the truck and filled it with canned goods from the pantry, tossed in dad’s meds, and we were on our way.

I pulled up the Pod Tracker app on my phone, and we located Gus two miles north in the dog park, hiding under a bench. Once I had Gus in the truck, my dad’s mood drastically improved. It’s amazing what a dog can do for the human psyche. I didn’t know what the next 72 hours would hold, but I knew my dad was as safe and happy as possible.

Since Diana was never the amazing mother she should have been, dad wasn’t surprised when I told him our next stop was St. Petersburg. I absolutely could not depend on her to ensure Jazlyn’s safety. When I pulled into Diana’s subdivision, the streets were eerily abandoned. Then it occurred to me — all the smart people had already evacuated. I felt doomed until the instant rush of adrenaline hit me like a baseball bat to the face, awakening my senses to an internal “This is what I’ve been preparing for” reminder.

Diana answered the door with her stoic, Xanax-induced demeanor, to which I was no stranger. She greeted my dad with the same fake, Barbie smile she always used for him. He was so taken back by her appearance that he exclaimed, “Why are you falling out of your dress in the middle of the day at a time like this?! Put some clothes on young lady!” My poor dad remembered Diana as the 19-year-old girl I married. He had quickly forgotten the attention-hungry single woman she had become after our divorce. Before I knew it, the moment had gotten away from me and Diana threw on red high heels, grabbed her Coach purse, and stormed past dad and me with the same fury the wind was whipping up outside.

I screamed at her as she fought to open her car door against the force of the wind, “Where are you going?” She yelled back, “Screw you, I’m going to Becky’s Hurricane Party!” Without hesitation, and full of the same anger I had been holding onto for years, I shouted, “Good! Just what you deserve! You’re going to die trying to party with your friends, you idiot!” I turned around to my dad, with his jaw dropped in shock, staring at me like I had just insulted the Virgin Mary, and scoffed, “Don’t give me that look, you know how she is.”

Jazlyn was in her room, with headphones on; no wonder she hadn’t heard the yelling. I asked her if she knew her mom was leaving and she said, “Oh yeah, momma said bye and she’d see me later.”

I briefed her of the severity of the situation. Jazlyn immediately snapped into serious mode. All those years of her bearing witness to my prepping finally paid off.

We worked as a team to put the supplies into the safest room in Diana’s house. The ex-wife didn’t heed my warnings to install storm shutters on her windows, so Jazlyn and I used duct tape on the windows to try to prevent Hurricane Stuart from blasting glass shrapnel throughout the house. I remembered Diana went through a phase while dating her last boyfriend where she strived to be “outdoorsy,” as she put it. I dragged in the canoe and paddles she bought for the adventures she never had into the living room to save it from being swept away. If we ended up getting flooded, I felt the canoe would be our saving grace.

I tried calling Diana countless times, but the cell towers were likely jammed with countless people trying to contact their loved ones. I never was able to get through. Dad, Gus, Jazlyn, and I retreated to the guest bathroom once the hurricane hit. We had the canned food from my dad’s, the water Jazlyn and Diana bought, and the flashlights and a first-aid kit from the go-bag I kept in my truck.

Hurricane Stuart thrashed throughout the night and into the next day. There was a brief moment where everything was silent, and I could tell everyone else was getting some much-needed sleep. I don’t know when I drifted off, but I woke with water hitting my ankles. In true hurricane fashion, we were caught in a flood.

We loaded into the canoe and paddled inland until there was no more water beneath us. Relief workers guided us to a shelter. The faces of despair were uniform, but I was just relieved we had made it to safety. Three days later, I learned that Diana still had me as her ICE (in case of emergency) contact. Her red Volkswagen Beetle had been swept away by a couple feet of water. Her body was found in her car in the bottom of Riviera Bay. I only wish my last words to her hadn’t been so harsh.

Average Joe: Ryan Lee Price’s Approach

Though I’ve lived in Florida for 40-plus years and have seen a lot of hurricanes sweep through the state, I’ve only been renaming them after my ex-wife for the last few years or so. Like hurricanes, she came into my life, stuck around for a little while, and destroyed everything. After the divorce, Diana and her implants settled in St. Petersburg on the north shore of Tampa Bay — there’s a delightful 16-mile buffer between St. Petersburg and Tampa, where I live. If it weren’t for our 13-year-old daughter, Jazlyn, it’d be 16,000 miles (and still not enough).

My dad spent the last few days trying to convince me Tampa was the best place in Florida to weather a hurricane. He reminded me it’s witnessed near-misses since 1921, but hasn’t been hit recently. This one barreling down on Miami called Hurricane Diana — I mean, Hurricane Stuart — wasn’t going to miss, I explained to him, which was why I was standing in his bedroom in my brother Jeff’s house in Brandenton, while he pulled together some clothes and personal items for the trip back with me. I had everything we’d need to ride out this storm at my house. Every now and again, I peeked outside to see if his old dog, Gus, had come home yet, and he hadn’t. Damned mutt.

I’d been on the phone with the shrew a couple of times already today, and she insisted that everything was well taken care of. I wasn’t convinced her emergency stash was anything more than a few bottles of Chardonnay and a box of vegan cookies, At least she didn’t mention Carlos’ name, but I knew that son of a bitch was in the picture somewhere (and he wouldn’t marry her because my checks would stop coming).

Hurricane Stuart took a dump on every emergency plan within 400 miles of Tampa as the storm shifted north with its eye expected to pass directly over Tampa hours earlier than expected. Plans of getting my father to my house ahead of the storm began to look unlikely, as the half of Tampa Bay that wasn’t hiding in their bathtubs would be headed north, too. The roads would be congested; at least the ones that remained open. We’d need to stay at Jeff’s house, prep for the worst, and hope for the best.

After a shouting match with Diana that may or may not have involved a tapestry of swearing, I convinced her to put Jazlyn in her car and come to Jeff’s. Her route was actually heading into the hurricane’s path, but because they were going against the expected evacuation route, they’d be able to get here quicker than I could get there. We were south of Tampa and wouldn’t get the brunt of the hurricane, but the problem for her was the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, a 4-mile bridge across Tampa Bay that connected St. Petersburg with Palmetto. If they hurried, I explained, they’d make it. Carlos was at his mother’s in Largo, she said, but he has a four-wheel-drive. Yippee for Carlos.

It should take them only 30 or 40 minutes to make the distance (if all went well). During that time, I started to get the house prepared for the onslaught if we couldn’t make it out. I had no plans of staying here, and I really couldn’t care less about what happened to my brother’s house, but I’m one to always have a plan. Once Diana and Jazlyn got here, we’d immediately head inland; a hurricane’s biggest natural enemy is land, and if we got far enough east — maybe to Zolfo Springs off of 64 or perhaps even to Avon Park — we should be OK.

The news had been atwitter about storm surges, tsunami-like floods that can quickly put 20 feet of water over our heads. There’s a common phrase among survivalists in Florida: Good survival plans shouldn’t involve being rescued from your roof.

I had my truck with me, of course, and it was ready to go. In the meantime, just in case, I prepared an Alamo upstairs in a bedroom closet; it didn’t have windows and was surrounded on all sides by other rooms. If flooding started, we’d be forced to move up there.

I raided my brother’s pantry of all easily consumable foods and put them all in a box in the truck. He led a bachelor’s life, so it was mostly beans, canned fruit, and sliced bread. It’d do if we were stuck somewhere for a few days.

We scrounged a couple of flashlights, all the blankets in the house, and a couple of my brother’s old bicycle helmets. The house didn’t have storm shutters for the windows, but my brother had fairly heavy curtains on all the downstairs windows, so I nailed them tight to the walls and piled the couches up against the west side of the house — the direction the Hurricane was coming from. It might keep out some of the light debris, but if we got in the middle of 200-mph winds, we wouldn’t have to worry much about it, as the house would likely be completely blown away. I filled the upstairs bathtub with water in case we had to stay and needed drinking water.

No word from Diana or Jazlyn. Texts bounced back and calls went unanswered. Service was likely interrupted as the weather radio said everyone north of Sarasota — including us — was being evacuated. Any roads going north would be impassible. Maybe we’d go south instead. I didn’t need a map because I’ve lived in Florida all my adult life, but I put one in my bag anyway.

Finally, the damn dog decided to show up, right as a police cruiser came down the street announcing the evacuation. Behind him was Diana and Jazlyn in my ex’s Volkswagen Beetle (a two-wheel-drive vehicle — smirk). I ditched half of everything they brought with them, with the exception of extra jackets and Jazlyn’s rain boots, and hurriedly threw their stuff in the back. The four of us piled in my truck and I pointed it east. There were four main paths out of town —State Road 64, State Road 70, Interstate 75, and Route 301 — all of which my dad figured would be jammed by evacuees. He was right.

Our best bet was the 64 — which led from the least populated part of Bradenton through an agricultural area — and we could pick through country roads, if necessary, to avoid congestion. All was going well until we got across the bridge at Lake Manatee, when the hurricane struck with a ferocity I had never seen before. Visibility plummeted to zero and the gale forces nearly pushed the truck off the road. Going further was too dangerous. Kibler Ranch Road was a raised dirt road heading south from the 64, and next to was a deep culvert.

I took a right and pulled off the road and down into the field. Because the road was raised, it offered just barely enough cover from the winds. I aimed the truck into the wind, hoping the windshield wouldn’t shatter if it was hit, and ordered everyone onto the floor. In the field, the truck rocked in the wind and debris thumped against the body and pelted the windows.

There was nowhere to go and nothing to do but hold on. Then something huge hit the truck — everything was upside-down and weightless. Screams drowned out the thundering wind.

Perhaps it would have been a better idea to stay at my brother’s.

Survival Expert: Tim MacWelch’s Approach

Any spare time that I thought I had vanished from my mind after hearing the emergency broadcast. “Dad, the storm’s coming faster — we have to leave, dog or no dog!” These harsh words hit my feeble old father as if I had struck him with my hand. “I’m not leaving without Gus,” he declared. Yes, time was against us, but I decided that I could spare five minutes. And when that time was up, we’d leave no matter what.

Dad mentioned that there was a spot dug out under the low back deck that the dog liked to lie in. I threw on a raincoat, buttoning it as I moved through the back door. The raindrops were fat and moving fast, stinging my face and hands as I walked quickly to the edge of the deck. Leaning down and looking underneath, I caught a glimmer of eyes shining in the darkness. It certainly could have been the dog, or something else entirely.

I reached under the deck and felt warm wet fur then a collar. Grabbing it, I dragged the terrified animal into my arms. The 40-pound mutt was shaking violently but, thankfully, he didn’t bite me.

As I came through the door with Gus, my father beamed with joy. He reached out, but I said he could pet the dog once we were in the truck. I felt oddly like a parent, bribing a stubborn child to get a desired behavior, but it worked.

With my father and his dog in the truck, I went back for his bags and brought them out. Finally, after far too much delay for my comfort, I started the engine and headed out onto the road.

Leaving the subdivision, I could see that driving would be treacherous. Palm leaves, Spanish moss, and broken branches littered the streets, and these were camouflaging bigger branches, which wouldn’t halt my 4×4, but could stop smaller vehicles. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the blinding sheets of rain had dropped the visibility to 50 yards, sometimes less. Truly, these were the worst conditions I had ever tried to drive through. But where would I go?

I thought about taking my father directly to my house, a treasure trove of preparedness. But as any decent parent could tell you, my first thoughts were of my child. I had collected my remaining parent, now I couldn’t imagine anything else but getting to my only child. I decided that I was heading straight for my daughter. I tried to call Jazlyn over and over as I drove, and I even tried her mother’s phone in desperation, but the results were the same each time: a beeping pulse, like an old-fashioned busy signal, then nothing but silence.

There was no way to reach them now, unless it was face to face. I had a few days’ worth of food, water, and other supplies in my truck, as I always did. Even if we got stuck somewhere, we wouldn’t be completely helpless. But we were painfully vulnerable driving under those conditions.

The trip took 90 minutes of white-knuckle driving, even though it’s normally just a half-hour ride from my brother’s house to my ex’s home. As we pulled up to the house, a feeling of desperation swept over me. My ex-wife’s car was gone!

I jumped out of the truck and pounded on the door. No one came to answer it. They were gone, and I had no idea where my little girl was.

I climbed back into the truck. I tried calling them again, but only got more of the busy tone. The lines must have been flooded with calls, loved ones trying to find each other before the storm’s full fury hit. Or the cell towers were out. The wind gusts were growing more intense as the darkness increased, and they rocked the truck with each new blast. As I sat in the swaying vehicle, engine idling, I didn’t know what to do.

We were still 40 miles from my home, and there were no guarantees we could reach it now. After a few moments of utter despair, the “bing” from my truck’s instrument panel brought me to my senses. The low-fuel light had come on. We weren’t going anywhere, especially without fuel. It was time to seek shelter. This time when I exited the truck, I had a plan in my head. I circled the house to the back, and broke one small pane on the glass door — near the knob. I reached inside and unlocked the door.

Once inside, I opened the front door and brought in my father and his still-shaking dog. I returned for his bags, and again for the supplies in the truck. We’d have to take shelter in my ex-wife’s home until it was safer to go back out again. I didn’t feel too bad about it either. First, I knew she would absolutely hate the idea that we were here, and it amused me. And secondly, I paid for most of this house in the divorce, so I had no small sense of ownership in the home.

The power was out, so we had no lights or TV, but there were plenty of candles to burn for lighting. I used a roll of duct tape from the truck to seal up the broken pane in the glass door, and I set out metal pots from the kitchen to collect rainwater. Then my father and I settled in for a long and likely stressful night.

A little after 11 p.m., I finally reached my daughter by phone. I could tell she was on the verge of tears when she answered the call, and she wasn’t the only one. She and her mother had gone to a friend’s home, just a few miles down the road. And she actually laughed a little when I told her that we were at her mother’s house. After double-checking that they had enough of everything they needed, I hung up the phone and finally fell asleep, overtaken by pure exhaustion.

When there was enough light to wake me in the morning, I looked outside to steady hard rain, but the wind had died down significantly. And just a few hours later, even the rain was becoming intermittent.

My father and I had helped ourselves to some sandwich-making in the kitchen just prior to noon. As I finished cleaning up most of our mess, I heard a vehicle screech to a halt in the driveway. The hair stood on the back of my neck. I knew who it was. Somehow, I was more scared now than when I was driving through the hurricane. I heard the keys jingle at the door lock, and then a muffled curse when she realized it was open. In burst my hated ex-wife, with my beloved daughter close on her heels.

“Daddy!” she cried. She hadn’t called me that in years. She ran to me for a hug and kindly placed herself between me and her mother. She said nothing — but just stood there with her arms crossed, directing a venomous stare upon me. I closed my eyes to shut out her Medusa-like gaze, and hugged my daughter even tighter. I thought to myself, If I can survive a storm like that and an ex-wife like this, I can make it through anything.

Conclusion

Although we can never be certain of the exact number, Atlantic hurricanes have killed at least 18,000 people and injured countless others over the last two decades alone. The worst of these storms was Hurricane Mitch in the fall of 1998. This deadly hurricane hit Central America, the Yucatan peninsula, and southern Florida, taking approximately 11,000 lives before it lost its considerable strength. Yes, hurricanes and cyclones are a global hazard and, worse still, an annual hazard.

Summer and fall seasons contain the right conditions to spawn these superstorms in the Northern Hemisphere. And, it’s just a matter of luck whether one of these meteorological monsters strike your coastal hometown or not. Even away from the coast, these storms can generate massive systems of rain, which can lead to deadly flooding.

So how do we live with weather that wants us dead? We plan for storm season before it arrives. We stay alert to systems that could impact our area. And we gather our loved ones and leave while we’re still able to leave. It’s a simple formula, and it’s one that has kept human beings alive for millennia.

Be prepared, be alert, and be ready to move out of harm’s way.

Meet Our Panel

Tim MacWelch

Tim MacWelch has been a survival instructor for more than 20 years, training people from all walks of life, including members from all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, the State Department, DOD, and DOJ personnel. He’s a frequent public speaker for preparedness groups and events. He’s also the author of three New York Times-bestselling survival books, and the new Ultimate Bushcraft Survival Manual. When he’s not teaching survival or writing about it, MacWelch lives a self-reliant lifestyle with his family in Virginia. Check out his wide range of hands-on training courses that are open to the public at www.advancedsurvivaltraining.com.

Ryan Lee Price

Ryan Lee Price is a freelance journalist who specializes in outdoor adventuring, emergency preparedness, and the automotive industry. He has contributed to the “SHTF” survival column for our sister publication RECOIL Magazine and is a longtime hiking and camping enthusiast. He currently resides in Corona, California, with his wife Kara and their two children.

Candice Horner

Candice Horner has the heart of a prepper, but the traveling schedule of a gypsy. Ever resourceful, this U.S. Marine Corps veteran and emergency room/prison nurse has a honed and refined skillset, focusing on adaptability and utilizing the tools on-hand. As a competitive shooter, Horner is often on the road, so she’s usually rolling with a go-bag, a survivalist mentality, and enough firepower to have your back in a SHTF scenario. www.recoilweb.com / www.candi323.com

Last Man Projects: 10 Bug-Out Bag Tips for Long Treks

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Editor's Note: Brandon Barton of Last Man Projects recently posted the following list of quick tips for prepping a bug-out bag for long treks on foot. He's a bit of a fitness buff and has covered quite a few miles in his continually-evolving pack setups, so you may find some of these helpful for your own BOB. Refer to our previous article for an overview of his current Mystery Ranch Coulee 40 pack, and check out the Last Man Projects Facebook page for more on Brandon's adventures.

So I walk with my pack… a lot. Here are a few little tips that I’ve picked up or noticed through “trail and error.”

Rain or shine, Brandon spends quite a bit of time on the trail.

1. Be sure you can bend over and pick stuff up while wearing your pack, since you’ll inevitably drop something after slinging into it. It needs to be balanced and light enough that you can bend over relatively easily. This action gets way more difficult as you get more tired.

2. Add a little extra storage or water capacity in the front that’s easy to get to. I carry an extra 32oz bottle in a Camelbak Max Gear bottle pouch on my waist belt. It’s easier to get to and fill than taking off the pack to get the bladder. Makes topping off easier if the opportunity happens; save the bladder.

3. Add thumb loops on your shoulder straps. I have mentioned this before. Swinging your arms for hours will swell your digits. Resting your thumbs through some loops on your shoulder straps might give you T-Rex arms, but it also heads off dependent edema.

Your hands swing as you walk, and eventually swell. Brandon added cord loops to his pack straps to avoid this.

4. Pack all your foot care stuff on top, including extra socks. While on the move, this is more important than anything else you’re carrying except water.

5. Keep about three nail clippers in your pack; you will lose them. Cut your toenails.

6. Make sure all your defensive EDC fits and wears well with a pack. Miles of having a pistol rub your side while it’s compressed into you by a waist belt sucks.

7. Have a place to stash trash. Whether it’s just a hobby run through the country and you don’t want to be a litter bug, or it’s a full blown SHtF crisis and you don’t want to leave an obvious trail, you need a place to put trash while you walk.

8. Wear pants with cargo pockets. Its tough getting stuff into and out of regular pockets with a waist belt blocking the way. Finally those extra pockets will get used for something.

9. Don’t choose a pack — or make the pack — wider than your shoulders. You want the pack to fit everywhere you do, and wide packs tend to throw you off balance. If it’s a good width, don’t add all sorts of pouches and pockets to mess that up… pack less.

10. Leave extra room. As you walk you might have to adjust your kit, or in a SHtF situation you might come across something useful that could improve your condition. Leave a little room just in case. Plus, it helps to keep you from overpacking. (In most cases, that old prepper adage “two is one and one is none” shouldn’t apply to your pack.)

Review: Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed M4 Chest Rig

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It's easy to think of a SHTF situation as an all-or-nothing event. Either everything is hunky-dory and you're going about your daily business, or it's the end of the world as we know it. In the latter case, it wouldn't be unreasonable to venture outside decked-out with a bug-out bag, plate carrier, and a rifle at the ready. If you're heading into a literal warzone, keeping a low profile will be less of a concern than maximizing your defensive capabilities. However, the likelihood of a switch flipping from “all good” to “apocalypse” in an instant is minimal.

Although we may envision society crumbling overnight as a result of a single catastrophe, that's rarely the case.

In the real world, most disasters are a snowball effect moving progressively from bad to worse. Scattered instances of civil unrest can spread into a large-scale societal collapse or civil war, but this usually takes weeks, months, or even years to unfold (especially in relatively stable first-world nations). It's therefore wise to prepare various levels of gear that can adapt to these changing circumstances. Just as we prepare layers of clothing to protect ourselves from gradual changes in weather conditions, we can prepare layers of defensive gear that escalate to meet the threat level.

A lightweight chest rig is one piece of gear that fits into this intermediate category. Let's say things are bad enough that you think your concealed handgun isn't going to cut it, but not so bad that you're openly wearing rifle plates everywhere you go. A chest rig can be stored in a backpack or the trunk of your car alongside a rifle, and takes seconds to put on. It offers quick access to an expanded set of gear, and has some distinct advantages in comparison to a full plate carrier.

Plate Carriers vs Chest Rigs

For those of you who may not be entirely familiar with chest rigs and plate carriers, we'll briefly outline some of the differences.

Left: Blue Force Gear PLATEminus V2 plate carrier. Right: Ten-Speed M4 chest rig.

Plate carriers are exactly what they sound like: carriers for bulletproof armor plates. Many plate carriers will accept soft Level II or III-A armor inserts for protection against handgun calibers, but most of the time they're used in conjunction with rifle-rated Level III or IV hard plates made from steel or ceramic. Most plate carriers incorporate PALS webbing or laser-cut attachment surfaces for MOLLE-compatible mag pouches, IFAKs, and other gear.

A Vickers Padded Sling, also from Blue Force Gear, was easy to adjust for extra slack while using the chest rig.

Chest rigs are designed exclusively as a form of load-bearing gear, so they don't accommodate armor plates. While they offer no protection against gunfire, this makes them substantially smaller and lighter, and allows them to be rolled up for storage in backpacks and other compact spaces. Some chest rigs are just a field of PALS webbing with some straps attached, while others include built-in pockets and pouches.

A third option is to use both a chest rig and a low-profile “slick” plate carrier or bulletproof vest. This is usually done when body armor is already being worn underneath clothing, such as by undercover law enforcement personnel. It's then easy to throw on a chest rig atop the other apparel if more gear and ammo are needed — for example, transitioning from everyday duty to clearing a dangerous area or responding to an active shooter.

Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed M4 Chest Rig

Recently, while preparing for a carbine class, we were in search of a chest rig to expand our magazine-carrying capacity beyond what would fit in the pockets of a pair of jeans. Although this rig would mostly be used at the range, we also wanted something that could be stashed in a bug-out bag and used as a grab-and-go SHTF resource. So, even though most chest rigs could already be called minimalist — at least until you start adding pouches — we were looking for a setup that took that philosophy to the next level.

The Ten-Speed System

Blue Force Gear's Ten-Speed M4 chest rig is an extension of the company's existing Ten-Speed line of pouches, which use a special stretch fabric to tightly grip contents. This elastic design allows the pouches to lay almost completely flat when they're empty, but also expand to fit large or oddly-shaped items. For example, the rifle magazine pouches can securely hold a wide range of magazine types, as well as handheld radios, cell phones, tourniquets, wound dressings, flashbangs or smoke grenades, and so on.

Opposite the elastic front surface, each Ten-Speed pouch is constructed from ULTRAcomp laminate, a thin yet durable composite material. Standalone pouches are offered in either standard MOLLE-compatible form or direct belt-mount configuration, with a variety of sizes, shapes, and color choices. As with all Blue Force Gear products, the Ten-Speed line is made in the USA and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

As pictured above, we also set up an old 5.11 Tactical battle belt with more Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed pouches. This included a double pistol mag pouch, M4 mag pouch with Gerber Center-Drive multitool, dump pouch, Tourniquet NOW! pouch, and Micro Trauma Kit NOW!. A Raven Concealment Perun strong-side holster completes the setup, and makes for a good optional supplement to the chest rig.

Features and Specs

The Ten-Speed M4 chest rig is described as an “ultralight fighting load.” The word ultralight gets thrown around a lot in the outdoor gear industry, but it's certainly appropriate here. Unloaded, this chest rig weighs just 330 grams (11.6 ounces / 0.7 pounds), and like all Ten-Speed gear, it packs flat for easy storage.

The front of this chest rig consists of four elastic pouches that fit polymer or metal AR-15 mags (or other STANAG-pattern mags — here's a more complete list). Rather than being connected to a layer of PALS webbing as they would be on most chest rigs, they're directly sewn into the 500D Cordura backing fabric, further reducing weight and bulk.

On either side of these pouches there are 3×3 PALS webbing fields. You can add an IFAK, radio pouch, knife sheath, pistol mag pouches, or any other gear of your choosing here, or you can leave them empty for a slimmer feel. As seen in our photos, we elected to add two more Ten-Speed MOLLE M4 mag pouches — these can increase carrying capacity to six 30-round AR-15 mags, or hold a variety of other items.

A pair of additional Ten-Speed M4 mag pouches were added onto the chest rig's PALS webbing.

Two tabs at top of the chest rig provide access to a hook-and-loop-sealed 18×6-inch document pocket. You can stash a map, notebook, or other slim items within, but we wouldn't recommend much more than that so the rig doesn't start to feel bulky.

A document pocket allows for quick storage of notes or maps.

When you're carrying as much as 180 rounds of ammo on your chest, comfortable straps are an obvious priority. Fortunately, the Ten-Speed M4 chest rig uses wide nylon straps that connect in a carry/drag handle at the shoulder area. Additional adjustable straps attach to the chest rig body underneath the arms and around the torso with ITW GhillieTEX buckles.

This chest rig retails for $90 and is available in black, coyote tan, wolf grey, and MultiCam.

Our Impressions

We set out to find a setup that distills the chest rig down to its most basic elements, and we found exactly that. The Ten-Speed M4 chest rig is exceptionally light and packable, making it ideal for use as an emergency tool. In fact, we found ourselves filling it with AR mags and shoving it into our range bag before going shooting — it's more convenient than carrying loose magazines in the bag, and takes up almost no additional space.

The fully-loaded chest rig fit easily into the top of our Vertx A-Range Bag alongside two sets of ear pro.

After adjusting the straps to the appropriate size and height, we found the rig to be impressively slim and comfortable. It can even be worn underneath a cover garment like a button-down shirt or jacket, if necessary. We were a little concerned that the non-padded shoulder straps would dig in or chafe, but the material is wide enough that it's not an issue, even with six full mags up front.

The chest rig is slim and light, making it easy to wear under a jacket or over body armor.

Admittedly, six AR mags may be overkill unless you're running lengthy training drills or preparing for an extended firefight. In all other situations, the adaptability of the Ten-Speed elastic is helpful. The side pouches can be left empty to lay flat and give your arms plenty of breathing room, or they can be filled with other items. We found the M4/AR pouches to be the perfect size for a Gerber multi-tool and bit set. You can even get away with storing handgun mags in these large pouches, although they'll obviously be a bit more secure in the dedicated pistol mag pouches offered by Blue Force Gear.

The $90 MSRP seems fair, considering that this is made in the USA and devoid of the sloppy stitching and questionable materials often found on imported gear. Adding two more M4 mag pouches made the value seem less appealing, however — at $30 apiece, we were two-thirds of the way to paying for a second chest rig. We would've appreciated a bundling option to purchase various add-on pouches at a slight discount when buying a chest rig. But if you don't need the extra capacity, or you have MOLLE pouches of your own to add, this isn't an issue.

Even with two add-on pouches, there's still a spare row of webbing for flashlights, pens, or other small items.

As for long-term durability, we're always a little concerned about elastic material loosening and losing its stretch over time. However, the elastic is surprisingly strong out of the box, and we know several people who have been using Ten-Speed pouches for a few years without this becoming a problem. We'll have to wait and see how this rig holds up, but we're not too worried.

Conclusion

The Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed M4 chest rig is a great intermediate solution for anyone looking to layer their defensive gear options. It's no replacement for a fully-stocked plate carrier in any instance where you'd need one, but unless your profession dictates firefights with heavily-armed bad guys on a regular basis, a plate carrier may not always be necessary.

This chest rig is easy to store, quick to put on, and positions magazines and other critical items right where you need them. In any event where you transition from your carry handgun to an AR, the Ten-Speed chest rig gives you organized, unobtrusive storage for the supplementary gear you'll need.

For more information on this chest rig, go to BlueForceGear.com.

Video: Building a Wood Tar Kiln

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Wood tar isn't a substance we think much about these days, but in ancient times, it was critically important. Shipbuilders throughout history have relied on tar to seal roofs, waterproof sails, and glue together boat components. Unsurprisingly, the seafaring Vikings were especially proficient at making the substance, and it remained one of Scandinavia's most important exports through the 1800s. Wood tar also has anti-microbial properties, so it was often applied to wounds to prevent infection — as a result there's an old Finnish saying, “if sauna, vodka, and tar won't help, the disease is fatal.”

To produce wood tar, resin-laden wood (such as evergreen fatwood) must be heated in an enclosed dry still or kiln. This process melts the resin deposits, which run down into a collection vessel beneath the oven. Some of the deposits will result in sticky tar (also called pitch) while others will create a thinner oily substance (wood oil or turpentine). It also leaves behind charcoal, which we all know is valuable as a long-burning fuel source.

Traditionally, tar was produced in tar kilns made from limestone, clay, and soil as pictured above. (Source: translation from Bergström 1941: part II, p. 57; CC BY 4.0.) However, it's also possible to achieve similar results using a few modern materials. Russian survivalist Max Egorov of the YouTube channel Advoko Makes showed how he made a wood tar kiln (or still/distiller) using a metal oil drum, a copper pipe, and some natural clay.

This setup generated several mason jars full of oil, as well as some globs of thick tar and a large amount of brittle charcoal. Max used the tar to glue legs onto a stool he made, and finished the wood with the oil. However, these materials could easily be used for sealing a boat or even fueling an oil lamp. If you're in an area where fatwood or other resin-heavy woods are present, this tar kiln method is a good primitive skill to know.

Review: Spyderco Assist Salt Knife

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She’s bloody, upside down, unconscious, and behind a tinted window. Worse, you smell gasoline, and you have no cellphone signal to call 911 and no time to wait for help to arrive. Your choice is simple: extract her from the vehicle or watch the love of your life get barbecued under glass.

But all you have in your fisted and frustrated hands is the latest everyday-carry tactical ninja tanto blade. Nothing about it will help you safely get into the vehicle and extract her from her seatbelt without putting you and her at risk.

Saving your ass, or someone else’s, often comes down to preparing for what’s more likely (a car accident) rather than what’s not (a zombie outbreak). Enter the Spyderco Assist.

Both distinctive and utilitarian, Spyderco knives are a common sight clipped to the pockets of knowledgeable and practical people as EDC folding knives. But in the Assist, Spyderco founder Saul Glesser combined his decades of design experience and the best of modern materials to create an un-rustable, purpose-designed rescue and utility knife suited for both emergency professionals and the prepared of mind.

The 411

The “rescue knife” as a class of tools is intended primarily to extricate oneself or another person from a seatbelt or harness system, while also serving as an overall utility blade for the general cutting tasks encountered by first responders. So Saul applied several of the lessons learned from years of EDC knife design and incorporated them into the Assist. The knife’s controls are ambidextrous both in the one-handed opening features as well as the reversible clip that can be oriented for left or right and tip up or down carry.

Though not a compact knife, it does fit comfortably in the pocket.

Folded, the back rocker-locked Assist is 8.43 inches long overall and weighs in at 4 ounces. The knife’s blade has a blunt tip designed to both prevent the puncture of a victim inside a strap as well as function as a safe physical index for the user when the knife has to be positioned by feel while out of sight. The blade’s 3.69 inches is serrated for the majority of its length, but has a 7/8-inch chisel-ground, plain-edge section just before the tip for initiating strap cuts.

In its 5-inch folded configuration, the Assist hides two unique features. First, a squeeze of the finger-choiled blade into the handle exposes a carbide-tipped glass-breaker embedded in the pommel. This gives the user the ability to break windows in a rescue situation without carrying an exposed, sharp-tipped tool in an outside pocket. This tip is replaceable if you somehow manage to dull the carbide. Additionally, Spyderco designed a hesitation notch at the 45-degree blade-to-handle position. This notch allows the user to easily stop the blade in a partially open position and use it in concert with the handle in a scissor technique.

The Good

The “rescue knife” as a class of tools is intended primarily to extricate oneself or another person from a seatbelt...

Thick rope gets chopped like celery, where thinner cordage (such as parachute cord) should be held taut across the handle for a crisp cut. The feature gives the user an option to cut line, straps, or hoses without a sawing motion or worrying the blade might cut the victim or rescuer as the material is severed. This function takes a bit of practice, but once quickly mastered, the technique allows for a faster and safer approach to many cutting tasks. The Assist also contains a small but loud whistle cut into the contour of the handle that the user can utilize for self-rescue.

Thick rope gets chopped like celery, where thinner cordage (such as parachute cord) should be held taut across the...

Spyderco initially introduced the Assist with a black handle and coated VG-10 blade. But the popularity of the design and the appearance of its rustproof H1 steel in other designs demanded a marriage. Now the Assist can be found with Spyderdco’s bright rescue yellow fiber-reinforced nylon (FRN) handles and the H1 steel.

First introduced in its line of dive knives, the H1 steel is made with nitrogen rather than carbon. Without carbon, the steel is physically incapable of rusting. H1 is also an austenitic steel, which “work hardens” as the edge and serrations are ground, allowing for precise hardening of the cutting edges while leaving the thicker spine more flexible. And — though anathema as a formal test to most knife-makers, but infinitely practical to most end-users — the Assist gets an A+ as a box cutter. The curved tip and plain-edge section make for excellent controlled-depth cuts across tape and cardboard.

Without carbon, the steel is physically incapable of rusting.

The Not As Good

Ultimately, the Spyderco Assist Salt is a viable EDC for the emergency professional, but for the average person, it’s the knife you should have clipped to your vehicle’s sunvisor, tucked in the console, or at least within arm’s reach of the driver seat. Whether for self-rescue or to provide assistance to someone else, having the Assist in your vehicle will enable you to get through glass, seatbelts, and, if necessary, clothing to remove a victim in an extreme situation or when time or professional help is not available.

Will the Assist help you fight ninjas, zombies, or terrorists? Not likely — but in addition to its purpose-designed rescue features, it’ll do a very clean job of opening your latest Amazon Prime delivery without puncturing the contents.

Spyderco Assist Salt Specifications

Weight
3.9 Ounces

Overall Length
8.38 inches

Blade Length
3.69 inches

Blade Steel
H1

MSRP
$160

URL
www.spyderco.com

More From Issue 13

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Editor's Note: This article has been modified from its original print version for the web.

New: Snow Peak Kojin Portable Grill

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Portable cooking tools come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. On one end of the spectrum, we have ultralight isobutane stoves or micro wood stoves, which are great for heating single-serve dehydrated meals. However, they're obviously not ideal for cooking large cuts of meat or food for a group. On the other end, there's something like a barbecue grill or smoker — you can wheel it around or throw it in your truck for a tailgating session, but it's only portable in a loose sense of the word.

The middle ground is occupied by what we'd consider car camping gear. These cooking tools are big enough for use by a whole family, but small enough to pack into the trunk of a passenger car or be carried to a beach bonfire. They'd also be a good option for a longer-term bug-out scenario. The new Kojin Grill from Japanese camping gear manufacturer Snow Peak falls into this category.

The Kojin Grill is a 22-inch-diameter stainless steel cylinder that packs down into two pieces. The base features three folding legs as well as charcoal trays and grill grates nested inside. A folding wall panel installs atop the base, and features doors as well as a series of notches where the grates can be installed at various heights.

This setup can be used as a smoker, an enclosed oven, a barbecue grill, or a combination of these functions. You could have one dish baking inside while another grills on top.

The unit weighs 40 pounds and measures 2.8 by 2.3 by 1.9 feet when fully expanded. It's quite pricey at $730 MSRP, but given our previous experience with Snow Peak gear, the build quality and materials are likely to be solid. For more information on the new Snow Peak Kojin Grill, go to SnowPeak.com.

Video: Cutting Rope or Paracord With No Tools

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If you've been following our site for a while now, you know that we're typically not big fans of so-called “life hack” videos. Most of the time, they're demonstrations of needlessly complicated solutions to problems almost no one actually has — like cooking an egg using a soda can, butane lighter, and rubber bands (as seen here). We appreciate creative problem-solving, but it's not necessary to re-invent the wheel with items from your junk drawer when a dozen easier and better solutions already exist.

That said, every once in a while we see one of these videos that demonstrates a technique that might actually come in handy someday. Such is the case with the following video from the YouTube channel DaveHax. This minute-and-a-half clip shows how to cut a strand of string, rope, or paracord by doubling it onto itself and forming a friction saw.

The rope is laid flat on the ground beneath your feet with a slight arch in the middle. One end is passed over the top, looped under the arch, and quickly sawed back and forth to sever the rope. You may recognize this as the same technique used to cut through zip tie handcuffs with a shoelace or hidden kevlar cord, because the principle is the same. You're just moving your hands instead of your feet.

A braided kevlar cord hidden on the body can be used to cut through restraints, even if your shoes were taken.

In most cases, it goes without saying that you should already have a knife on hand. But in case your cutting tool is lost, damaged, or not readily available, this technique could be helpful. Better yet, it doesn't require toothpicks, twine, a hot glue gun, or a wad of chewing gum like so many other “life hack” techniques. Note that with paracord and other multi-strand nylon ropes, you'll still want a lighter to melt the ends and prevent fraying, if possible.

Human Firewall: How to Protect Yourself Against Cyber Crimes

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This article originally appeared in Issue 10 of our magazine.

Does this sound familiar? SUBJECT: HELP! STUCK OVERSEAS! I’ve contacted my bank and the embassy, the embassy is willing to assist me but my funds are depleted to pay for a new passport fees and other miscellaneous expenses. I don’t have access to my account over and My bank said it would take 5 working days to access funds from my account. Please can you lend me some funds? I’ll pay back, as soon as I return home. — I desperately await your response, Fred Jones

You may have received phishing-type emails like this before. Fred Jones is just a pseudonym in this case, but used as an example to show you that it’s interchangeable with any name. If you’re on that hacked individual’s list of contacts, you may be the recipient of a fraudulent email like this and not be aware that it’s bogus.

Of course, being the compassionate person you are, you want to help, right? So you continue on this conversation until you wire money or perhaps some other personal information. Then you eventually discover that you’ve just fallen for a scam and may have provided the imposter with data that may further compromise your identity and finances.

From the cyber breach at the Office of Personnel Management to the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack, there are thousands of nameless, faceless criminals out there who have enough knowledge to tap into state-of-the-art data infrastructure systems to retrieve information. So if they can invade the networks of companies with staff members tasked with stopping a breach, how is the average citizen safe?

“One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that they won’t be a target of a hacker. Everyone is a target,” says Amy Baker, vice president of marketing for Wombat Security, a provider of software that helps organizations educate their employees on how to avoid cyber attacks. “Many people think that if they haven’t seen evidence of hacking or malware that they haven’t been attacked. We see examples of high-level breaches where companies didn’t know for months that they’d been hacked, but that goes for individuals too. They may have revealed information to a cyber criminal and just not known it. Just because there’s no evidence of a hack doesn’t mean that a cyber criminal doesn’t have your information and intend to use it at a later date.”

Unfortunately, cyber crimes are rampant, come in many guises, and what’s even worse is the offenders often go unprosecuted because people are too ashamed to admit they fell for this type of crime or don’t know who to report it to. Whether it’s malware, hacking, scams, or any other type of cyber crime, the reality is that buying certain kinds of software or hardware doesn’t protect you from your own ignorance.

Like owning a car, parking in a bad neighborhood still invites theft no matter how good your alarm is. Nothing takes the place of recognizing signs of potential threats. Here we’ll break down how to recognize common forms of cyber crimes, give you some preventative measures, explain how to report these crimes, and dispel common misconceptions.

How Do Cyber Crimes Happen?

An attacker intent on accessing your personal information will do everything they can to avoid raising awareness of their breach. While large companies and wealthy individuals are certainly targets, the average citizen still has money, an identity, Internet access, and the potential to be misled through false pretenses.

These attacks can be disguised as emails, messages, or websites masquerading as your bank, cellphone provider, a government agency, acquaintance, or service you use (such as eBay). While the source still may appear legitimate, wrongfully assuming that it is can allow transmittal of malware (viruses, spyware, worms, etc.) that can damage your computer, allow access to sensitive information, or trick you into paying for something spurious.

Common Forms of Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks are perpetrated through a variety of methods. Phishing is the most common way people fall victim to cyber attacks because it is geared toward personal manipulation. It’s most often delivered through unsolicited email delivery, texts, or instant messaging, and poses as a trustworthy source to trick you into revealing information or downloading malware that may damage your system or allow criminals to gain additional intel.

These emails, messages, or websites may ask you to:

  • Provide personal and/or payment information in the context of avoiding criminal action
  • Retain a service for your own benefit, such as file your tax return or scan your computer to remove any newly detected viruses
  • Open an attachment that may appear safe, but contains malware
  • Click on a link that appears to be legitimate, but is really an alias that redirects you to a malicious site or downloads illicit software

Although these are common forms of phishing, it’s really limitless in how phishers engage potential victims. It can happen over the phone or even in person, although these offline interactions would be categorized under the broader term social engineering.

Unsafe web browsing is another phishing method to be aware of. Just visiting a site that isn’t mainstream can be a trap to invade your computer. Pop-ups can also be a phishing attempt that can still compromise your computer and personal info.

Flickr.com/jeroenbennink

Most cyber crimes are financially-motivated to steal information, allowing someone to take money or property; however, some forms of hacking and transmittal of malware are used solely for destructive purposes. “There are three main areas of cyber crime,” says Dan Vesley, CEO of Web Precision Internet Services, who has 20 years of web design, marketing, and IT services experience. “Cyber piracy: Using computer technology in unauthorized ways to steal, copy, and redistribute software or other proprietary information; Cyber trespass: Using technology to gain unauthorized access to a personal or business computer system or website; and Cyber vandalism: Using technology to disrupt networks and destroy computer data and system resources.”

Don’t think that your mobile device is impenetrable to malware and information theft either. Since so many people store information, communicate, and conduct business through their phones or tablets, there are thousands of methods to invade them. Anything from unsafe Wi-Fi connections to receiving a text message and clicking on an unsafe link to unknowingly downloading a nefarious app can compromise your device and info.

What Do I Look For?

People often put too much stock in the notion of being impervious to theft by buying certain hardware or anti-virus software, but these commodities won’t keep a naïve user from being fooled into taking an action that’s to their own detriment. No amount of money spent on the best computer and security measures will prevent you from potentially clicking on a website that locks your computer and tells you that you are delinquent on your IRS payments, only for you to give your credit card information for fear of arrest. The police and IRS don’t call ahead or communicate online to warn you of an impending arrest — they come to the door. The first step is knowing how to avoid the problem.

When in Doubt, Throw it Out

If something looks suspicious, too good to be true, or is asking you for money and personal information, it’s likely a hoax. Do not open unsolicited email. Delete it immediately. While malware cannot be transmitted in a plain body of text, the contents of the email such as links and attachments can lead to an infection.

If you receive an email or text asking you to confirm personal information or provide financial info, even from a trusted source you use regularly such as Amazon.com, your bank, or another company where you pay for services, do not assume it’s genuine. The terms of service these organizations offer spells out their policies regarding information disclosure.

Assume someone pressuring or threatening you with legal action as a way of getting your info is doing it under false pretenses. Legitimate sources will usually not use tactics like this and the ones you’ve done business with before already have your information so there’s no need to verify it. If someone is claiming to represent an organization, call it directly yourself so that you can substantiate the accuracy of requests being made for your personal info. Responding to the email or message in question is only going to perpetuate the scam.

Some common indicators of fraudulent URLs are those with hyphens, numbers, or symbols in the address, or a URL you don’t recognize. Some fraudulent URLs contain words you might recognize (e.g. “ebay.com”), but are structured to redirect you elsewhere. Also, legitimate services that shorten URLs can also obscure the final destination, so be careful clicking on those if you’re not sure of the source. If the URL contains characters such as these or is unfamiliar, do not click on it. You can do a web search for the dubious URL to learn additional information from other sources and verify its legitimacy. “Over 50,000 websites are hacked daily around the world and many are replaced by the hacker with a site that looks like the original, but contains a malicious site. Also, web pages that attempt to trick the user into updating plug-ins such as Java or Flash are common ways for hackers to gain access to your PC. You must be extremely careful when installing any such updates,” Vesley says.

Job applicants should verify whether or not companies they’re applying to actually exist by searching their name, checking what other websites say about them, and looking for a mailing address and phone number you can call or possibly visit in person.

A way to ensure you do not fall victim to a malicious pop-up or website that doesn’t allow you to click the “go back” button is to close or force quit your entire browser session. Even if you try to click on the “X” or “Close” button to exit a pop-up window, you may still enable a malware infection.

While app stores try to eradicate malicious software from their inventory, free applications are common ways that malware can be downloaded to your phone or mobile device. Research the application before you download it.

Computer Safeguards

Anti-malware software is another viable preventive measure to install on your computer. Getting the most recent version available is recommended since new threats are constantly being discovered and anti-malware programs do their best to keep current with the latest recognized forms of attack. Update your software and operating system as often as possible and make sure any spam filters are kept on.

On the hardware end of things, products such as encrypted hard drives can be installed as an enhanced safety measure, but do take some training for the average person to install and become familiar with. Find a good computer technician, ask your sales associate, or contact the computer company’s tech support group on how to maximize your computer’s safety features.

Protection Starts With the User

Although certain software and hardware components are better than no protection at all, these built-in or off-the-shelf safety measures are not foolproof. Anti-malware programs are engineered to block threats with a known design. The criminals out there generating malware are also doing their best to create workarounds to circumvent the software’s safety protocols.

“These kinds of programs would not stop a targeted attack,” says Baker of Wombat Security. “The last line of defense against the cyber crime is the individual.”

Your friend’s “stuck overseas” email may have coincided with a vacation they were actually on because they publicized it online. People divulge a great deal of information through social media without understanding how much they open themselves up to becoming a target. If you receive an email from someone you feel may be posing as an acquaintance, call them directly or ask them a question that only they would know the answer to so that you can attempt to verify if it’s sincere. If the response sounds desperate, accusatory, or out of character for what you know about this person, assume it’s “phishy” and avoid any further conversation. If the average person encountered trouble while traveling, they should know enough about resources in their location who can help them and would not need to reach out to someone through email for help.

5 Myths About Malware

Myth 1: Macs Don’t Get Malware
Steve Jobs fans argue that Macs are better than PCs partly because the latter are petri dishes for digital viruses — but both are susceptible to malware. Attacks such as phishing are targeted toward the user, so your choice of operating system becomes a moot point if the person on the keyboard falls for a scam. Hackers and cyber criminals tend to focus on the most popular systems for a higher success rate, so no matter what cellphone, tablet, or computer you buy, you cannot solely rely on its built-in safety measures to protect you.

Myth 2: Emails From Known Individuals Are Safe
People have their emails, messaging accounts, and social media profiles hacked or impersonated frequently. Clicking on a link in an email or message, downloading an attachment, or providing personal info online to someone you know is risky. If emails and messages appear to be random or unsolicited, even from people or companies you know, do not click on any links, open any attachments, or respond. Contact that person directly to verify if it’s legit.

Myth 3: Visiting Reputable Sites Is Always Safe
While avoiding questionable looking sites is good advice, there have been instances where even legitimate, reputable websites can be compromised. This may happen by receiving an email to visit a website that appears to be something you use regularly such as your bank, but is really a façade to record your information or deliver malicious code to your computer. You must exercise caution in visiting all websites.

Myth 4: Infections Are Always Obvious
Cyber criminals do not want to alert users to their presence. While some malware is designed specifically to disrupt an operating system and has obvious signs of infection, hacking and spyware can remain hidden indefinitely to record keystrokes for passwords, send spam through your email, or use your computer to attack websites.

Myth 5: Phones and Tablets Do Not Get Malware
Mobile traffic is quickly increasing and so has malware specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. Malware protection for mobile devices is available through many providers and is a good safety measure to implement. In general, be very cautious about the apps and games you install on your device, especially if they're from unknown publishers and have few reviews.

Good Cyber Security Hygiene

You may be in the habit of using the same password for most, if not all of, your system access needs so it’s easy to remember. While that may make your life more convenient in the short term, cyber criminals feed on this predictable behavior, and once they have your password to one site, you can bet they will try it with everything else. Here are some methods to mitigate having your information accessed by another party:

Choose a strong password: Do not use something simple or predictable. Many websites have generic security questions to verify the user by asking for information that’s easily extrapolated from various sources like social media, such as “Where did you go to high school?” Use something at least eight characters long made up of numbers, symbols, capital and lowercase letters. Do not use personal information such as your pet’s name, mother’s name, or birthdate. Use something no one could easily figure out.

Use a different password for each account: This may seem like a huge pain, but it may mean the difference between having your info stolen or not. Keeping a written ledger or some other record in a safe place with your current passwords will help if you feel you can’t remember them. Saving a list of your passwords on your computer or smartphone is not recommended. There are also applications available for your computer and mobile devices which generate unique passwords and help you use and manage them all.

Change your passwords often: Changing your password every 60 days is a good rule of thumb to ensure safer account access. Reusing a password is acceptable, but wait at least a year before changing your password on a particular account back to a previously used password.

Password protection: Be sure your devices offer password protection and keep that feature activated so you aren’t spelling it out for the world to see.

Social Media

We all have those friends — the ones who can’t live without making some announcement about themselves every 20 minutes on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. While you may want all your friends to know what an interesting life you live, your vanity and need for attention may cost you more than you realize. Sharing photos while you’re on vacation, checking in at your favorite locations, and showing a photo of the new home you just bought are things that invite disaster.

What you reveal about your personal life may be all that’s needed for someone to accumulate enough info about your relatives, hobbies, friends, pets, age, and workplace to impersonate you, guess a password to access your personal information, steal property, or potentially harm others you know. Here are some good tips to safely engage in social media:

Stranger Danger: You may be getting friend requests from people you don’t know and feel flattered that they have taken an interest in your life. However, since you don’t really know what their intentions are, it’s best to avoid this. Don’t interact with people you don’t know, regardless of how cute they may look in their photograph, how nice their message seems, or if you have a mutual friend.

Over-Sharing: If you want to share vacation photos, do it after you’re home. Checking into a restaurant may get you a discount, but that cheaper meal won’t taste so good when people monitoring your posts know you’re away and burglarize your home. Posting pictures of your kids and how proud you are that they got honor roll at XYZ school could potentially invite a kidnapping. The less you share, the safer you are.

Wi-Fi

Public, open WiFi is a feeding ground for cyber criminals. There are many ways they can monitor and breach these connections. Using a secure network that has a password will minimize your chances of revealing information. Visiting only secure websites with “https” in the URL prefix during a WiFi session is another way to reduce the information you share in an open network. Utilizing a VPN service (virtual private network) can also be done to keep your browsing hidden. Free and paid options are available for VPNs on various devices. Doing a web search for VPN systems and their ratings can help you select and set up a VPN for your operating systems.

Installing updates to your devices should not be done on public WiFi since it can sometimes be a false prompt that can trick you into downloading malware. Log off any services that you were signed into during your browsing session and deactivate any “connect automatically” features that your device may have that would connect you to that system again if you’re in range.

You can also enable a two-factor authentication feature on websites you commonly access, such as your email where a password can easily be sniffed out. This is not a perfect solution, but does offer another layer of security, as well as a potential early warning text message if someone tries to access your account.

Shut Down Your System

Infiltrations can still happen even if your browser is not open. When you have finished using your device, don’t just leave the computer on or log out. Shut off the computer completely as an added safeguard measure.

Big Brother?

Perhaps George Orwell was right. Although we enjoy the convenience of being easily connected with the rest of the world in so many ways, it’s not without its drawbacks. Our digital world continues to grow and, with it, our privacy continues to not only be violated, but things such as social media have also magically convinced us that privacy is an old idea that we no longer need.

We can, however, mitigate our own exposure by practicing good cyber security skills. When setting up your computer, research cyber security tips on what safeguards you can activate to increase your level of privacy while online. Ask your mobile device provider what safety features you can implement on your and your children’s cell phones and tablets. Use discretion when communicating with unknown individuals or being asked to reveal personal information online.

Cyber security education is one step toward a safer digital world.

Educate Yourself

Here are some resources you can visit to learn more on cyber incidents, how to protect your computer, and to get educated on common Internet scams:

How to Protect Your Computer
https://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/computer_protect

How to Protect Your Kids
https://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/parent-guide

IC3 Crime Prevention Tips
https://www.ic3.gov/preventiontips.aspx

Recognizing Internet Fraud
https://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud

Tips, Tools, and How-to’s For Safe Online Communication
https://ssd.eff.org

Reporting Cyber Crimes

If you’ve been the victim of some sort of cyber attack, the likelihood that your local law enforcement agency has jurisdiction or can provide much help is low. So what’s your recourse? Sharing this information publicly is the first step toward a solution. The less that gets reported, the more these criminals are free to continue their onslaught. Here are some resources to report crimes:

Department of Justice
The DOJ categorizes various cyber crimes and can direct you to the proper reporting agency.
https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ccips/reporting-computer-internet-related-or-intellectual-property-crime#C4

Federal Trade Commission
If you feel you’ve been the victim of identity theft, the FTC has resources to report the crime.
www.identitytheft.gov

Internet Crime Complaint Center
The IC3 was established as a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center. You can visit their site to file a complaint if you feel you’ve been a victim of some form of cyber intrusion or e-scam.
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team
A division of the Department of Homeland Security, US-CERT also provides publications, alerts, and tips to consumers and allows reporting of cyber crime incidents.
www.us-cert.gov

Anti-Phishing Working Group
The APWG publishes reports on cyber crimes, allows reporting of phishing and other cyber crimes, and provides educational resources on avoiding cyber crimes.
www.apwg.org