Many articles have been written on Survival Digest and elsewhere on the various tools and gear available for surviving in just about any situation. Some of these articles are good, some are bad (the bad ones, of course, have not appeared on SD). Yet for all the attention given to lights, tents, campstoves, water purification, knives, firearms, and everything else under the sun the most critical tool often goes overlooked: your brain.

All the tools in the world are useless in the hands of an unprepared or ignorant person. You would not trust your finances to an untrained accountant or your eyesight to an untrained laser surgeon, would you? Neither should you trust your (and your family’s) survival to your untrained instincts.

Get the Right Type of Training

Google “survival training” and you are instantly overwhelmed with information about this DVD or that former Spec-Ops Ranger wanting to teach you how to craft shelters out of deer hides you tanned yourself. For some, that kind of training makes sense (some of it may have helped the Kim family last winter). For others though, focusing solely on that may leave them for want of more useful information when disaster strikes. Each person needs to assess their own situation with respect to geography, locale, and what kinds of disasters they are most likely to face when putting together their training regimen. However, there are a few kinds of training that will help everybody when they need it. I am talking about preparedness courses from the American Red Cross in First Aid / CPR / AED, and Community Emergency Response Team training from the Citizen Corps (a partnership with FEMA). Let’s take a closer look at both.

American Red Cross First Aid / CPR / AED

American Red Cross First Aid, CPR and AED programs are designed to give you the confidence to respond in an emergency situation with skills that can save a life. They are designed for the casual citizen, and are mostly centered around the administration of life-saving medical care while waiting for help to arrive on the scene. The American Red Cross has a chapter near you, and they offer preparedness classes for all age ranges. I recommend that all members of your family over the age of 12 certify in First Aid every two years and CPR annually. Contact your local chapter of the Red Cross today, or find them on the web at http://www.redcross.org.

Citizen Corps / FEMA Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)

The CERT program is specially administered by the Department of Homeland Security, and seeks to educate the American public about disaster preparedness while training them in “basic disaster response skills” such as fire safety, elementary search and rescue (SAR) operations, and first aid.

The CERT training for community groups is usually delivered in 2 1/2 hour sessions, one evening a week over a 7 week period. The training consists of the following:

• Session I, DISASTER PREPAREDNESS: Addresses hazards to which people are vulnerable in their community. Materials cover actions that participants and their families take before, during, and after a disaster. As the session progresses, the instructor begins to explore an expanded response role for civilians in that they should begin to consider themselves disaster workers. Since they will want to help their family members and neighbors, this training can help them operate in a safe and appropriate manner. The CERT concept and organization are discussed as well as applicable laws governing volunteers in that jurisdiction.
• Session II, DISASTER FIRE SUPPRESSION: Briefly covers fire chemistry, hazardous materials, fire hazards, and fire suppression strategies. However, the thrust of this session is the safe use of fire extinguishers, sizing up the situation, controlling utilities, and extinguishing a small fire.
• Session III, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS PART I: Participants practice diagnosing and treating airway obstruction, bleeding, and shock by using simple triage and rapid treatment techniques.
• Session IV, DISASTER MEDICAL OPERATIONS, PART II: Covers evaluating patients by doing a head to toe assessment, establishing a medical treatment area, performing basic first aid, and practicing in a safe and sanitary manner.
• Session V, LIGHT SEARCH AND RESCUE OPERATIONS: Participants learn about search and rescue planning, size-up, search techniques, rescue techniques, and most important, rescuer safety.
• Session VI, DISASTER PSYCHOLOGY AND TEAM ORGANIZATION: Covers signs and symptoms that might be experienced by the disaster victim and worker. It addresses CERT organization and management principles and the need for documentation.
• Session VII, COURSE REVIEW AND DISASTER SIMULATION: Participants review their answers from a take home examination. Finally, they practice the skills that they have learned during the previous six sessions in disaster activity.

Because CERT graduates become permanent members of a team and are “deputized” to respond to emergencies, perform rescues and treat injuries and perform other duties when emergency services are unable to respond, not all cities/counties offer the program at this time. Those areas which do not offer CERT usually offer a Community Emergency Preparedness Academy (CEPA), which consists of mostly the same training but lacks the official team designation. As of this writing there are 2,911 CERT programs in the United States, including programs in every state. You can find more information about CERT and the Citizen Corps (including training locations) at https://www.citizencorps.gov/cert/.

Develop Your Plan

The above training will provide a foundation for you to go further. You should not stop here. Each person’s circumstances are unique, and the combinations are myriad. After incorporating the above training into your plan, you should build on top of that, adding specialized training that will suit your individual situation. Know your threats, your risks, and your strengths, and plan accordingly. Then be prepared to act on your training when the time comes.