How skilled are you?
Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2017 1:24 am
Hello there fellow preppers,
I'm fairly new to prepping and so I've been doing a lot of thinking about skills vs equipment. Of course gear is very important and it could save your life one day, but do you know how to use it? What skills do you have? Could you learn more?
Below is a fairly comprehensive list of skills that you may potentially need in any given disaster situation. There are 60 in total divided into 10 sub categories. Please read through them and give yourself a score out of 60. I got a score of 17 so I know I definitely need to learn more things.
Air - A lack of safe oxygen will kill you in minutes.
1. How to identify a quality gas mask (old military surplus masks often have asbestos in them or are shoddy at best).
2. How to operate a gas mask.
3. Know how to operate a gas detector.
4. Know the signs of a gas attack.
5. Know which filters work for what gases.
6. How to decontaminate from a gas attack.
Shelter – A lack of adequate shelter can kill you in hours.
7. Learn how to save money, invest and increase your wealth to prepare financially so you don’t lose your home.
8. Know how to do basic maintenance on your property.
9. Know how to secure your property.
10. Know how to build a primitive shelter.
11. Knowledge of how to tie various knots.
12. Know which materials are best to prevent exposure.
13. How to build a fire for warmth / cooking- without a lighter.
Water – a lack of safe water can kill you in 3 days.
14. Know how to find water.
15. Know to purify water.
16. Know to store water long term.
Food – a lack of food will seriously debilitate you and affect your ability to perform tasks such as manual labour, and will kill you in 30 days. It is also extremely important for morale.
17. How to cook nutritious and healthy food.
18. How to store food long term.
19. Food / hygiene safety.
20. How to identify edible foods.
21. How to grow / source foods.
22. How to track and hunt for food / fish for food.
23. How to prepare fish / game.
Health / First Aid / sanitation – disease and infected wounds are likely to be bigger killers than guns or knives.
24. Know how to maintain good sanitation.
25. Know how to maintain good hygiene (dental too).
26. Knowledge of good waste disposal.
27. Know how to diagnose respiratory and digestive diseases.
28. How to treat diseases.
29. Knowledge of medical drugs and antibiotics.
30. Knowledge of basic medical equipment and how to operate it.
31. Know how to treat minor injuries such as cuts and sprains.
32. Know how to treat major traumatic injuries such as gunshot & stab wounds, broken bones, severed arteries and severe burns etc.
Self Defence – An inability to defend yourself could lead to the theft of your preps or even serious injury or death of yourself or your family.
33. Know how to shoot and fight with a gun / firearm – UK residents are legally allowed to own the following so long as they have the appropriate licence - any calibre single action bolt action rifle, Semi-Automatic 22.LR calibre ARs and Carbines, Section 1 and 2 Shotguns, UK legal long barrelled pistols, any non-automatic black powered gun (including black powered revolvers), Compound Bows and Crossbows.
34. Know how to defend yourself for unarmed combat – Martial Arts etc / situational awareness.
35. Knowledge of how to defuse situations / verbal drills.
Navigation / communication and signalling – being able to find your way, signal for help and communicate Intel will be vital for resource acquisition.
36. Knowledge of how to read a map as well as how to use a GPS system.
37. Knowledge of how to use a compass.
38. Knowledge of how to set up and use CB and HAM radio systems for short and long range communications.
39. Knowledge of how to use a signalling mirror and flares or smoke signals etc.
Technical / Tinkerer Skills – being able to fix, make and maintain mechanical and electrical devices will be extremely important in order to thrive and not just survive.
40. Know how to wire simple electrical devices.
41. Know how to improvise power sources (e.g. solar power etc).
42. Know how to fix mechanical machinery (cars, motor bikes, trucks, tractors etc).
43. How to set up a radio communication system and how to maintain / repair it – Frankenstein a device together etc.
44. Know how to carve wood and join things together.
45. Know how to weld and do metalwork.
Physical preparedness – being in good shape will be vital to survival.
46. Being able to walk 10+ miles in one go.
47. Being able to do heavy manual labour.
48. Being flexible and used to exercise to avoid injury.
49. Being able to run fast.
50. Knowledge of how to swim.
51. Knowledge of how to ride a bicycle or motorbike (think deadlocked motorways / roads.
52. Knowledge of how to traverse rough terrain, rock climbing etc.
Soft Interpersonal Social Skills – this will be extremely important for forming and maintaining groups and communities.
53. Know how to communicate with people and be friendly.
54. Leadership skills.
55. How know to work as a team.
56. The ability to teach people new skills and share ideas.
57. How to entertain people and maintain good morale.
58. How to care for people (especially children and those who are ill).
59. Know how to barter and trade.
.
I'm fairly new to prepping and so I've been doing a lot of thinking about skills vs equipment. Of course gear is very important and it could save your life one day, but do you know how to use it? What skills do you have? Could you learn more?
Below is a fairly comprehensive list of skills that you may potentially need in any given disaster situation. There are 60 in total divided into 10 sub categories. Please read through them and give yourself a score out of 60. I got a score of 17 so I know I definitely need to learn more things.
Air - A lack of safe oxygen will kill you in minutes.
1. How to identify a quality gas mask (old military surplus masks often have asbestos in them or are shoddy at best).
2. How to operate a gas mask.
3. Know how to operate a gas detector.
4. Know the signs of a gas attack.
5. Know which filters work for what gases.
6. How to decontaminate from a gas attack.
Shelter – A lack of adequate shelter can kill you in hours.
7. Learn how to save money, invest and increase your wealth to prepare financially so you don’t lose your home.
8. Know how to do basic maintenance on your property.
9. Know how to secure your property.
10. Know how to build a primitive shelter.
11. Knowledge of how to tie various knots.
12. Know which materials are best to prevent exposure.
13. How to build a fire for warmth / cooking- without a lighter.
Water – a lack of safe water can kill you in 3 days.
14. Know how to find water.
15. Know to purify water.
16. Know to store water long term.
Food – a lack of food will seriously debilitate you and affect your ability to perform tasks such as manual labour, and will kill you in 30 days. It is also extremely important for morale.
17. How to cook nutritious and healthy food.
18. How to store food long term.
19. Food / hygiene safety.
20. How to identify edible foods.
21. How to grow / source foods.
22. How to track and hunt for food / fish for food.
23. How to prepare fish / game.
Health / First Aid / sanitation – disease and infected wounds are likely to be bigger killers than guns or knives.
24. Know how to maintain good sanitation.
25. Know how to maintain good hygiene (dental too).
26. Knowledge of good waste disposal.
27. Know how to diagnose respiratory and digestive diseases.
28. How to treat diseases.
29. Knowledge of medical drugs and antibiotics.
30. Knowledge of basic medical equipment and how to operate it.
31. Know how to treat minor injuries such as cuts and sprains.
32. Know how to treat major traumatic injuries such as gunshot & stab wounds, broken bones, severed arteries and severe burns etc.
Self Defence – An inability to defend yourself could lead to the theft of your preps or even serious injury or death of yourself or your family.
33. Know how to shoot and fight with a gun / firearm – UK residents are legally allowed to own the following so long as they have the appropriate licence - any calibre single action bolt action rifle, Semi-Automatic 22.LR calibre ARs and Carbines, Section 1 and 2 Shotguns, UK legal long barrelled pistols, any non-automatic black powered gun (including black powered revolvers), Compound Bows and Crossbows.
34. Know how to defend yourself for unarmed combat – Martial Arts etc / situational awareness.
35. Knowledge of how to defuse situations / verbal drills.
Navigation / communication and signalling – being able to find your way, signal for help and communicate Intel will be vital for resource acquisition.
36. Knowledge of how to read a map as well as how to use a GPS system.
37. Knowledge of how to use a compass.
38. Knowledge of how to set up and use CB and HAM radio systems for short and long range communications.
39. Knowledge of how to use a signalling mirror and flares or smoke signals etc.
Technical / Tinkerer Skills – being able to fix, make and maintain mechanical and electrical devices will be extremely important in order to thrive and not just survive.
40. Know how to wire simple electrical devices.
41. Know how to improvise power sources (e.g. solar power etc).
42. Know how to fix mechanical machinery (cars, motor bikes, trucks, tractors etc).
43. How to set up a radio communication system and how to maintain / repair it – Frankenstein a device together etc.
44. Know how to carve wood and join things together.
45. Know how to weld and do metalwork.
Physical preparedness – being in good shape will be vital to survival.
46. Being able to walk 10+ miles in one go.
47. Being able to do heavy manual labour.
48. Being flexible and used to exercise to avoid injury.
49. Being able to run fast.
50. Knowledge of how to swim.
51. Knowledge of how to ride a bicycle or motorbike (think deadlocked motorways / roads.
52. Knowledge of how to traverse rough terrain, rock climbing etc.
Soft Interpersonal Social Skills – this will be extremely important for forming and maintaining groups and communities.
53. Know how to communicate with people and be friendly.
54. Leadership skills.
55. How know to work as a team.
56. The ability to teach people new skills and share ideas.
57. How to entertain people and maintain good morale.
58. How to care for people (especially children and those who are ill).
59. Know how to barter and trade.
.