ABC's Of Urban E&E and Survival

[CharlesHarris]

A- Accept your situation. Denial of the fix you are now in is pointless.
B- Brew up a cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.
To do this, you have to stop, gather materials, light the fire, etc. This gets your mind organized and focused upon doing something useful.
C- Consider your options. Stay? Go? Reexamine your map? Signal? Wait? Make camp?
D- Decide on a plan.
E- Execute the plan, modifying it as necessary.
FM 21-76, the Department of the Army Field Manual, Survival, Evasion and Escape, was written in March 1969 to advise U.S. Army soldiers in how to survive behind enemy lines in Vietnam and around the world. Today, it's interesting reading for campers and hikers. However, the old manual contains some nuggets of wisdoms for people struggling in the uncertainty of today.
First, Survival, Evasion, and Escape remind us that life could be much worse. No matter how bad your situation might seem, you (probably) not surrounded by a foreign enemy actively pursuing and looking for you with the intent of torturing you to extract information before imprisoning or killing you. You don't have to make a debris shelter out of twigs and branches and you probably don't have to eat berries, nuts, tree bark, and bugs. The Army survival manual makes it clear from the outset that people who maintain a positive attitude are most likely to survive a desperate situation.
One of the better survival tips in Survival, Evasion, and Escape is the transformation of the word "Survival" into a mnemonic device, advising troops in survival situations to do the following:
S - Size Up The Situation.
U - Undue Haste Makes Waste
R - Remember Where You Are
V - Vanquish Fear & Panic
I - Improvise
V - Value Living
A - Act Like the Natives
L - Learn Basic Skills
Apply the above to an urban movement in a hazardous environment. How would you “make do” if something “bad” were to happen? Perhaps you are outside the US on holiday, in an unfamiliar, foreign land between flights.
Your luggage is in limbo somewhere between plane and you find yourself in a strange place without supplies. Then Mumbai style errorists attack your hotel.
What items do you acquire that will help you survive and why? What actions would you take?
Know how to improvise a defensive weapon. Use dining room silverware, a BIC pen, a handful of gravel tied into a sock. If the situation is really that dire for you, it will be also for everyone else around. Strangers won’t be concerned about your welfare. Improvise an ability to keep threatening persons at a distance, protect yourself, buy time and distance to gather your wits and come up with a better plan and acquire "stuff" to put it in action.
Being alone in a hostile land without resources or much chance of long term survival means that "criminal" skills would be very useful. These are not be justified in common disaster situations, but fall into the realm of trade craft taught to military personnel and “spooks.” Lock picking, basic auto theft skill, hand to hand combat and close quarter battle are the order of the day in the worst case scenario. Criminals, outdoorsmen, soldiers, cops and skilled artisans flourish while the office wimps die whining. The former have skillsets which include familiarity with the basic tools and weapons which aid survival, while the latter do not. If you know nothing at all about weapon use you are at a severe disadvantage!
Urban Evasion - Hide in plain sight.
Blend in. Act like the natives. Avoid looking like a confused tourist.
In most small towns in the US wear generic “work clothes,” jeans or Carharts, jacket, sturdy shoes, in urban areas a jogging suit and walking shoes, neutral earth colors, gray, brown, dark green, Navy is OK at night. Small day pack in "urban commuter" (non-military looking) color.

Practice SDRs (surveillance detection runs) in your movements and routes. In evasion mode use only secure communications. Low tech means are best. Practice good “tradecraft.” If that concept is unfamiliar to you, research and read, practice. There are some very good “open source” references.

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“Old School” Escape and Evasion Planning = SMOLES:

Self defense - what kind of gear is packed for your own self defense.

Medical emergency- what supplies do you need for the kinds of medical emergencies that you may encounter on this mission.
Operations in Darkness- what do you pack for dealing with complete darkness or low light. Flashlights, head lamps, night vision, etc.

Lost and found- how do you stay found, compass & map, GPS, batteries, personal communications, signal mirror, flares, whistles,etc.

Extreme weather conditions- Gortex rain wear, sleeping gear, shelter material, specialized foot gear for expected terrain and head gear, etc. Stuff you have to pack, not what you are already wearing.

Stranded- long term survival, feeding and sheltering yourself. This is most survival gear: water collection, treatment and storage. Have at least two methods of treatment combining filtration, with either chemical or UV sterilization, boiling or distillation. Learn how to obtain food by foraging edible plants, fishing , trapping, making fish traps by using improvised cordage, etc.

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The “Bugout Bag”

In “spook speak” a “Bug Out Bag” or “BOB” is the minimum essential kit needed for escaping an area where hostiles are searching for you, with intent that you would be captured, interrogated, tortured, then killed. It contains only essential items to sustain stealthy tactical movement out of danger. Usually, only food, navigation, communications and mission-critical protective gear are carried.

Water is something an “evader” is trained to find along the way. An escape and evasion or “E&E kit” contains an EMPTY water container, drinking tube, filter, and treatment chemicals, but no water “supply.” The season and operating environment determine what clothing and shelter is necessary to survive. E&E objectives are security, stealth and mobility, to avoid detection as you move out of danger to your extraction point. You aren’t just leaving an area, but going somewhere in particular in order to get home alive!

In the real nightmare scenario, the evader would scrounge from dead enemy or civilians. What do “they” have which will protect and sustain you? . Grab whatever it takes to nourish, hydrate, navigate, communicate, medicate, and keep moving on! Weapon, ammo, optics, food, first aid and medical, tools and sharps, cordage, communications or navigation aids, flashlight with green and IR filters, bug spray, gloves, socks, shoes, sunglasses, hat, etc.

Glass the terrain ahead prior to movement to avoid detection. Build a “hide” at night to shelter from the environment and to stay hidden. Small tools and cordage help, but the rule is to prioritize stealth and mobility, leave heavy, bulky, noisy items behind.

In “prepper speak” the BOB is a personal survival kit (PSK). You control its size by selecting its container.

First Line (A Level) is your “Every Day Carry” or “EDC.” These are items you always have on you, all the time, which will likely be all that you have with you when your office building catches fire, the plane crashes, or you miss the last boat off Fantasy Island In Hell. One example is the “survival tin” you make to fit in an Altoids tin to carry in your pocket. A mini kit beats nothing, but provides false security, because if you REALLY need it, you will sure wish you had brought more with you.

No small group of items which fits in your pocket will overcome all adversities. The purpose of the tin is to provide basics which help you focus and improvise better gear to make your ordeal tolerable. Decide how much weight and bulk you can really carry. Then design your kit in Levels which build on and support each other:

Second Line (B Level) is a “small” belt pouch – “ideally under a kilo” about 2 pounds to supplement your EDC, keep in your desk, briefcase or vehicle. Mine is shown in the accompanying sidebar.

Third Line or (C Level) is the “Survival Ruck” or “72 hour pack” containing clothing, shelter, water, food, first aid kit and tools for several days, at least a 72 hour period.

Fourth Line (D Level) is the Deployment Bag which supplements all the above for resupply beyond immediate needs, for two weeks or more, from your aircraft, boat or motor vehicle.

Priorities address shelter first: clothing, raingear, boots, tent/tarp.

Water is next. Get a good water purifier and food grade storage containers. Water filters can crack or clog in below freezing weather. In winter, boil water or use chemical sterilization.

Food is of lower priority. Most people can survive with moderate discomfort for a week or so without food as long as they remain well hydrated. A small amount of emergency food is a morale booster, which gives a needed burst of energy for essential exertion or warmth.

Your PSK should plan for at least Level II and provide at least:





The Ten Essentials: >>

CATEGORY - EXAMPLES, SUGGESTIONS:

1. Shelter – Hat, contractor garbage bag or poncho, 550# cord, fleece vest, extra socks
2. Fire – BIC lighter, Sparklite Kit, waterproofed matches, Esbit stove and fuel
3 Light – LED light on zipper pull, plus Petzl headlamp
4. Hydration – Water Storage and purification – canteens & cup, Micro-pur tablets, filter
5. Communications - Signal mirror, whistle, cell phone or VHF airband/marine transceiver
6. Navigation - Map and orienteering compass on dummy cord
7. Nutrition - Emergency food, peanut butter + Mainstay 2400, Military Speedhook fishing kit.
8. Tools & Sharps - Fixed blade knife, multi-tool, trowel, folding saw or hatchet
9. Health & Medical - First aid kit, and necessary personal meds for 72 hours.
10. Personal items - Extra eyeglasses, sunglasses, ID card, keys, etc.)

If you aren’t in shape, carrying more than about 10 kilos for ten “clicks,” may exceed your limits of physical stamina. Go out there and test your equipment at least twice a year, even if it is just camping in the backyard during a rain or snowstorm. How else will you ever know?

Decide what environmental conditions your BOB is intended to see you through. Then test, evaluate and adjust your gear accordingly, but realistically. For civilian all-hazards contingency planning 3 to 5 days this is a good planning standard to manage evacuation until you can reach a safe area. Tailor your kit for the most likely scenarios: hurricane, wildfire, winter storm, flood, etc. Plan for “All Hazards” to provide shelter from expected weather, clean/safe drinking water, food, first aid, navigation, communications, security, fire, sanitation, and any unique medical or family needs which you have. Will it all fit in your bag? Then weigh it. Can you carry it?

Experiment. Live out of it for a weekend and see what works and doesn’t. Take notes and make improvements. Evaluate your route and plan where you might cache food, water, etc. to resupply when what you carry runs out. A rubber wheeled, steel frame folding luggage cart works well on level surfaces. Off road jogging strollers are good too. Think outside the box.

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My Second Line "Kilo Kit"

Use this list as an idea starter, then customize your own kits contents as best suits your area of operations and situation:

Fenix E01 LED light and 4AAA caddy
P38 Can Opener
Frontier Survival Filter Straw
Water bag (gallon ZipLok)
2 fl. ozs. Betadyne
Demo/SnareWire
Military SpeedHook
NATO survival whistle
Laminated glass Signal Mirror
Suunto Orienteering Compass
Guardian Safety Light
tea candles (2)
3 birthday gag candles (the pyrotechnic kind which don't blow out)
BIC lighter (cable tie under tab to prevent accidental release of butane)
Doan Fire Tool+striker
NATO Lifeboat Matches
Tinder pack
Fresnel lens (in sleeve)
Leatherman Squirt tool
Victorinox Recruit utility knife
Pocket sharpening steel
Derma Safe Folding Razor Knife
Derma Safe Folding Saw
PhotonX-Light
Best Glide ASE WoundPack1
Best Glide ASE MedPack1
Pill fob with 3-day supply of personal meds
Quik ClotSport 25g
Triangular bandage
2 brass blacked bandolier pins
6 assorted cable ties
20 ft.550# paracord
survival kit pouch
snap link to attach pouch to gear webbing

I am fairly satisfied with this kit, especially its compact size and weight. Every time I have actually had to use it, I discovered small tweaks to be made! Biggest change was substituting a plastic first aid kit BOTTLE of betadyne, for the multiple foil ampules and swabs. Doing so saved enough space to include a Frontier filter straw! But because the filter straw is not adequate to remove all biologicals, chemical treatment remains necessary, so betadyne doubles for water purification as well as wound cleansing.