Why Patrol by NR

[NorthernRaider]

Why Patrol by NR


Why do we need to patrol the area around our home or retreat after the SHTF?

The reasons are many and varied but all have the same final objective and that is to keep you alive. It is pure folly to try and create pseudo soldiers out of civilians placed into a situation because of events outside their control. We are not trying to create a militia, however applying a few sensible rules and guidelines to ensure the group minimises any risk to itself is common sense.

We patrol to ensure

• Our Security and location is safe, IE to confirm that no current hazards or threats are in the vicinity of our location or moving into the area we already inhabit. This could be other groups of survivors, government agencies, hostile locals or even such things as natural and manmade disasters from catching us out. (Forest fires, Floods, Blizzards etc)

• Intelligence Gathering IE Finding out what is going on in the vicinity of our position.

• Threat Marking IE identifying possible danger areas or threats, this could be dead animals laying upstream of where we are collecting drinking water, rising floodwater, toxic materials upwind of our position, signs of radiological damage or biohazard damage etc

• Asset Marking IE Identifying goods and supplies that you may need, such as food distribution centres, market gardens, fuel depots, outdoor leisure shops etc.


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Aim:
To carry out a comprehensive patrol of the area, gather information and return to the group safely.

Objective:
To gather Intelligence and information about our surrounding area its contents

Reason Why:
To protect us from surprise attack or intrusion and to identify hazards and supplies to further sustain the group.


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A Few guide lines for patrolling

1. Never start / finish the patrol at the same time each day.
2. Never use the same route twice in a row
3. No chatter only essential talk and kept to a whisper, hand signs best
4. Avoid walking on paths etc when possible, parallel them instead if possible
5. Ensure everyone knows the route in advance
6. Ensure there in an emergency meeting point in case the patrol scatters
7. Always post a sentry at each pause or rest stop, change every 2 hours
8. If your instinct tell you something is not right, trust it and play safe
9. Red light does not ruin your night vision, white light does
10. Your night vision takes 35 minutes to get, and 1 second to lose
11. Don’t bunch together
12. Look up, down and behind you as well as ahead of you.
13. Your ears are as useful as your eyes, keep stopping and just listening
14. Avoid walking on noisy surfaces like gravel, shale or dead leaves
15. Cooking and fires can give away your location even if they cant be seen, the smell of cooking can travel miles as can the smell of camp fire smoke. Only cook AFTER you know 100% the area is secure.
16. Take all rubbish, litter, waste food with you, leave no trace of your being
17. If you have to defecate bury at least 18 inches or take it away with you
18. Trust your senses if something does not “ feel” right it probably isn’t


A few notes about “Contacts”
1. If the enemy is in range so are you
2. Torchlight can be seen for over 5 miles most nights
3. On a still night a human voice talking can be heard over ¼ a mile away
4. At night the human eye detects movement more than shape
5. Targeting fire works both ways

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Considerations when moving

SSSSS

SHAPE
Avoid creating an unnatural shape in the environment, in nature there are few straight lines.
SHINE
Avoid anything that may reflect light and give you away, camouflage is king.
SOUND
Noise travels far, so keep quiet
SHADOW
Especially moving ones can blow your position
SILHOUETTE
Avoid hill tops, ridgelines and don’t climb over walls or hedges, go round, through or under.


“Action On” drills

You may find in beneficial or good practise to develop a few rules called “Action On“
Rule’s such as Action On meeting other survivors, or perhaps Action On being attacked, or action on discovering something useful.

Taking the “ Action On discovering something useful as an example, You may come across say a Camping Retail store that may still contain useful supplies, in that case each person in a multi person group will have one or more specific jobs to carry out WITHOUT being told to do so. (A) could be told to radio in the find then take up a position of over-watch for the others, (B) may be required to circle the store to look for risks, threats and hazards © may be required to advance to the entrance of the store and provide cover for (D) who will enter the store to carry out a security sweep and assessment. Obviously the numbers in your group will dictate who if anyone can use AO drills, and if you’re a loner then you have to watch your own back.

If your group comes across other survivors you really would benefit from AO drills that would see at least one of your group drop back and provide over-watch without being told, whilst a pre-chosen 2nd person approaches and does the negotiations.



Requirements for patrol

Maps of area
Compass / GPS
Note making equipment
Rations & water supplies
Med Kit
Personal security kit

Communications
2 way kit,
Pre- arranged frequencies,
Passwords,
Check in times
Alarm words

(Tip always use ambiguous descriptions of locations and positions, IE Don’t say “I am two miles south of Greys Farm where the group is camped”, say I’m two miles south of your location)

Follow correct radio procedure including call-signs and phonetic alphabet, and give times in the 24 hour system IE 1 PM = 1300 hours

A Alpha
B Bravo
C Charley
D Delta
E Echo
F Foxtrot
G Golf
H Hotel
I India
J Juliet
K Kilo
L Lima
M Mike
N November
O Oscar
P Papa
Q Quebec
R Romeo
S Sierra
T Tango
U Uniform
V Victor
W Whiskey
Y Yankee
Z Zulu
Numbers
One pronounced Wun
Two Too
Three Three
Four Fower
Five Fiver
Six Sixer
Seven Sev ven
Eight Ate
Nine Niner
Zero Zeerow

When talking on two way radio communications always finish your sentence with OVER when you want the other station to reply or acknowledge you.
When you have finished end your message with OUT
Never say over and out that’s just for Hollywood.