School shootings and other unfortunate incidents are now creeping its way closer and closer to unsuspecting students. You can no longer be so naive and think that college campuses are risk free or “bad guys-free,” and suddenly your grades and fun activities in school are not just the things to mind about. At any given time there could be disasters or a gun-toting psycho in your school and that’s why you have to be prepared. If you have started to consider this need, then good for you because that means you’re a notch less closer to getting shot at or mugged or be the latest victim of a fire, earthquake, hurricane etc. Also the survival skills you learned will be very useful in this case; however, preparing yourself for it can be demanding and you may have to push yourself a little further than you usually go.
What you Need to Do:
• Secure space where you’ll stash emergency supplies: Learning some nifty survival tactics in this case is very important. Most college dorms these days have small apartments or rooms which are inadequate to save food and emergency supplies. Use a small space in your closet to put your emergency supplies in or ask the tenant if they have a spare space where you can place them.
• School policies that don’t favor your safety: With the media going hysterical over guns in America, almost schools now prohibit firearms and other weapons to be carried in schools. All the while it is the students who ultimately become the victims of school shootings because they had nothing to protect them with – even when there are school police. This isn’t really a handicap because you can still learn self-defense and protect yourself and, if things are favorable, those around you as well. Still you must know whether or not the school allow survival firearms like conceal carry hand guns.
• Familiarizing your new surroundings and identifying dangers: Understanding danger requires keen eyesight and a sharp mind. You have to understand that both people and things may threaten your safety; sometimes even a situation that you’re in could quickly become dangerous. Your best defense in this case is how you respond to people, things and situations – the difference can save your life.
Always have a Stockpile of Emergency Supplies and Food that Lasts for 3 – 6 Months
You may want to prioritize food, water and your emergency gear when it comes to allocating storage space to individual items on your survival list. Even though space can be scarce in your college dorm, you have to make every effort to have a whole bunch of survival equipment that will help you last through a critical situation. Normally, a 1 – 3 weeks emergency supply of food, water and helpful stuff is good but since you’ll be in college for 3 months at least, then it would be good to store as much emergency supplies as the length of your stay.
• Keep a “Quick-Escape” Bag also Filled with Survival Supplies in the Trunk of your Car. In emergency situations like disasters, your first priority is to make a quick escape from the affected area and get home to your family. The trunk of your car has ample space to accommodate your emergency supplies and it can take you anywhere you need to go quickly too!
• If you don’t have a Car or Closet Space in your Dorm Room, then Opt for a Bug out Bag. This is a nifty bag. It has lots of spaces divided for specific purposes like food, water, medicine, matches, bottle of gas, clothing, items for personal hygiene and more. Ready to eat meals like protein bars, instant noodles, canned food and protein bars would be most preferred items in your food supply. They’re easy to prepare and will keep you functional until you will get help. Look up some of Pursuit Channel’s survival TV shows for more information.
• Buy Storage Boxes that Fit Under your Bed. You may not have thought about it but it’s actually a good idea. Pacific Islanders and Asians commonly use boxes to store their stuff in and if you’re keen to observe the news you will see them carry it in times of disasters and emergency situations.
• Take Every-Day-Carry (EDC) Items with you at All Times. You’ll be on the move 70% of the time while in college. You go from class to class, frat house to grocery stores outside the campus, field trips and more. So keep those handy emergency devices with you just in case. A hiking bag or military pack would be a good option to trade in for your ordinary book bag. You’ll be able to carry survival items with you at all times.
Have an Evacuation Plan
Before you even step into the campus of the school that you’ll go to college to, get to Google Maps and start planning an evacuation plan in case of disasters or threats. This is a very important thing to consider in your survival skills during disasters.
• Make sure that your Drawn up Map Includes more than 1 Exit Routes. Memorize the plan but always bring it with you just to be sure. You can also create a PDF or a JPEG version of it so you can put it in a more handy stuff, like your smartphone or laptop computer.
• Create a Communication Plan as Well. Instinctively your first response in any threat or disaster is to call your parents and notify them of your situation. However, you must also consider having a reliable contact person to call or text to in case your family isn’t available or you can’t communicate to them directly due to network coverage issues because of the disaster that happened near your area.
• Recon your Environment as Far as 5 Miles in Diameter from your School Campus. Normally you would travel 2 – 3 miles from your school campus to any point in your immediate neighborhood and you’ll be doing this for months. During each time you traverse the distances remember to take notes of the routes you take – both in your notepad as well as in your mind. You may refer to your detailed map to plan efficient routes to get around and out of the area in case of emergency.
• Take the 50% Initiative on Fuel. Never let your car’s fuel tank fall below 50% as this could cause serious problems. Your first response to any threat or danger is to get as far away from it as possible, in fact, the only time you really need to be a hero is if you have no way out. So always remember the 50% fuel initiative.
Take Self-Defense Lessons and Pay Attention to College Safety Orientations
For your own sake I hope you will take time to get firearm and self-defense training, college or no college. You may also want to take survival training and choose a school that allows students to carry concealed firearms inside the school campus. It’s just unfortunate that these days gun-free zones exist all over America which undermines the student’s safety.
• Check the Crime History of the School that you’ll be Attending. Matching previous crimes that occurred inside the school’s campus versus the precautionary measures that they have taken to prevent such things from happening again is crucial to your safety, so do research.
• Check if they Allow Guns in their School. Like I said before, most schools nowadays have designated themselves as gun-free zones in order to curb gun violence. In my opinion you should only go to schools that prioritize your safety and not promote some liberal political views, which does everything but stop gun violence.
• Develop your Situational Awareness. Last but not the least to include in your survival skills is situational awareness. No matter how much you’ve trained and prepared for disasters or threats if you let your guard down or become shocked at the first sign of trouble, then you may not survive at all. That’s because you forgot one crucial thing – situational awareness. If you’re oblivious to what’s going on around you because you’re distracted by your phone, video games or daydreaming, then your mind will have processing too much information at once and will shut down for a few seconds. Unfortunately, those few seconds are precious as it will determine whether you live or die. Even though luck can play its part at times but how lucky can you get in dangerous situations? At best probably once or twice, so unplug, be a ninja or something or sleep with one eye open.
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