Seaford Emergency Survival Website in Seaford Delaware - We must learn to take care of ourselves

What kind of skills do you have?

By Joseph Parish

Often people simply do not have the necessary funds needed to purchase survival retreats so the next best thing is to join some sort of organized group. Naturally, nothing in life is free and you will need to pay something for the benefits of belonging to this group in one way or another. If you are lacking the necessary funds needed then perhaps your payment may be in the form of skillful labor.

Any type of survival group will require certain trades and skills in order to allow it to function properly. No one man is capable of performing every skill that would be needed when the balloon finally goes up therefore it would be beneficial for you to develop a desired job skill.

Skills can be divided into two separate types, those which require prior training and those that are labor intensive. Usually the labor intensive is more hands on work then educational skills. Samples of hands on labor type categories would be childcare workers who can baby-sit the group’s children while the other perform some sort of productive work. Farming would be another labor intensive skill. Do not forget that if you possess knowledge of animal husbandry or agriculture you are sure to be more valuable to the group then those that are merely food pickers.

Other types of skills that would be needed in such an alternative environment would be ammunition reloading experts, gun repair technicians, computer and electronics repairmen as well as ham radio operators, Construction workers and tradesmen of all kinds will be in high demand, Butchers, candle makers, dental and medical professionals, fire fighting professionals, experienced fishermen and hunters, herbalists, people with food processing knowledge to can or dehydrate foods, and metal workers or machinists.

To prepare yourself personally for acceptance in the group you should get into good physical shape. Learn some basic first aid or CPR before the emergency situation occurs. Most cities have inexpensive or free classes readily available. Know how to safely shoot and care for various kinds of firearms. Try to learn how to drive a selection of different vehicles ranging from automobiles to motorcycles. Take a class on how to read a map and use a common compass. If time permits you may wish to become a licensed ham radio operator. Learn how to use various pieces of communications equipment. Go hunting, fishing and trapping with an experienced outdoorsmen so that you can become knowledgeable about these outdoor activities. Pay close attention to his lessons on tracking the game. Visit often with your local farmers and you may want to volunteer some of your time to helping them in exchange for learning some valuable farming skills. These skills should include growing the food, collecting seeds, dealing with insect pests and ultimately storing the food for later use. Learn what ever you can about small farm animals such as chickens, cows, goats, horses, pigs and rabbits. Take a short course on foraging so that you can collect plants in the wild for not only food but also medical applications. Your local college is likely to offer you some interesting classes in carpentry which is always a valuable skill to have under your belt and in your survival resume. Lastly make sure if you can possibly do so get involved in some self defense classes.