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| Hills West of Savanna Creek, Alberta (Photo by V.A. McMillan) |
Well, 2020 may go down as
a “novel” year, a year most folks would not care to repeat anytime soon. Yet, 2021
is starting with similar tensions that brought 2020 to a close. Thus, bringing
me to this post on Emergency Readiness.
Let’s talk about readiness. What is readiness and why should we care?? Good questions. Readiness is the act of being ready. My American neighbours have a couple examples of readiness in their history – The Minute Men and Rogers’ Rangers. The Minute Men were American Patriots who acted as the QRF (quick reaction force) during the War of Independence – coming to the aid of their community or neighbouring community when under threat by their enemy. They got their name because they were expected to be ready on a minute’s notice. Meanwhile, Rogers’ Rangers were an American unit attached to the British military during the Seven Years War under the command of Major Robert Rogers. Rogers’ Rangers Standing Orders (1759) [http://www.psywarrior.com/ranger.html] are classic readiness orders that still hold value today. These standing orders detail things like deploying scouts when on the move, never use the same route out as you use to return to prevent being ambushed, post sentries when going to ground at night, march late and rise early, and keep your rifle clean, with sixty rounds and keep your hatchet sharp. Technology, field gear and weapons may change but the essence on readiness remains the same.
I am going to suggest a readiness system that ranges from level zero (not ready) to level five (extremely ready). This system of readiness draws upon the concepts devised by Colonel Jeff Cooper and his “color code” for gunfighting [https://modernsurvivalblog.com/security/coopers-color-code-definition/]; as well as, more recent additions to this “color code” [https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/managing-stress-arousal-for-optimal-performance-a-guide-to-the-warrior-color-code/] and Lt Colonel John Boyd’s OODA Loop for decision making [https://taylorpearson.me/ooda-loop/].
Emergency
Readiness
Level
Zero – Not Ready
Level
One – Ready, with at least a week’s notice
Level
Two – Ready, with at least a day’s notice
Level
Three – Ready, with a few hours notice
Level
Four – Ready, within an hour’s notice
Level
Five – Ready, within a minute’s notice
Level Zero:
This would-be what Cooper calls Condition White, you are not ready. This would
be a state of relaxation or stand-down to recover and recharge your soul, your
internal life battery and get ready for the next period of readiness. It is
also the same state for those who have no understanding or willingness to be
prepared or ready for an emergency.
Level One:
This would be the state of having had training, made a “plan”, and had the
required gear & equipment for emergency preparedness; however, your
personal system for coordinating all of these key components has not yet been
developed. With enough lead time you will be ready, but that lead time would be
measured in days or weeks. Further training with others and/or conducting
drills or exercises would assist you to progress to a higher readiness level.
Cooper may call this Condition Yellow – relaxed alert, a condition when you are
less likely to be caught off-guard.
Level Two:
This state of readiness is a giant leap forward from level one. Your gear &
equipment has been sorted and stored in a specific location, you have your
plans written down and you practice your skills & training regularly
(annually or semi-annually); however, deploying your gear & equipment and
enacting your plan still requires more than a day’s notice. Continued group
training/practice, as well as, conducting exercises & drills will further
enhance performance and reduce response time. Cooper’s Condition Orange – increased
vigilance, would be similar.
Level Three:
Achieving this level of readiness will keep you and your family safe during
most natural disaster events and many man-made crises events. This level of
readiness ensures you can evacuate from a flood or wildfire, or
shelter-in-place from a chemical leak. You have the skills & knowledge to
know what to do, you have the gear & equipment to stay or to go, and you
have written and exercised plans that your family uses. Each member of your family
has a bugout bag/GO bag/ready pack. Your vehicles are rarely parked at home
with less than half a tank of fuel. Your home is rarely without a few weeks’
worth of food in the pantry, fridge, or freezer. You have alternate light sources
and battery packs to recharge critical communications devices to endure a
typical power outage. At this level you meet or exceed the government’s
expectation for 72-hour of preparedness. Although, this might be similar to
Cooper’s Condition Red; there are physiological differences, that would not be
experienced by at this readiness level unless a response was required, then, level
three would be closer to Condition Red.
Level Four:
This level of readiness will see you successfully survive known natural
disasters and man-made crises albeit you may have to leave valuable gear or equipment
or possessions behind. Your skills, training and knowledge combine to give you
and your family an edge over 90% of the others in your community. This will
help you to help your family and then help your community. Readiness is a habit
now, a way of life. You no longer have to think about it, you just do it. At
this level of readiness, the only events that would cause you great challenge
would be fire in your home or a tornado or a tsunami; all other natural disaster
events or man-made crises could be handled as you have planned. Psychological,
physiological, and situational awareness are heightened at level four however
the negative effects of Condition Grey would likely only be felt if deployed at
this level and only for the duration of the high intensity stage of the event. Due
to the high level of training, practice, drills, exercises, skills, knowledge,
gear & equipment, at level four readiness a person should experience less
tunnel vision, less cognitive impairment and enhanced situational awareness
because this is the level you train at.
Level Five:
The highest readiness level, meaning you require the least amount of warning or
notice to employ your training or plans. At this level, you keep your vehicle
preloaded with essential gear & equipment. Family GO bags are the only items
needed to grab when leaving your home. You have digital copies of family photos
and documents on USB drives and they are in your GO bag. Water and food are
preloaded in your vehicle. Your vehicle is always kept with at least ¾ of a
tank of fuel. Vehicle maintenance is not neglected. Achieving level five
readiness is to be at peak performance mentally, physically, and emotionally.
You are as ready as you can be. Unlike, Condition Black, level five is a good
place to be. Maintaining level five readiness, however, is another story which
will be explored in detail in Part Two [https://mtnmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/01/emergency-readiness-readiness-endurance.html].
So, no matter where you currently are along the emergency readiness continuum, Level Zero to Level Five, everyday is an opportunity to improve or maintain your readiness. Remember as skills and training increase your knowledge you become less dependent on gear & equipment for your success. The more you know the more you can improvise when necessary for achieving your goal.
Until next time…watch
your six!
Mountainman.
Useful Links:
https://modernsurvivalblog.com/security/coopers-color-code-definition/
https://taylorpearson.me/ooda-loop/
http://www.psywarrior.com/ranger.html
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