Category: Retreat Security

What if a Riot Comes Down My Street? , by T.S. in Ohio

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A few weeks ago, I jumped on SurvivalBlog hoping to see discussions about the riots and good ideas being shared but I was very surprised with such a major disaster unfolding to see that there was barely a mention about the riots. (Sorry, I meant “mostly peaceful protests”!) But I was glad to see the discussion pick up a few days ago with the article titled: Is It Time to Worry? by Jim S. because I believe these riots and the groups behind them are the most “clear and present danger” that the citizens of America currently face. I believe …


Is It Time To Worry?, by Jim S.

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All the readers of this blog have been preparing. Prepping for disasters, both man-made and natural. We even prepped for Financial Crises and Economic collapse. But were we anticipating an insurrection? Not really. We all on this blog believe in America, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We also believed the American Dream and that our way of life would survive almost any disaster. Now come groups, mostly college-educated that say America is 100% racist, amoral, evil and their solution is to destroy it. “BURN IT TO THE GROUND” says the BLM New York City leader. Last week I …


Home Security for WTSHTF – Part 2, by T.Z.

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(Continued From Part 1.) Dead space is an area that cannot be covered by weapons or observation from your position. This is because of obstacles or the nature of the ground. Some examples are areas behind rubble, deep craters, holes, and heavily wooded areas. Dead space is particularly dangerous because it allows intruders to hide and attack you or your home from a place of relative security. Once people establish a position in dead space, it is very difficult to get them out. In your patrols, you should identify dead space and find a way to mitigate its risk to …


Home Security for WTSHTF – Part 1, by T.Z.

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It is well-known that some people prioritize their own self-interest over others’ lives. People commit crimes of varying severity every day. When people become more desperate, crimes tend to become more frequent and severe. This is especially true in home invasions, when the invaders are often willing to hurt the occupants to get what they are looking for. This article will describe how to defend your home by utilizing a proactive approach, rather than trying to catch up to the attacker’s intent and capabilities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response, there has been mass unemployment around my …


Prepper Project Suggestions, by R.H.

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I have compiled a list of possible projects that can be accomplished by people of average skill with the usual tools and supplies. This list is just to get you thinking about what you might need and what you could use in the event of an emergency. Luckily, we currently have the Internet to easily find plans for these projects. Print the plans now and start a “to-do” list. The Internet is great but also have some how-to books on hand. The time is upon us. Water In keeping with preparation priorities, let’s first discuss water projects. One of the …


The Semi-Prepper – Part 2, by Francis

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In addition I stress myself at the range by exercising when I get there (running, pushups, jumping jacks.)  The idea is to degrade my performance by tiring and winding myself, which will show me how I will shoot under stress. Since I’m now in my 70’s, I feel the best home defense weapon is a rifle. Semiautomatic pistols are great but a rifle with its’ longer sight radius leads me to be more accurate. Also as I get older I am concerned about the complexity of the “manual of arms” for the …


Reaching Out to Others May Save Our Lives, by Ani

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Whenever I’d get upset about not understanding why someone was doing what they were doing or thought the way they did, a friend always used to remind me that “not everyone thinks like you do”. That adage sounds simple on the surface but I’ve realized that it is a profound truth and of critical importance to us preppers. At the time that I’m writing this we are immersed in the COVID-19 pandemic. I watched this coming, from the earliest days when the first reports of some strange new Coronavirus associated with the market in Wuhan was briefly noted online. That …


Facing Lockdown in an Apartment – Part 2, by J.F.J.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Barricade doors and windows with heavy or bulky furniture. Keep the intruders out of your apartment, but do not trust your barricades to stop bullets. Remember that reinforced doors, boarded-up windows, and bookshelves-turned-barricade are for keeping out intruders; they are not for ballistic cover. Building bullet stops for a safe room is not the focus of this article. Please consult the shooting and ballistic experts for advice on that subject. For our purposes, let us turn to the needs of water, food, and fuel. Water Unless facing a water outage because of …


Facing Lockdown in an Apartment – Part 1, by J.F.J.

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Having recently moved from a home on a one-acre lot at the edge of the country to an apartment complex on the outskirts of a small town, I have had to change my disaster contingency plans to suit my new environment. Living in an apartment in the suburbs has the advantage of allowing people to have a comfortable environment close to city conveniences and entertainment. However, apartment living has its significant disadvantages when in dire circumstances. Communications may be cut off if landlines are damaged or cell phone towers are without power. Natural and man-made disasters play havoc with local …


Budget Retreat Security, by Pat Cascio

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If you’ve been a reader of SurvivalBlog.com for any length of time, you’ve surely seen the term Operational Security and the acronym OPSEC. And just as often, you’ve seen the term retreat security. These two go hand-in-hand. Together, they can make your surroundings as safe and secure as possible. Sometimes, depending on your location, this might be simple. But other times, it takes a lot more work to make your surroundings as safe and secure as you possibly can. Every once in a while, I have to remind myself to maintain both OPSEC as well as retreat security. More than …


A Prepping Reality Check – Part 4, by Mama Bear

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(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article series.) Security/Defense There have been many articles on the blog about security and defense. Let me just throw out a few thoughts. What is the field of fire from each side of your grid-down retreat? Have you practiced with your family/group how to defend your retreat? Paintball is great for this. Have you thought about how far you are willing to go to defend your supplies, your home, your family? Have you thought about a procedure for admitting additional people to the retreat? Have you thought about which of your friends/family you …


Optimizing MURS Dakota Alert Sensors – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

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(Continued from Part 1. This installment concludes the article.) — MURS band Dakota Alert systems are very useful, but they often frustrate the user. Read up. It would be a huge loss if one could not operate their sensors correctly. And just like anything else, take one out of the Faraday cage and use it for awhile to gain experience with it. In a time of stress, getting a ‘false alarm’, could be nerve racking, when all hat it needs is batteries. In a pinch, but only in a pinch, would I connect directly to 12 VDC. With higher voltages …


Optimizing MURS Dakota Alert Sensors – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

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Editor’s Introductory Note: This essay describes one approach to optimizing the performance, extending the range, and securing the signal of MURS band Dakota Alert intrusion detection sensors–and other low power transmitters. — To begin, here’s some ground thruth on perimeter security: Security will be Job One. Everything else supports that objective. Manpower for most tasks will be greatly lacking. Every trick, hack, or tactic should be considered. If we don’t see’em, hear’em or smell’em coming, then it is over before it starts. You lose. Organizing with your community is the best defense for those without their own manpower. Defend at …


Elements of a Security System – Part 5, by J.M.

Observation As I mentioned earlier, direct observation of an intruder approaching is another form of detection, but I’m focusing on situations where you may not be able to have eyes everywhere 24×7. However, if an alarm does go off you’ll need some way to get ‘eyes on’ to determine what caused the alarm without unnecessarily exposing yourself to potential danger. There are a number of possible options to enhance your ability to observe a potential intruder. The simplest and most obvious option would be magnified optics, such as binoculars or a monocular, assuming you have a line-of-sight to the area …


Elements of a Security System – Part 4, by J.M.

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(Continued from Part 3.) The second type of alerting – remote signal back to a centralized alarm console with a wired or wireless connection when the tripwire is tripped – can be a bit more complicated. In either case you can use something as simple as the clothespin switch to connect two wires to close the circuit, or to ‘press’ the button on a remote transmitter to trigger a relay that set off a light/buzzer. Regardless of the use of local versus remote alerting, if there are any electronics or other components that could degrade when exposed to the elements …