Prevention

A wise man once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

In the United States, we average over 53,000 deaths each year via just traffic and home accidents. These numbers don’t reflect other unintentional fatalities, which would push these numbers even higher.

Tragedy will occur when you least expect it. Every day we wake up is a blessing but it is also another chance that tragedy will strike. On the flip side, it is also another day in which we have a chance to be prepared for such an eventuality. How many of these deaths could be prevented by some solid preparation?

We have talked about the need for training and it’s something we know has saved lives but the time to get that training is BEFORE you need it, not after you need it. In our experience, being proactive is much less painful than being reactive and the way to be proactive is to get trained.

One of the biggest problems and issues we face today is not from any outside influences, it’s from ourselves. It’s from the lack of proper preparation, training, knowledge and from not keeping the proper mindset.

We must continually strive to maintain a constant state of readiness as an individual and as a family. One of the best ways to do that is through training on a daily basis. We practice fire drills and tornado drills. Why not practice other drills, as well? You’ve got to have the right training, right equipment and right mindset in order to achieve success in an austere situation. We like to call it the “Trifecta of Survival”.

Training. We gain new skills and keep existing skills honed through training and solid repetition. The training lays the foundation for you and it’s up to you to build on it. Learn new things and break out of your comfort zone because when tragedy strikes, it won’t be comfortable and you will most definitely fall to your lowest level of training in your response.

Equipment. This is another vital aspect of our plan to achieve success. We have to have solid, proven equipment in order to bolster our chances of survival. Don’t put your faith in anecdotes or gimmicks. Peer reviewed scientific data is where it’s at. We will always say, “Show me the science.”, because that kind of data is pretty much impossible to refute. Buy the best, proven equipment money can buy so that it won’t fail you when you, a loved one or friend need it to work the most.

Mindset. This could be the most important aspect of our trifecta because we can have the best training and the most up-to-date equipment but without the proper mindset, we are no good to anyone. When we wake up, every day, we’ve got to put into our minds, the thought, “Not me. Not my family. Not today. Not any day.” Steel yourself mentally. Don’t give up. Having the proper mindset is key to surviving many bad situations. Whether it be a life-or-death encounter with an armed madman or a life-or-death encounter when your arm goes through a plate glass door and severs an artery, proper mindset is a key to survival.

No matter how stubborn we may be, we have to have the knowledge to back it all up, to ensure an optimal outcome in a life-threatening situation. Know what to do and more importantly, why to do it. Realize that each situation is fluid and know how to adjust to it. Be comfortable pushing yourself outside the envelope of conventional thought and be outside “the box”. Be a continual student. Challenge yourself to learn something every, single day. It’ll make you a positive contributor an asset, to society rather than a liability.

It all boils down to personal choice. You can choose to prepare yourself accordingly and live or you can choose to do nothing and accept the less pleasant outcome. It may take some work but the end results are beneficial to you and those around you. If not for yourself, do it for those you love. They may not be afforded a choice and the preventative measures you have taken may be the difference between life and death.