September 29, 2025 • 22 mins
A decade of emergency preparedness wisdom culminates in this landmark 100th episode that reflects on how much has changed—and how much remains the same—in the world of personal safety and disaster readiness.
The preparedness landscape has transformed dramatically since we began. What started with people carrying a few granola bars in backpacks has evolved into comprehensive 30-day self-sufficiency planning. Both seniors and young people now embrace preparedness not as a hobby but as a necessary lifestyle. Meanwhile, the fundamental truth remains unchanged: you are your own first responder until help arrives.
As climate disasters increase in both frequency and severity, emergency resources continue to stretch thinner. The woods that once seemed like evacuation sanctuaries have become dangerous tinderboxes. Communities devastated by disasters take years—not weeks—to rebuild. These realities demand we shift our thinking from "if" an emergency happens to "when" it occurs.
The digital transformation of our world has created new vulnerabilities few consider until it's too late. When internet infrastructure fails during disasters, our digital financial systems become instantly useless. Gas pumps won't operate, stores can't process cards, and communication channels disappear. Having cash reserves and alternative communication methods isn't paranoia—it's practical planning for inevitable disruptions.
Situational awareness remains our greatest protection, while honest assessment of our physical capabilities ensures our plans remain viable as we age or face injuries. Regular training builds the muscle memory needed for crisis response, while routine maintenance of supplies prevents disappointment when emergencies strike. The question isn't whether you'll face an emergency—it's whether you'll be prepared when you do.
Join us for specialized training in concealed carry, home defense, and non-ballistic self-defense. Share this podcast to help others develop the skills and mindset needed for self-reliance during challenging times. Together, we'll continue building a community of prepared, confident individuals ready to face whatever the next decade brings.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Can you believe it's been a decade already?
100 episodes?
Great Googly Moogly.
Well have we got stuff to talkabout?
Come on in and let's getstarted.
(00:22):
Well, everybody, I'm BillBateman, uh part of the team
here, Refuse to be a VictimPersonal Protection Training,
and as I mentioned, this is our100th episode.
I've been doing this program for10 years.
That's a decade.
Oh my gosh.
A lot has happened, andinterestingly enough, a lot has
(00:42):
stayed the same.
When we first began, there werevery few people actually
prepping.
They did have a few granola barsand a bug in a backpack, but not
really getting into it in anyserious capacity.
Now we're finding that bothseniors, who have an incredibly
high percentage ofparticipation, and young people
(01:03):
are becoming preppers.
And backpacks or bug out bagsinitially were the thing then.
Now, preparedness, being readyfor up to 30 days of
self-sufficiency in a seriousemergency is now the gold
standard.
And this program is going tocontinue as it has.
(01:25):
We're going to be reaching outto new people because there's
60% of you out there who can getlearned up.
And uh we're also going to takesome new tones.
We're going to change some ofthe way we are addressing
things, some of the things we'rethinking about.
The primary reason we're doingthis is there is a continuing
(01:45):
reduction in the amount of helpthat's going to arrive in the
event of a problem.
This is for a lot of differentreasons, and that's another
series of podcasts if you wantto go there.
But the bottom line, you areyour own first responder until
the help that's available canget to you.
We've been saying this for along time, and we're seeing it
(02:08):
more and more.
The storms are increasing, thefires are increasing in scope
and intensity, uh flooding, allthose type of things.
Things are happening, andthey're happening not only more
often, but they are more severein nature.
That means what help and whatresources we have are going to
be stretched even thinner.
(02:30):
So you are your own firstresponder.
We need to go back to theself-sufficiency we had.
A lot of people on both sides ofthe political spectrum want to
turn the clock back.
Well, I don't care about yourpolitical beliefs, thank you
very much.
I do care that you're going tobe prepared to care for
yourself, your family, and yourloved ones in the event of a
(02:53):
serious problem.
And with less and lessresources, the responsibility is
on us.
I've looked at some earlierliterature from about 10, 12
years ago, and in an emergency,everybody's just going to run
off to the woods.
We've talked about this before,and with climate change, you're
not going to be running off tothe woods right now.
(03:14):
The woods are a tinderbox.
You don't want to even smoke acigarette out there or operate a
mechanical device without aspark arrestor on it.
It's dangerous.
Hundreds of people running outto the woods, it's just not
going to work.
One other thing to consider, uh,having been through the Talent
(03:36):
Fire, the technically theAlameda fire, but it burned up
Talent and Phoenix, uh, the townis not going to be the same town
it was.
It's going to be different for along time, and there won't be
any quick fixes.
We're still several years outfrom the fire, and we're still
waiting for some things tohappen.
(03:56):
These changes are up to you.
We have allowed people to think,first of all, this won't happen
to me.
We have allowed our situationalawareness to go away completely,
and we keep trying the samething, hoping for a different
result.
That's the definition ofinsanity.
(04:16):
Situational awareness meansbeing alert to the problems and
not having the this won't happento me attitude.
This is common.
Oh well it's happening inConnecticut, but it's certainly
not going to happen here.
Yeah, actually it will.
Why wouldn't it happen here?
(04:36):
You need to take these thingsseriously, ladies and gentlemen.
I look at you as a family, andif you're listening to this
program, especially if you'vebeen with me for a while, uh I
urge you to go out and get acouple of new people.
First I want to say thank you,by the way, to give to do
anything for a decade in thisday and age is really a
privilege, and thank you verymuch.
(04:58):
I appreciate you letting me comeinto your head, uh, to your car,
your home, wherever you listento me, and I appreciate those
who have shared this program.
Taking things seriously isimportant because of how quickly
things happen.
It's two to three secondsmaximum for an average assault
or an attack.
(05:18):
If somebody's going to jump you,it's going to be two to three
seconds.
And it's going to be even lessthan that in the case of a car
crash or an accident or a fall.
Boom, you're on the ground.
It's just that quick.
And it's not falling, it's notgetting attacked, it's how you
deal with it.
How are you prepared for it?
(05:40):
Self-defense is not a hobby.
Prepping is not a hobby.
This is something you're goingto start seeing on the website.
It's not a hobby.
This is a lifestyle.
This is serious enough that itwill impact the way you live if
you take it seriously.
Now that doesn't mean you fillthe house with so much stuff.
(06:03):
You can't find things in anemergency.
It's not throwing a credit cardor a wad of cash at a problem
and thinking you're going to beready.
It's not being paranoid orfearful.
It's being aware of what's goingon around you.
And so many people aren't.
I watch people still, and I'mgoing to be railing about this
(06:24):
until it stops happening, butpeople wandering through into
the crosswalk with the cellphone in their hand doing a text
message.
Great, googly mogly.
People really talk about a twoto three second change in your
life.
That'll definitely do it.
You need to be aware of what'sgoing on not only is that smoke?
(06:47):
Is that water leaking?
But what are these guys doing inour park?
I live in a mobile homecommunity and I'd take our dog
for a walk, usually fairly late,and I happen to see a van pull
in.
Look like Scooby-Doo and thecrew were pulling in.
We got nobody lives in this parkdrives that van, that's for
(07:08):
certain.
It's being watchful, notparanoid.
And it's making good decisions,not running up and trying to
front a bunch of people lookingto the party, but reporting that
problem and getting it handledproperly and quickly.
And being prepared if it wentbeyond that.
We need to change our focus fromif to when.
(07:33):
Somebody was talking about whenthe internet goes down, and I
said, Don't you mean if?
He said, No, stop and thinkabout it.
It's going to be a when.
Because in the event of anearthquake or a big fire or a
problem, repeaters and celltowers are going to start coming
down.
Infrastructure, buildings, rerelay centers are going to start
(07:56):
being disabled.
I know that I've seen myinternet service here in my
home, and I pay for the high-endT1 level lines as fast as I can
get, and I'm still clicking onan icon and getting the little
spinning wheel.
And I'm doing that more and morelately.
(08:18):
Now I've had a lot of excusesand a lot of explanations, none
of them which make a whole lotof sense.
But who cares if the internetgoes down?
Well, you do.
Because while you were sleeping,while you were watching uh
Dancing with the Stars, yourmoney, stores, gas stations,
(08:40):
communication all moved todigital, electronic.
I don't know anybody who stillhas an analog landline, a
regular old-fashioned telephone.
And I haven't seen a phone boothin ten years.
So when the internet goes down,and I've actually experienced
this, I lived in Humboldt for atime and worked at Humboldt
(09:03):
State University, and I was inthe grocery store one night and
the lights kind of flickered andthings got weird, and cashiers
announced over the PA that theinternet was down and they
couldn't take debit cards.
Cash or local check only.
I happened to have cash with meand making a small purchase, but
(09:23):
there were a lot of people whowere in a bad situation.
Then I went to the gas stationand realized I wasn't going to
get any gasoline because thepumps all ran on debit cards.
If you don't have cash, you'rein trouble.
So part of your preparation,part of the changing your focus
from if to when, do you havecash with you?
(09:48):
I carry some cash, a smallamount, in a lockbox in my car.
It's the same box I lock up myfirearm when I go someplace it's
not permitted, like thecourthouse.
I am ready and I've changed myfocus from not if something's
going to happen, but when it'sgoing to happen.
(10:08):
When I'm out driving and I get aflat tire, that's why I carry a
good spare and the necessarytools.
If I'm out driving and I getstuck overnight in the snow.
If I'm going up to, let's say,Diamond Lake, and it is sketchy
or cold weather, I'm going tomake certain I have the things I
(10:30):
need with me, that I can survive24 hours if I'm stuck in a snow
drift somewhere.
See, the call towers are goingto go down.
You can text more likely thanyou can make a phone call.
But satellite communication moreand more is the one thing you're
going to need to depend on.
And we'll be talking about thatin the weeks to come.
(10:52):
We're also going to continue todo something that I've done for
years, and that's look at thechange of seasons.
I'm going to look at new items,I'm going to look at renewing
things.
I'm going to look at bad ideas.
People are trying to convinceyou to buy this, to buy that.
I'm going to look at somepositive changes that have
happened.
We've had solar power batteries,batteries that can be a solar
(11:17):
generator, let's just call itthat.
And I've noticed that they'vewere huge.
I've got one in my living roomthat I was testing out.
It weighs 75 pounds.
That's pretty good size to lugaround.
They're now down to somethingabout the size of your lunchbox.
And you can still recharge yourphone and get some good things
(11:39):
done with it.
Some light, some things likethat.
So let's look at some steps wecan take as the seasons change.
And I change the batteries in mysmoke detectors when the time
changes because it's a big deal,everybody's aware of it, and
it's easy to remember.
I'm also making sure I'mreviewing, renewing, and
(12:02):
replacing the things I have inmy car and the things we have in
our home.
For example, I have fresh waterstored at my home.
It will last up to an hour ayear, but I like to every six
months use the water on theshrubbery, don't pour it down
the drain, uh pour it on thetrees, pour it on the grass,
(12:24):
clean out your containers, makesure they are clean and
sanitary, that they haven'tdeveloped any yuh inside it, and
then refill those watercontainers.
I have six five-galloncontainers.
Now we've talked about uhrenewing and reviewing before,
and I brought this up and gotsome very positive feedback.
(12:47):
Consider, ladies and gentlemen,that in ten years, I'm ten years
older, I've had some amazingthings happen to me, not all of
them good, but some of themabsolutely awe-inspiring.
And I can no longer, I willadmit to you in public, that uh
five gallons of water, that'sabout fifty pounds.
(13:11):
And I can move it around thehouse, but as far as slapping
that up and moving it aroundlike I could ten years ago,
can't do it.
Can't do it.
Because of my back, because ofmy arms, because of some issues
and injuries, not because of notworking out.
I'm still in the gym twice aweek, but just the body changes.
You need to be honest withyourself and make those
(13:34):
admissions, not in public, notlike I'm doing, but put those uh
images in your head.
We had a situation here, thewater was turned off in the park
for a couple days formaintenance.
We had to use our backup waterso we could flush the toilets.
We have a system that we can, Ican still move that five-gallon
(13:56):
container of water around, andwe can pour it into a smaller
container and utilize it forwhat needs to be done.
These are the things that youshould be working on if you're a
long-term prepper, and if you'rea new prepper, keep these things
in mind because you may not turn76 or 77 years old in the course
(14:18):
of your prep, but you couldeasily fall and break your arm.
I think one of the highest ratedprograms I've done recently is
what if you have a broken wing?
Because in our stories, in ournar narratives, we're always the
one who's going to do this,who's going to do that.
We're the one lifting the uh thedebris out of the way and all of
(14:40):
that.
And if you've broken your arm orsprained your back, or you're
having chest pains, or you'reyou can't breathe because of the
dust and some toxic gunk in theair, uh now you're the one who's
going to need to be able tostill interact.
But you've got a broken wing,you've got a problem.
(15:01):
You need to think that throughin advance.
It's not easy to think about,it's not fun to think about, and
it is life-changing.
It is that important.
So review what you've got, renewwhat you have, look at
batteries, look at expirationdates.
(15:23):
Some of those granola bars, uh,they may last forever, but not
completely.
Uh maybe some of that stuff hasbeen dried out, maybe mice or
bugs got it.
I had a package of one of thosemeals that you just add water
to, dehydrated.
It got poked by something in thetrunk and it was all over.
So I had to clean it up so Ididn't attract bugs.
(15:44):
I wanted to make sure I hadreplaced it, and I wanted to
make sure it was in date.
So look at the things you'vegot.
And in your car, I have, when wehave talked about this, we'll
talk about it again for the newpeople, a get home bag.
If I, as I mentioned, if I'mgoing up to Diamond Lake and I
(16:04):
get stuck in a snow driftsomewhere, what am I going to do
for 24 hours, 12 hours?
Gets pretty cold up there,folks.
How are you going to stay warm?
What are you going to eat?
What are you doing going todrink?
How can you signal for help?
What if you have to build afire?
When we're talking about thingslike renewing, reviewing, and
(16:27):
replacing, the other key thingis training.
Because this is not a hobby,this is a lifestyle, this is
important, and just as you donormal maintenance on your
firearms, just like you do onyour furnace, your car, or your
motorcycle or your bicycle,regularly scheduled maintenance
(16:51):
is important as is regulartraining.
Regular practice helps buildmuscle memory, helps build
clarity of thought and purpose,and when you're dealing with
something like personal defense,you should be training monthly.
I train monthly.
(17:11):
I think it's important to dothat because you will help
highlight areas that need to berefreshed, areas that need to be
worked on.
You decide found out that thearthritis in one hand is getting
bad and you've developed ashake.
The time to find that out is notin the middle of a problem.
(17:32):
The time to find that out is onthe range in an enclosed and
controlled environment, so youknow how to deal with it, and if
you don't know how to deal withit, let's get you to somebody
who can help you.
Training is important for yourfirst aid skills.
That's why you recertify yourCPR regularly.
(17:55):
That's why our first responders,our EMS, they train regularly,
and it's the basics from rollingand unrolling the hose, from
setting up a situation.
What are you going to grab whenyou get out of the ambulance?
What are you taking with you?
Assessing the situation, all ofthose things we need to
(18:16):
practice.
I need to practice, and you needto practice.
So this is the season.
Weather is changing, it's notgoing to be 105 degrees every
day.
We're going to have a littlerain here, they promise us, and
that's good.
Temperatures are changing,situations are changing, we will
(18:36):
probably see some snow thiswinter.
Be prepared for it.
Not only with what you have inyour car and what you have in
your home, so when you're on theroad or when you're stuck in the
house because the power's out,you're ready there.
But if you have to deal with anemergency, and remember, you are
your own first responder.
(18:59):
You are going to need to be ableto help your friends and your
family, your loved onesespecially, as long as it takes
for help to get there.
And bear in mind that can be upto 30 days.
So with that said, I'm going topoint you to the website as far
as training.
(19:19):
There are a lot of good classeson there, and I would be remiss
if I didn't let you know.
We have specialized trainingavailable.
I mentioned the same classesalmost regularly.
We have our concealed carry,which is our most popular, which
combines live fire exercise inaddition to classroom work.
(19:41):
You do need to be able tocontrol your firearm safely to
be an effective concealedcarrier.
We have the shotgun class, and Icall it that, it's home defense
shotgun.
That is infinitely practical,especially when we talk about
things like overpenetration.
If you've got your AR and a 556and you light that up in a
(20:03):
mobile home park, you're goingto go through five or six
coaches.
That's a lot of overpenetration.
Let's talk shotguns for home andpersonal defense.
We go everywhere from basicshooter all the way up to
advanced tactical shooting andall the stops in between.
(20:36):
Well, personal defense is a veryserious subject, and we have a
non-ballistic, a no-gunself-defense class.
It started out in our women'sprogram and is matured and
developed with a lot of goodinput to using your body and
things around you to deal withattacks, with assaults, with
(21:00):
dangerous situations.
So let's step back, let's take adeep breath, and let's look.
It's not a question of when,it's a question of if.
(21:24):
Don't think it's not going tohappen here, don't think it's
not going to happen to you, anddon't think there's going to be
a lot of help available because,as we're seeing, help is
starting to dwindle because ofthe increased need and the
decreased availability.
So hop onto the website.
(21:45):
We have a lot going on inOctober, November, and December
as far as training.
The schedule is up.
If you have something you'd liketo look at, like for a house of
worship, or if you're a group ofrealtors who are kind of a
little spooked with going out asit's getting later and darker on
(22:06):
calls.
If you'd like specializedclasses, those are available.
Call us and let us know what youneed because we have the talent,
the expertise, and theexperience to meet those needs
for you.
Well, ten years.
I don't feel older.
(22:28):
Okay.
It's been a decade.
Let's start the next ten yearsand move in the new direction.
Taking things more seriously.
New directions, new tone, andnew listeners.
If you could share this podcast,I'd appreciate it.
If you could subscribe, the moresubscribers we have, the more we
(22:50):
can do on YouTube, and the morepeople we reach, the more that
are going to be in a goodposition when bad things happen.
That's all for this week.
There'll be more coming.
Again, summer is over.
I'm going to go back to my morefrequent posting.
I took a month off.
I was hoping, quite honestly, todo a big video uh episode on
(23:12):
this, but there's just so darnmuch going on.
I haven't got time.
So thank you for listening.
Thank you for sticking with us.
It's been a first of all what Ihope is going to be another 10
year run of helping you helpyourself and help your
neighbors.
Be safe.
We'll see you soon.
Can you believe it's been a decade already?
100 episodes?
Great Googly Moogly.
Well have we got stuff to talkabout?
Come on in and let's getstarted.
(00:22):
Well, everybody, I'm BillBateman, uh part of the team
here, Refuse to be a VictimPersonal Protection Training,
and as I mentioned, this is our100th episode.
I've been doing this program for10 years.
That's a decade.
Oh my gosh.
A lot has happened, andinterestingly enough, a lot has
(00:42):
stayed the same.
When we first began, there werevery few people actually
prepping.
They did have a few granola barsand a bug in a backpack, but not
really getting into it in anyserious capacity.
Now we're finding that bothseniors, who have an incredibly
high percentage ofparticipation, and young people
(01:03):
are becoming preppers.
And backpacks or bug out bagsinitially were the thing then.
Now, preparedness, being readyfor up to 30 days of
self-sufficiency in a seriousemergency is now the gold
standard.
And this program is going tocontinue as it has.
(01:25):
We're going to be reaching outto new people because there's
60% of you out there who can getlearned up.
And uh we're also going to takesome new tones.
We're going to change some ofthe way we are addressing
things, some of the things we'rethinking about.
The primary reason we're doingthis is there is a continuing
(01:45):
reduction in the amount of helpthat's going to arrive in the
event of a problem.
This is for a lot of differentreasons, and that's another
series of podcasts if you wantto go there.
But the bottom line, you areyour own first responder until
the help that's available canget to you.
We've been saying this for along time, and we're seeing it
(02:08):
more and more.
The storms are increasing, thefires are increasing in scope
and intensity, uh flooding, allthose type of things.
Things are happening, andthey're happening not only more
often, but they are more severein nature.
That means what help and whatresources we have are going to
be stretched even thinner.
(02:30):
So you are your own firstresponder.
We need to go back to theself-sufficiency we had.
A lot of people on both sides ofthe political spectrum want to
turn the clock back.
Well, I don't care about yourpolitical beliefs, thank you
very much.
I do care that you're going tobe prepared to care for
yourself, your family, and yourloved ones in the event of a
(02:53):
serious problem.
And with less and lessresources, the responsibility is
on us.
I've looked at some earlierliterature from about 10, 12
years ago, and in an emergency,everybody's just going to run
off to the woods.
We've talked about this before,and with climate change, you're
not going to be running off tothe woods right now.
(03:14):
The woods are a tinderbox.
You don't want to even smoke acigarette out there or operate a
mechanical device without aspark arrestor on it.
It's dangerous.
Hundreds of people running outto the woods, it's just not
going to work.
One other thing to consider, uh,having been through the Talent
(03:36):
Fire, the technically theAlameda fire, but it burned up
Talent and Phoenix, uh, the townis not going to be the same town
it was.
It's going to be different for along time, and there won't be
any quick fixes.
We're still several years outfrom the fire, and we're still
waiting for some things tohappen.
(03:56):
These changes are up to you.
We have allowed people to think,first of all, this won't happen
to me.
We have allowed our situationalawareness to go away completely,
and we keep trying the samething, hoping for a different
result.
That's the definition ofinsanity.
(04:16):
Situational awareness meansbeing alert to the problems and
not having the this won't happento me attitude.
This is common.
Oh well it's happening inConnecticut, but it's certainly
not going to happen here.
Yeah, actually it will.
Why wouldn't it happen here?
(04:36):
You need to take these thingsseriously, ladies and gentlemen.
I look at you as a family, andif you're listening to this
program, especially if you'vebeen with me for a while, uh I
urge you to go out and get acouple of new people.
First I want to say thank you,by the way, to give to do
anything for a decade in thisday and age is really a
privilege, and thank you verymuch.
(04:58):
I appreciate you letting me comeinto your head, uh, to your car,
your home, wherever you listento me, and I appreciate those
who have shared this program.
Taking things seriously isimportant because of how quickly
things happen.
It's two to three secondsmaximum for an average assault
or an attack.
(05:18):
If somebody's going to jump you,it's going to be two to three
seconds.
And it's going to be even lessthan that in the case of a car
crash or an accident or a fall.
Boom, you're on the ground.
It's just that quick.
And it's not falling, it's notgetting attacked, it's how you
deal with it.
How are you prepared for it?
(05:40):
Self-defense is not a hobby.
Prepping is not a hobby.
This is something you're goingto start seeing on the website.
It's not a hobby.
This is a lifestyle.
This is serious enough that itwill impact the way you live if
you take it seriously.
Now that doesn't mean you fillthe house with so much stuff.
(06:03):
You can't find things in anemergency.
It's not throwing a credit cardor a wad of cash at a problem
and thinking you're going to beready.
It's not being paranoid orfearful.
It's being aware of what's goingon around you.
And so many people aren't.
I watch people still, and I'mgoing to be railing about this
(06:24):
until it stops happening, butpeople wandering through into
the crosswalk with the cellphone in their hand doing a text
message.
Great, googly mogly.
People really talk about a twoto three second change in your
life.
That'll definitely do it.
You need to be aware of what'sgoing on not only is that smoke?
(06:47):
Is that water leaking?
But what are these guys doing inour park?
I live in a mobile homecommunity and I'd take our dog
for a walk, usually fairly late,and I happen to see a van pull
in.
Look like Scooby-Doo and thecrew were pulling in.
We got nobody lives in this parkdrives that van, that's for
(07:08):
certain.
It's being watchful, notparanoid.
And it's making good decisions,not running up and trying to
front a bunch of people lookingto the party, but reporting that
problem and getting it handledproperly and quickly.
And being prepared if it wentbeyond that.
We need to change our focus fromif to when.
(07:33):
Somebody was talking about whenthe internet goes down, and I
said, Don't you mean if?
He said, No, stop and thinkabout it.
It's going to be a when.
Because in the event of anearthquake or a big fire or a
problem, repeaters and celltowers are going to start coming
down.
Infrastructure, buildings, rerelay centers are going to start
(07:56):
being disabled.
I know that I've seen myinternet service here in my
home, and I pay for the high-endT1 level lines as fast as I can
get, and I'm still clicking onan icon and getting the little
spinning wheel.
And I'm doing that more and morelately.
(08:18):
Now I've had a lot of excusesand a lot of explanations, none
of them which make a whole lotof sense.
But who cares if the internetgoes down?
Well, you do.
Because while you were sleeping,while you were watching uh
Dancing with the Stars, yourmoney, stores, gas stations,
(08:40):
communication all moved todigital, electronic.
I don't know anybody who stillhas an analog landline, a
regular old-fashioned telephone.
And I haven't seen a phone boothin ten years.
So when the internet goes down,and I've actually experienced
this, I lived in Humboldt for atime and worked at Humboldt
(09:03):
State University, and I was inthe grocery store one night and
the lights kind of flickered andthings got weird, and cashiers
announced over the PA that theinternet was down and they
couldn't take debit cards.
Cash or local check only.
I happened to have cash with meand making a small purchase, but
(09:23):
there were a lot of people whowere in a bad situation.
Then I went to the gas stationand realized I wasn't going to
get any gasoline because thepumps all ran on debit cards.
If you don't have cash, you'rein trouble.
So part of your preparation,part of the changing your focus
from if to when, do you havecash with you?
(09:48):
I carry some cash, a smallamount, in a lockbox in my car.
It's the same box I lock up myfirearm when I go someplace it's
not permitted, like thecourthouse.
I am ready and I've changed myfocus from not if something's
going to happen, but when it'sgoing to happen.
(10:08):
When I'm out driving and I get aflat tire, that's why I carry a
good spare and the necessarytools.
If I'm out driving and I getstuck overnight in the snow.
If I'm going up to, let's say,Diamond Lake, and it is sketchy
or cold weather, I'm going tomake certain I have the things I
(10:30):
need with me, that I can survive24 hours if I'm stuck in a snow
drift somewhere.
See, the call towers are goingto go down.
You can text more likely thanyou can make a phone call.
But satellite communication moreand more is the one thing you're
going to need to depend on.
And we'll be talking about thatin the weeks to come.
(10:52):
We're also going to continue todo something that I've done for
years, and that's look at thechange of seasons.
I'm going to look at new items,I'm going to look at renewing
things.
I'm going to look at bad ideas.
People are trying to convinceyou to buy this, to buy that.
I'm going to look at somepositive changes that have
happened.
We've had solar power batteries,batteries that can be a solar
(11:17):
generator, let's just call itthat.
And I've noticed that they'vewere huge.
I've got one in my living roomthat I was testing out.
It weighs 75 pounds.
That's pretty good size to lugaround.
They're now down to somethingabout the size of your lunchbox.
And you can still recharge yourphone and get some good things
(11:39):
done with it.
Some light, some things likethat.
So let's look at some steps wecan take as the seasons change.
And I change the batteries in mysmoke detectors when the time
changes because it's a big deal,everybody's aware of it, and
it's easy to remember.
I'm also making sure I'mreviewing, renewing, and
(12:02):
replacing the things I have inmy car and the things we have in
our home.
For example, I have fresh waterstored at my home.
It will last up to an hour ayear, but I like to every six
months use the water on theshrubbery, don't pour it down
the drain, uh pour it on thetrees, pour it on the grass,
(12:24):
clean out your containers, makesure they are clean and
sanitary, that they haven'tdeveloped any yuh inside it, and
then refill those watercontainers.
I have six five-galloncontainers.
Now we've talked about uhrenewing and reviewing before,
and I brought this up and gotsome very positive feedback.
(12:47):
Consider, ladies and gentlemen,that in ten years, I'm ten years
older, I've had some amazingthings happen to me, not all of
them good, but some of themabsolutely awe-inspiring.
And I can no longer, I willadmit to you in public, that uh
five gallons of water, that'sabout fifty pounds.
(13:11):
And I can move it around thehouse, but as far as slapping
that up and moving it aroundlike I could ten years ago,
can't do it.
Can't do it.
Because of my back, because ofmy arms, because of some issues
and injuries, not because of notworking out.
I'm still in the gym twice aweek, but just the body changes.
You need to be honest withyourself and make those
(13:34):
admissions, not in public, notlike I'm doing, but put those uh
images in your head.
We had a situation here, thewater was turned off in the park
for a couple days formaintenance.
We had to use our backup waterso we could flush the toilets.
We have a system that we can, Ican still move that five-gallon
(13:56):
container of water around, andwe can pour it into a smaller
container and utilize it forwhat needs to be done.
These are the things that youshould be working on if you're a
long-term prepper, and if you'rea new prepper, keep these things
in mind because you may not turn76 or 77 years old in the course
(14:18):
of your prep, but you couldeasily fall and break your arm.
I think one of the highest ratedprograms I've done recently is
what if you have a broken wing?
Because in our stories, in ournar narratives, we're always the
one who's going to do this,who's going to do that.
We're the one lifting the uh thedebris out of the way and all of
(14:40):
that.
And if you've broken your arm orsprained your back, or you're
having chest pains, or you'reyou can't breathe because of the
dust and some toxic gunk in theair, uh now you're the one who's
going to need to be able tostill interact.
But you've got a broken wing,you've got a problem.
(15:01):
You need to think that throughin advance.
It's not easy to think about,it's not fun to think about, and
it is life-changing.
It is that important.
So review what you've got, renewwhat you have, look at
batteries, look at expirationdates.
(15:23):
Some of those granola bars, uh,they may last forever, but not
completely.
Uh maybe some of that stuff hasbeen dried out, maybe mice or
bugs got it.
I had a package of one of thosemeals that you just add water
to, dehydrated.
It got poked by something in thetrunk and it was all over.
So I had to clean it up so Ididn't attract bugs.
(15:44):
I wanted to make sure I hadreplaced it, and I wanted to
make sure it was in date.
So look at the things you'vegot.
And in your car, I have, when wehave talked about this, we'll
talk about it again for the newpeople, a get home bag.
If I, as I mentioned, if I'mgoing up to Diamond Lake and I
(16:04):
get stuck in a snow driftsomewhere, what am I going to do
for 24 hours, 12 hours?
Gets pretty cold up there,folks.
How are you going to stay warm?
What are you going to eat?
What are you doing going todrink?
How can you signal for help?
What if you have to build afire?
When we're talking about thingslike renewing, reviewing, and
(16:27):
replacing, the other key thingis training.
Because this is not a hobby,this is a lifestyle, this is
important, and just as you donormal maintenance on your
firearms, just like you do onyour furnace, your car, or your
motorcycle or your bicycle,regularly scheduled maintenance
(16:51):
is important as is regulartraining.
Regular practice helps buildmuscle memory, helps build
clarity of thought and purpose,and when you're dealing with
something like personal defense,you should be training monthly.
I train monthly.
(17:11):
I think it's important to dothat because you will help
highlight areas that need to berefreshed, areas that need to be
worked on.
You decide found out that thearthritis in one hand is getting
bad and you've developed ashake.
The time to find that out is notin the middle of a problem.
(17:32):
The time to find that out is onthe range in an enclosed and
controlled environment, so youknow how to deal with it, and if
you don't know how to deal withit, let's get you to somebody
who can help you.
Training is important for yourfirst aid skills.
That's why you recertify yourCPR regularly.
(17:55):
That's why our first responders,our EMS, they train regularly,
and it's the basics from rollingand unrolling the hose, from
setting up a situation.
What are you going to grab whenyou get out of the ambulance?
What are you taking with you?
Assessing the situation, all ofthose things we need to
(18:16):
practice.
I need to practice, and you needto practice.
So this is the season.
Weather is changing, it's notgoing to be 105 degrees every
day.
We're going to have a littlerain here, they promise us, and
that's good.
Temperatures are changing,situations are changing, we will
(18:36):
probably see some snow thiswinter.
Be prepared for it.
Not only with what you have inyour car and what you have in
your home, so when you're on theroad or when you're stuck in the
house because the power's out,you're ready there.
But if you have to deal with anemergency, and remember, you are
your own first responder.
(18:59):
You are going to need to be ableto help your friends and your
family, your loved onesespecially, as long as it takes
for help to get there.
And bear in mind that can be upto 30 days.
So with that said, I'm going topoint you to the website as far
as training.
(19:19):
There are a lot of good classeson there, and I would be remiss
if I didn't let you know.
We have specialized trainingavailable.
I mentioned the same classesalmost regularly.
We have our concealed carry,which is our most popular, which
combines live fire exercise inaddition to classroom work.
(19:41):
You do need to be able tocontrol your firearm safely to
be an effective concealedcarrier.
We have the shotgun class, and Icall it that, it's home defense
shotgun.
That is infinitely practical,especially when we talk about
things like overpenetration.
If you've got your AR and a 556and you light that up in a
(20:03):
mobile home park, you're goingto go through five or six
coaches.
That's a lot of overpenetration.
Let's talk shotguns for home andpersonal defense.
We go everywhere from basicshooter all the way up to
advanced tactical shooting andall the stops in between.
(20:36):
Well, personal defense is a veryserious subject, and we have a
non-ballistic, a no-gunself-defense class.
It started out in our women'sprogram and is matured and
developed with a lot of goodinput to using your body and
things around you to deal withattacks, with assaults, with
(21:00):
dangerous situations.
So let's step back, let's take adeep breath, and let's look.
It's not a question of when,it's a question of if.
(21:24):
Don't think it's not going tohappen here, don't think it's
not going to happen to you, anddon't think there's going to be
a lot of help available because,as we're seeing, help is
starting to dwindle because ofthe increased need and the
decreased availability.
So hop onto the website.
(21:45):
We have a lot going on inOctober, November, and December
as far as training.
The schedule is up.
If you have something you'd liketo look at, like for a house of
worship, or if you're a group ofrealtors who are kind of a
little spooked with going out asit's getting later and darker on
(22:06):
calls.
If you'd like specializedclasses, those are available.
Call us and let us know what youneed because we have the talent,
the expertise, and theexperience to meet those needs
for you.
Well, ten years.
I don't feel older.
(22:28):
Okay.
It's been a decade.
Let's start the next ten yearsand move in the new direction.
Taking things more seriously.
New directions, new tone, andnew listeners.
If you could share this podcast,I'd appreciate it.
If you could subscribe, the moresubscribers we have, the more we
(22:50):
can do on YouTube, and the morepeople we reach, the more that
are going to be in a goodposition when bad things happen.
That's all for this week.
There'll be more coming.
Again, summer is over.
I'm going to go back to my morefrequent posting.
I took a month off.
I was hoping, quite honestly, todo a big video uh episode on
(23:12):
this, but there's just so darnmuch going on.
I haven't got time.
So thank you for listening.
Thank you for sticking with us.
It's been a first of all what Ihope is going to be another 10
year run of helping you helpyourself and help your
neighbors.
Be safe.
We'll see you soon.
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