The Hunger Games has become a huge success with a bestselling trilogy written by Susanne Collins and a trilogy of movies with has set box office records in attendance.  For those of you who have not read the series nor seen the movie, here is a little background.

The novel is set in a future in which each year a contest is held which pits two children (one boy and one girl) from each district against one another in an arena.  There are twelve districts for a total of twenty four combatants . The idea is survival. The winner is the last child alive. This series has prompted an interest in survival training.

You do not have to be engaged in a forced government sanctioned game in which you are forced to fight to the death to find yourself in a threatening situation  in the wilderness. Now it appears that the wilderness is all around us, urban and rural.

But you say, I wouldn’t enter the wild any more than I would intentionally hit myself over the head with a hammer.  Life is funny in a twisted kind of way. Accidents can happen and  surprise, they can happen to you wherever.

One scenario that comes to mind is an airplane crash.  Yes, there are people that survive the crash of an airliner. Did you remember to fasten your seatbelt and keep it fastened during flight?   Or your vehicle could become disabled in the middle of nowhere.  There are a host of other situations where your knowledge of basic survival in the wilderness can be priceless.

First:  Look around you to get your bearings.  Assess your environment.  Are you safe where you are?  Is it better to remain near the wreckage or move away to avoid a fire?  Usually authorities will be notified and a search conducted not long after impact in an aircraft going down and off radar.   If you are lost, for example, hiking, then you need to be where you can be located. Take a moment to calm yourself and take stock.   What do you have with you?   Inventory anything that can used to survive in the woods.

Second:  If it appears that you may be in the wilderness for some time, you will need to find a place that is safe and where you can build a shelter. It should be near a clearing or on high ground, where you can be spotted by searchers.

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These safety tips can protect you and your family when in a public place, such as a parking lot or parking garage. The good news is violent crime is down, as reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  One of the reasons could be that people are more aware of crime than they were in the past.

Here are a few precautions you can take to avoid being one of those unlucky few who are attacked.

When leaving a store or office building, there are some things that you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim of crime.  When leaving a building, always have your keys in your hand.  There are two reasons to do this.

1.    On most keys there is an alarm button.  You should become familiar with its location, because in an emergency, it should become an automatic response to hit the button.  When walking to your car in an empty parking lot or when you are alone, you want to have your finger on the button.

2.    The key becomes a weapon.  Approaching your car, move the key between the index and middle finger.  In this position, the key can be used to strike the eyes of an attacker, but a miss can cause damage when it hits the nose or throat.  Most attackers will not anticipate resistance.  The key should be used in quick thrusts, which are not as easy to deflect  and are usually unexpected.  You can follow through with the elbow, striking chin or chest. The elbow is one of your most powerful weapons; don’t be afraid to use it.  You can combine that with a knee to the groin, if the attacker is male.

As you approach your car, look at vehicles parked around or near yours.  A vehicle parked on the driver’s side may have an occupant.  They will usually be seated near your driver’s door or behind your car.  If you see someone, immediately return to the store or office and ask a security guard for an escort to your vehicle.

Always approach your vehicle from the rear.  As you approach, look for broken glass on the pavement. That glass could be from your window when someone has entered your car.  Approaching from the rear of the car affords you an opportunity to look into the rear seat, a favorite ambush point for assailants.  Don’t wait until you are next to the door, look through the back window. If you wait to get a clear view through the rear passenger window, anyone hiding in the rear seat can open the door and attempt to grab you. Continue reading →