Manhattan23
10-28-11, 20:44
draft 10/14/2011
On-Demand Survival Groups: The Wayfarer Protocols
http://wayfarerprotocols.blogspot.com
Short Abstract
A discussion of a system for organizing loose associations of survivalists who come together during periods of lawlessness.
Abstract
Motivation
A system is needed to organize and increase the survivability of preparedness minded individuals or families who may have the mindset or skill-set, but not the means of attaining the highest states of preparedness for Without Rule of Law scenarios. The goal of this paper is to discuss and promote the benefits of such a system with the hopes that it becomes widely implemented.
Problem Statement
For certain classes of social brake-downs falling within the Without Rule of Law moniker, a rural retreat or Bug Out Location, is considered to be one of the best defenses or preps. A rural retreat is generally not defensible by one person or family. Manpower needs to be sufficient to handle security and other logistical needs such as food preparation, farming, and other tasks. Sufficiently large survivalist retreat groups are difficult to organize and expensive to operate. They require strong compatibility in group dynamics and risk falling apart due to unequal interest, financial ability, or simply our mobile lifestyles and interests.
How do you avoid the problems of finding, retaining and organizing like minded individuals into a retreat group prior to a WROL event?
Are prepositioned retreat groups an efficient use of resources?
Can you staff and equip a rural retreat just in time for WROL?
Can the current residents of a rural area band together effectively for their mutual survival?
How do you increase the survivability of the multi-family retreat on 100 acres? Turn their neighbors into prepper households as well.
Approach
Rural areas are still considered the best for survivability during WROL events. A preparedness minded individual or family that already lives in a rural area serves as host or catalyst to multiple non-resident preppers during the early stages of WROL. The catalyst has already identified and invited these guest preppers to his property in the case of WROL events. The guest preppers, or wayfarers, arrive in the early stages of WROL and reside with the catalyst for a short period of time. If the situation continues, the wayfarers move in with willing neighbors who would benefit from having a preparedness minded guest. The influx and assimilation of prepared outsiders rapidly increases the survivability of everyone involved.
Audience
This paper is intended for people who are familiar with survival or preparedness concepts. It will use terminology common to the preparedness culture. Also, it is targeted towards preppers who are thinking about security issues during a SHTF situation, and see a role for armed groups of law abiding citizens in providing for their own safety.
Background
In modern survival, we are told to prepare for the most likely events first, and the least likely events last. In the 1950s through the 1980s, the nuclear threat was considered much more likely. People built fallout shelters in their back yards, and in the heyday of the Civil Defense programs, large scale drills were performed in cities throughout the United States.
Since the Y2K scare and possibly earlier, the bunker builder survivalist has an undeserved bad reputation. As time goes on and most people discount the CBRN threat, the ones who prepare by building the ultimate survivalist shelter are thought of as extremists.
Modern survival relies on a threat matrix. Disasters are catalogued in order of likely-hood. With such seemingly mundane events as vehicle breakdown or accident, severe weather, power outage and job loss on the more likely side of the matrix. The more likely an event is to happen, the lower the number of people affected by it. This does not necessarily mean the impact of the event is not severely felt by the one at the center of it.
A number of modern survivalists prefer the term prepper instead of survivalist. The new term implies a softer awareness and readiness for life’s bumps and curve balls which fall short of sci-fi movie plot lines.
In the late 2011 economy, a job loss can be catastrophic. Many people who lose their job are having an extremely difficult time becoming re-employed. With many people living consumer-debt driven lifestyles, the loss of income could bring a rapid halt to their present standards of living.
Understandably, many preppers have started to focus on economic and financial survival. There were recent booms and busts in the dot.com world, housing markets, and mortgage securities markets. What follows are seemingly certain collapses in the stock markets, rising unemployment, teetering currencies and rises in national debts across the world. A new world view in which Americans aren’t guaranteed a high standard of living is coming into focus.
It is said that the basic underpinnings of the U.S. economy are so unsound, that the next 20 years will look significantly different. We are told to imagine, and prepare for a world in which America is no longer on top, and will never be again.
If one is to consider such a world, and begin preparing for it, one must decide what that world might look like, how things will work, how to position oneself for it. In the old fallout shelter scenario, the shelter serves only to survive the initial attack and a short period of time afterwards. What then? Unlike the expected death of everyone without a fallout shelter during a CBRN attack, the unprepared are a major concern for the prepper contemplating an economic disaster.
WROL vs SHTF vs TEOTWAWKI
A number of different terms exist for disaster situations, each has slightly different meanings and applications.
WROL aka Without Rule Of Law
The term WROL is said to have originated on YouTube in the last few years, and implies the lack of organized law enforcement and the resultant lawlessness, violence and necessity for self defense. It specifically does not require a natural disaster or political upheaval which might cause the WROL situation. There may be no interruption of systems of support such as the electric grid, supply chains or municipal water sources. The police are either not present or unable to deter crime. Events might also be so severe that people’s self restraint against lawbreaking might dissolve. The term WROL is useful because of its specificity compared to other terms.
WROL examples:
Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (looters, and police illegally confiscating firearms necessary for self defense)
The Rodney King Riots in Los Angeles
Genocide or ethnic cleansing
Large political or sports event related riots
SHTF aka Shit Hits The Fan
This term is used to refer to any sudden trouble causing upheaval in some one's life which is not easily repaired. It could range from war, to seemingly mundane and personal events such as job loss, injury, property damage or death in the family. SHTF is the most generic term and is widely used.
TEOTWAWKI aka The End Of The World As We Know It
TEOTWAWKI is used to describe a mass impact event with lasting results. It could be a currency debasement, war, high mortality pandemic or other depopulation event. It also implies that the event somehow alters the landscape for how our society functions. TEOTWAWKI as a term is sometimes criticized because it can be said that each day presents new information and world developments that alter our perceptions of the world. TEOTWAWKI could also refer to positive events, such as medical vaccine or cure developments, or other changes in technology, but this is an uncommon use.
TEOTWAWKI examples:
Post pandemic depopulation
Nuclear exchange that alters the geographic landscape and people’s outlook on mortality
Alternative energy breakthrough that alters the geopolitical dynamics due to fossil fuel independence.
WROL and the Security Component
The Wayfarer Protocols are intended for multiple kinds of events. Scenarios in which the security component is the central issue is the one the system tries to address. Therefore, throughout the paper, we mainly use the term WROL to refer to events that would prompt the implementation of the Wayfarer Protocols.
While other components of survival are equally important, they are only covered in passing in this paper. There are numerous other sources of detailed information on those topics.
Survival consists of four main components:
Water
Food
Shelter
Security
Security allows the unmolested enjoyment of the three other components. Your survival supplies are of no use to you if they are stolen, or if you are killed. You may be attacked for your resources or for no discernible reason at all. In a WROL situation, professional law enforcement is not sufficient to deter crimes, and security becomes your own responsibility. WROL could be brought on by a communications failure, power outage or floods which would impede normal ways of calling for service or the ability of police to respond to the area due to impassible roads.
Rural Retreats
Rural retreats’ main security benefit are their implied distance from large population centers. In modern times the majority of people are not preparedness minded. They do not have a few weeks of nonperishable food, generators to keep their refrigerators operating, or enough fuel in their vehicle to evacuate the city in gridlocked traffic. The unprepared will scramble for resources in any SHTF scenario. Look at recent runs on grocery stores and hardware stores in the days preceding a major storm as people try to stock up on food, water and to buy generators.
Rural areas also have low density of homes, allowing one to see the potential attacker’s approach from afar and other natural defensive features.
Secondary benefits may include the ability to farm vegetables and livestock, draw water from a well or stream, and a general lifestyle that relies less on systems of support. (electric, sewer, city water, natural gas pipelines)
While an extremely remote and unpopulated area (such as national forest, mountain range) may offer even greater security benefits, one needs to be capable of living off of raw land with few if any comforts of home. In such an area, the number of people in your group is limited, and the other survival components become more difficult to achieve. Wild animals, weather, and natural obstacles such as rivers all create severe dangers with no hope of rescue. Being a Lone Wolf survivalist may work for a select few, but its not possible nor advisable for most, especially those with families.
Rural areas also have some problems for the modern prepper. High paying jobs are usually centered around urban areas. The low population density also limits the number of employers in an area.
Retreat Groups
If rural retreats are an ideal bug out location, a retreat group of like minded preppers who will work together to survive and defend the retreat is a natural extension of the theme.
A group allows the sharing of general labor, resources and increases the security of everyone involved. Individual group members may have advanced and unique skills that can only be achieved via specialization, such as medical, mechanical or military skills. It would take a lot of time, money and effort for one or two people to cover all of the necessary learning involved in maintaining and defending a rural retreat.
Large groups allow for rotating security shifts so people can sleep soundly, or go about daily tasks such as farming with less risk of being the victim of a surprise attack. While one or two people can go about armed while performing their daily tasks, their low numbers are a severe disadvantage when it comes to security. WROL scenarios, however temporary, are specifically defined by an acute need for security.
Forming a retreat group presents a number of difficulties. You need to find people with diverse skill-sets. A group made up of 10 recently retired Army Infantry soldiers may be good at security, but may not be good at farming, or have the financial resources to fund a retreat. A group of farmers may be able to produce enough food, but may not be able to effectively defend themselves or resolve medical issues. The retreat group members need to be in agreement on what they are preparing for. If only one member wants to build an underground fallout shelter, there will be discord within the group on what to dedicate the group’s financial resources to. Other areas where the retreat group should probably be in agreement on are their religious or political beliefs, acquisition priorities, distribution of labor, and leadership.
Finding and recruiting people with the right skill sets and attracting them to the same bug out location may also be difficult. Unless there are family or close friendship bonds, are all the retreat members going to be willing to travel to the same location, even after job changes or home moves?
Lastly, a rural retreat that isn’t inhabited year round would risk the security of any pre-staged preps, and any structures themselves. Gardening and raising livestock requires site specific knowledge and experience that is best pursued before the onset of SHTF.
Another consideration against group retreats is the risk of never needing it. This is one of the reasons it may be hard to find like minded, serious preppers, to build a retreat with. What if a group spends years building up a retreat and never has cause to use it for its intended purpose? The events requiring a group retreat are of high severity, but also low probability. How much money and time might be expended for naught? The support systems needed for a suitable retreat that can sustain a dozen people are fairly expensive. Such things as larger implementations of septic systems, gardens, generators, fuel stores and buildings are needed to support large groups. Admittedly there are efficiencies of scale involved in group retreats. If money was not a concern, building multiple group retreats, fully stocked with supplies and located in diverse locations would clearly be the ideal solution. For the majority of preppers, becoming part of a retreat group involves a major dedication of time, money and possible sacrifices in career choices and living location. The Wayfarer Protocols are intended as an alternative and intermediate step towards the ideal, for those who are unable or unwilling to pursue the ideal setup that a group retreat might offer..
On-Demand Retreat Groups
The Wayfarer Protocols are a system of organizing a group of preppers who form a retreat group just before or during the onset of WROL. The system is designed to be flexible and organic, with the retreat group being formed at the moment it is needed, thereby avoiding all the start-up difficulties and costs. It also avoids the issue of relying on only one location. The personality conflicts and bickering that may occur during peacetime is avoided. The system is based on the voluntary association of preppers non preppers during WROL. It removes the requirement for heavy investment in a group retreat by focusing on mobile capabilities and skill-sets. With the logistical burdens removed, an urban prepper can focus on a much smaller task list. The preliminary agreements made between rural land holders and urban preppers is easily expanded or withdrawn, and is of little burden to either party. The preps of the urban prepper who bugs-out to the rural area are a benefit to him even if he never has to bug-out to a rural area. The preps of the land holder are also a benefit to him even if he never has to host multiple guests. The concept of “hiring out” preppers to neighbors in the rural area removes the expense of building retreats that can handle multiple families. The host land holder merely needs to focus on some critical components such as water and perhaps food. Since almost any tightly knit rural area can be suitable for defense, this system is extremely scalable. With the on-demand nature of the system, it can be implemented based on the future reality instead of requiring you to predict where SHTF may happen and over-invest in a geographical area.
The Wayfarer
While the Wayfarer Protocols technically start with the host or catalyst landholder who already resides in a rural area, the guest prepper or wayfarer, is the most important part of the system. The catalyst landholder’s property could become compromised, so he could himself become a wayfarer.
The wayfarer is a preparedness minded and skilled individual or family with a basic amount of preps and means to travel to a catalyst landholder’s property. The wayfarer probably lives in a city, suburb or rents his property. He is a prepper, but may not have a secure Bug-In Location. During WROL, the wayfarer recognizes that his survivability increases by leaving and going to a rural area. He could have more than one possible destination, in case one becomes compromised. He might have to present himself to any landholder in hopes of securing a place to stay. The wayfarer has skills to protect himself and survive, but recognizes the immense benefits of an organized rural community during WROL. The wayfarer could be thought of as a survival tradesman
Primary Skill-Set
Since the term wayfarer basically means traveller, the main ingredient for a wayfarer is the mobility mindset. He has the willingness and most importantly, the capability to leave if his survivability would increase by doing so. The mobility mindset is a very simple component, but is important for any prepper.
The wayfarer should have at least one of the primary survival skill-sets.
Medical, doctor, nurse, vet, paramedic
Defense, military tactics, firearm instructor, gunsmith
Farming, gardening, animal husbandry
Construction, carpentry, handyman, home repair, mechanic
Communications, ham radio operator
Outdoorsman, hunter, trapper.
While the above list is not set in stone in any way, a the wayfarer should specialize in one of them. That’s not to say that a non-prepper who has the skills to build and distill home made vehicle fuels would be turned away from a community, but such a skill likely becomes more valuable in long term grid-down scenarios.
In the immediate onset of WROL, the other skill-sets offer an immediate increase in security and survivability of everyone involved.
Secondary Skill-Set
Each wayfarer should be proficient with firearms. Not only for his own defense, but to act as a ready member of his new on-demand or hasty retreat group’s security force. Since the Wayfarer Protocols are mainly intended to address WROL style events, the need for self-defense and group security is paramount. Firearms should be military/police style or similarly suited for self defense. The wayfarer should pursue skills taught in tactical shooting courses for pistol, rifle and shotgun.
The wayfarer should have his own arms and ammunition. Not only is his primary skill-set considered in judging his value, but his capabilities with defensive firearms as well. A computer programmer who was never in the military and whose primary skill-set might be as a ham radio operator could attend numerous tactical firearm courses to make himself more attractive to a host. A surgeon or family doctor might be of such high value that a secondary skill-set in firearms would not be necessary to increase his worth to the group, but it might be instrumental in getting him safety out of the city during WROL.
Self Reliant Wayfarer
The wayfarer should travel with enough food and provisions to sustain himself and his family even after reaching his destination. The early stages of WROL will likely preclude any ability to engage in farming or foraging. Enough food to sustain a few weeks of heightened alertness is important.
Ideally the wayfarer is also prepared with multiple changes of clothing, shoes, tools, firearms, ammunition, water filtration, fuel, toiletries, camping equipment, etc. The only thing the wayfarer lacks is his own home.
The Catalyst Landholder
The host or catalyst landholder already lives in a suitable rural area. The catalyst may select a home based on its remoteness, lack of proximity to main roads, farming ability, or other similar qualities, but it is up to the wayfarers he invites that make the ultimate decision if they believe their survivability would increase by bugging-out to his location. Also, the presence of additional homes in the community defines whether the area offers the capabilities of absorbing sufficient numbers of wayfarers. A catalyst with two neighbors, each 10 miles distant, is unlikely to be able to attract enough wayfarers to his property, and then convince his distant and possibly unfamiliar neighbors to take on house guests. The large distances also preclude the benefits of a coordinated defense plan.
The catalyst should equip his property to temporarily house a large percentage of the wayfarers he invites. He should have the capability to provide water and some food to them so they do not use up all of the preps they brought with them. Ideally, the invited wayfarers pre-stage some extra food and fuel at the catalyst’s location. In a grid-down scenario, the catalyst may need to supply water to all of his neighbors. A sustainable system is recommended, such as a hand or solar powered well pump, year round stream or springs. The catalyst would definitely ingratiate himself by being able to deliver water to his neighbors in need. Consider having enough fuel for water deliveries, or fashioning a horse or bicycle drawn cart for worst case scenarios.
If the WROL situation is brief and does not stretch into the catalyst’s area, the wayfarers stay only for the duration. If the event is severe and threatens the neighborhood, the catalyst contacts and organizes his neighbors into a cohesive defense plan. The wayfarers are introduced as immediate security augmenters to the community. It could occur that the neighbors are unwilling at first to recognize the security situation. If so, the wayfarers and catalyst remain on his property. The situation may worsen and the usefulness of the wayfarers becomes evident.
The catalyst may need to be the driving force in organizing his rural community. As a prepper, he already is likely versed in the science of survival. He will need the skills to transform his neighbors into a cohesive unit if they are to have any chance of group defense. He should be prepared to teach and assist his neighbors as they try to adapt to the new realities of life. Steps should be taken before the onset of SHTF to get to know the neighbors and build a sense of community.
The Neighbor / Nearby Landholder
The neighbors of the catalyst are the potential hosts of some of the wayfarers. The catalyst may end up hosting one or two wayfarers himself, since he would benefit from their skills as much as anyone. The neighbors need not be preppers, own firearms, have farmland or any of the primary skill-sets. They might be aged, disabled, or otherwise unable to defend or provide for themselves in a WROL or SHTF situation. The neighbors’ main asset is their home, which falls within the defensible framework of the community. A suitable home with spare bedrooms or sufficient space for house guests would be ideal.
In a rural area, there are likely numerous retreat style properties in close proximity. Working or formerly working farms have tractors, fuel tanks, wells, pastures, barns, livestock, etc. The mechanization of the last century has allowed a single family to work large tracts of land. What these properties might lack is sufficient manpower to operate during grid-down events, or enough people for defensive operations.
Coordinated Neighborhood Defense
Having wayfarers distributed throughout your rural area and living with your neighbors is not a requirement for the coordinated defense of a neighborhood. In a WROL scenario where food, fuel and electricity are still available, the existing residents should be able to provide sufficient security with the aid of running vehicles. The added mobility of a modern vehicle allows a handful of people to patrol a large area. If electricity is available, cellphone and land line communication would allow the rapid reporting of any problems or other incursions into the neighborhood.
Security Posture
Posture implies the way someone or something stands, shows themselves or a readiness level. A visibly high security posture could consist of roadblocks, barbed wire and “YOU LOOT WE SHOOT” signs placed on the entrances of a neighborhood. A high security posture could also consist of invisible security measures. A manned roadblock or checkpoint with men standing around with weapons at port arms is easily identifiable from afar. A fake vehicle accident scene blocking a rural road with seemingly unarmed men is unlikely to attract attention, but could surreptitiously serve the purpose of identifying suspicious people who might be looking to burglarize a neighborhood or leave with stolen property. The developing WROL situation will dictate what posture is necessary. Do the men at the road block aim their weapons at all vehicles that approach? This may seem excessive, unless someone previously tried to run the roadblock and one of your neighbors was killed.
Residents should take immediate steps to thwart theft and burglary during the onset of WROL or SHTF. Vehicles, gates, and doors should be locked. Valuable property should be guarded or otherwise secured. As soon as the event occurs, unsavory types who are unprepared, may decide to get ahead of the curve and begin their illegal preparedness activities early. (See Survivors and Lucifer’s Hammer)
Defensive measures can be categorized into three areas, deterrence, detection and response.
Deterrence includes measures that increase the risks to the looter or attacker and turns his attention elsewhere during his victim selection process. Roadblocks, padlocked gates, extra lighting, dogs, and visible patrols can help.
Detection measures can include patrols or surveillance. An Internet connected camera aimed at the entrance of a neighborhood, and monitored by residents can serve as extra eyes. MURS radio motion detectors can also be used to alert you to movement in sensitive areas. If your community is not ready to roll out the concertina wire just yet, consider deploying additional detection capabilities such as extra patrols, or surveillance. An evening walk, bike ride or even a parked vehicle could be an innocent looking surveillance measure to those passing through. Only a professional counter-surveillance operator may be able to discern their true purpose.
Response measures consist of actions that can be taken to counter a specific situation. If a suspicious vehicle enters the neighborhood, a light response could be to send a vehicle patrol out to intercept and serve as visible deterrent to any potential criminal intent. If the neighborhood has a road block in place, and a large group of vehicles approaches or the occupants of a stopped vehicle are deemed a risk, the response team could be hidden at the flanks of the checkpoint or housed at a nearby residence, ready to respond quickly. The concept of a QRF or quick reaction force is fairly common and is probably best left to other sources for a full treatment. A rural QRF might be a pre-deployed team standing ready to respond, or it might require activation or call-out. As the WROL situation worsens, you may want to have multiple levels of reaction forces. A person or team hidden at the road block could back up the exposed members, while another team stands ready further down the road. Able bodied neighbors could respond from their homes if the situation was severe enough and warranted a larger reaction force. For example, a community member with the proper military experience would be well suited to create a plan based on available community resources and their specific topography.
Politics of Survival Groups and Other Pitfalls
Politics is defined by Merriam Webster as the “art or science of government” or the “total complex of relations between people living in society”. A survival group is nothing but an ad-hoc government whose purpose is to organize labor and resources for the benefit of all. Those thrust into the business of politics during a WROL or SHTF situation may be inexperienced in dealing with all the personality conflicts that might arise. Trying to convince non-preppers that a road block may be prudent, to share resources, to take on a wayfarer, or consider carrying a firearm for self defense might be difficult or impossible. The catalyst should be prepared to patiently communicate with his neighbors and suggest ideas instead of make demands. A voluntary neighborhood security association could be formed in the early stages of WROL, and slowly graduate into a more formal and structured security force as time and necessity advance.
The wayfarer protocols are intended as a voluntary system. Invitations are not a contract. Wayfarers are not indentured servants, and host neighbors are not forced to quarter strangers. Each association between parties needs to be for the benefit of both, or consensual charity. If it isn’t working out for either party, they should be free to terminate it at any time. It is important that people behave graciously, regardless of what role they play.
There are three main types of leadership styles, authoritarian, participative and delegative. In the authoritative style, the leader basically issues orders with little regard for others’ input. In the participative style, the leader solicits input and stimulates a group approach to problem solving. The leader may guide and focus the effort to keep it on track, but he actively engages other group members to come up with joint solutions. In the delegative style, the leader allows others to make the decisions. Lastly, the leader could use a combination of all three styles, depending on the issue at hand, and the skills and personalities of people around him.
A catalyst who already has a good relationship with all his neighbors before SHTF, and invites 10 wayfarers he knows personally, is in the perfect position to coordinate, if not lead, the now larger community. The catalyst should not start with an authoritative style or he may be accused of forming his own fiefdom and may alienate those around him. A cooperative approach is the best way to get people to feel like they are part of the solution and to solicit the volunteering of labor and resources. A farmer with a 1000 gallon diesel tank is more likely to donate fuel to help patrol the neighborhood if he is part of the group who identifies the need and will probably offer it up on his own. Without knowing what all the skills and resources are in the neighborhood, the authoritative approach won’t work without heavy-handed and forced inventories and labor assignments. That approach is likely to meet resistance in America. Your neighborhood association should not be enacting their own version of martial law. You want to organize the neighbors in order to prevent the need for such severe methods. You should hold fast to American ideals of property, individual rights and justice. While scavenging for resources may be necessary for survival after a pandemic in which large percentages of the population die off, it should be avoided lest it be perceived as looting and met with gunfire. Such standards should be shared with all members of the community and only altered with the group’s approval. You want to avoid a situation where someone shot the neighbor’s 16 year old kid for stealing because they mistook him for a looter.
Protection of the elderly should also be a priority. You want to prevent the exploitation of an elderly host by a desperate wayfarer. A strong community that stays up to date with their neighbors can avoid such problems.
The catalyst and invited wayfarers may want to stock up on large quantities of cheap staple foods in order to help their neighbors get over the early stages of SHTF. Extreme situations can be better handled by people with food in their stomachs. Diverting a few hundred dollars from your armory towards extra buckets of rice, beans or pasta may be the difference between a community that can keep it together, or one that collapses due to hunger. Security upgrades such as building listening posts/observation posts, operating patrols, and road blocks are faster to implement when the people assigned to the task don’t have to worry about their next meal. Feeding an army is the first prerequisite of commanding an army.
Operational security (OPSEC) means keeping things secret that would be useful to an enemy. In a group retreat, keeping the existence of the retreat itself a secret can help the members avoid becoming a target when SHTF. In an on-demand survival group scenario, there is no preexisting secret to keep, but operational plans created during the formation of the group should be closely guarded. The existence of patrols might be known since they can be visually seen, but the schedules and manpower assignments should be guarded. Individual preps that one may have should not be widely advertised before or after SHTF.
Charity can play an important role during SHTF. The retired couple with extra furnished bedrooms may chose to host a wayfarer with children instead of the single former special forces soldier. They are making a personal and value decision. Not all offers of help need to be repaid. A community sustained by goodwill and charity will be stronger than one that purely functions on commerce. The wayfarer who spent $5000 on firearms, training and other survival equipment will hopefully find a community that accepts him as an equal member than a temporary hire.
Sample Protocols
The protocols are a framework for an agreement between the three discrete groups. They are a suggestion and are only provided as a guide. They may not be encompassing enough to handle all situations or groups.
The Catalyst
Preselects and invites individuals or families to stay with him during WROL/SHTF events.
Comes to an agreement in advance with wayfarers about what they should bring, and what kind of accommodations they might expect upon arrival.
Catalyst should be willing to host a wayfarer even if he is personally unaffected by the event.
Catalyst should maintain good relationships with his neighbors and strive to meet them all in advance.
Catalyst should participate in neighborhood events.
Catalyst should maintain maps of his area.
Catalyst should have capabilities for grid-down water supply, laundry, shelter and cooking ability.
Wayfarer should have one or more of the valuable skill-sets.
Wayfarer should obtain firearms training and practice regularly.
Wayfarer should have X weeks of food for himself and his family.
Wayfarer should have a battle rifle, duty pistol and accessories.
Wayfarer should have a radio. GPRS, FRS, MURS, or ham.
Wayfarer should have a reliable vehicle, preferably a 4x4 capable of transporting his family and equipment.
Wayfarer should carry spare fuel.
Wayfarer should carry spare ammunition.
Wayfarer should have extra clothes and footwear.
Wayfarer should have camping equipment.
Wayfarer should maintain good health.
Wayfarer should have copies of any credentials or training certificates.
Wayfarer should have a CHL to show general law-abiding citizen status.
Wayfarer should have some kind of portable currency in case he needs to build a new life post-SHTF, such as silver, gold, or ammo.
Wayfarer should carry tools of his trade, such as medical, carpentry, etc.
Wayfarer should strive to be a valuable member of the new community.
Wayfarer should respect the property of his host.
Wayfarer should be able and willing to move again if the situation requires it.
Wayfarer should be willing to share in housekeeping, farming, construction, security or other responsibilities.
Host landowner should respect the privacy and property of his guests.
Host should recognize the voluntary nature of the arrangement.
Host should not expect payment in equipment, coinage, or food.
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