Rourke on Building a Survival Group

The recent post – Scenario: Building a Survival Group  – had some great comments on a subject that is not the easiest to navigate. Based on the scenario which I will summarize below I’m going to add my two cents:

Scenario Description: Two longtime friends very concerned about the future of this country decides to put together a MAG(mutual assistant group). One of the men is financially capable of purchasing a sizable parcel of land(10+ acres) to be located in a remote county in the mountainous regions of NC, GA, or Tennessee. Through discussions, the two friends decide that they are looking to add possibly 10 additional people to the group beyond the 10-12 current friends and family members perceived to be part of the group. Group size could total upwards of 22-25 people maximum.

The plan is to have all members come and stay at the property/retreat should some dire situation occur. It is important to note that some of these friends and family members are NOT preparedness-minded and will be welcomed regardless. Both men have decided that although these people have taken no steps to prepare themselves, they care enough to make preparations in lieu of the people’s inaction.  For new members, considerations must be made to ensure they have MINIMAL amounts of necessary supplies.

The goal for this MAG is to provide sanctuary for group members in the event of an EMP, economic collapse – pr some other calamity. Time frame is unknown, thus planning for the stay at the retreat must be considered “long term” – whatever that means.

Lastly – the owner of the property will be living at the retreat. There will certainly not be ample room nor sanitation for all 20+ members.

There were also several questions asked to try to set the stage and get the thought process flowing.

Rourke’s Thoughts:

NOTE: First off I want to say I am speaking on putting together a survival group from actual experience. For several years I was in a group and one of the founding members. What a great group of guys(and gals)!!!! It was a fantastic experience to meet up with like-minded people and work on projects and planning for the future. Beyond that, I have had contact with other groups and talked to members about the challenges associated with getting a group together – and keeping it that way.

Members: The main group starts with 10-12 potential people due primarily to the fact that the two founders plan to “save” a few friends and some family members. Once again to a large extent these friends and family members are not preparedness-minded, however, they will be on board completely under the circumstances which they would arrive to the retreat. Those that make it to the retreat’s location will arrive with minimal supplies and little in the typical training that is considered essential and beneficial. This makes the addition of like-minded people with skills essential.

One of the most significant challenges to putting together a mutual assistance group is finding members. While it may be easy to find people who have the intention to participate and meet all the requirements of the group – it is almost impossible to find people who actually have the drive and commitment to follow through.

Locating the two, three, or four additional group members needed can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Networking locally through shooting clubs, Meet Up groups, and online forums on Facebook and the like. It takes time. A lot of time. It also takes substantial vetting. More on that later.

FInding members that live within an acceptable range of travel must be considered. Two hours? Five hours? Don’t be too quick to judge distance as a bigger deal than it is. Depending on the candidate an EMT living four hours away may be worth it – especially if he gels with the group and shows the level of required commitment.

I’m going to say this again and maybe not for the last time. It is EXTREMELY difficult to find group members that not only have the commitment but can have a respectful and friendly relationship with the other founding group members. It is important that the active members be friends – good friends, after all, these people are going to be able to rely on each other in very stressful times. Word of the Day: TRUST.

In this scenario, the two original members will need to work to find people worthy of adding to the group. They will need to agree on what quality and characteristics are deemed acceptable and desired. “Vetting” – or investigating someone to make sure they are a good fit – is very important.

Things to consider when vetting and evaluating prospective members:

• What if the person has a criminal background? What is OK, and not OK? If their conviction was a felony than it is likely they will not be allowed to own a firearm.
• What skill sets is the group looking for? I do not know what skills the two original members possess nor what their friends and family may have. Medical training is a rarity and generally highly sought after. How about gardening skills? Animal husbandry? What about combat/tactical training? It should be noted that just because someone was in the military does not make them a good candidate. What they did while serving must be reviewed.
• Family size: Is it OK to bring in a member who has a family of 8 people? This must be considered as minimum supply quantities must be met for ALL family members. The larger the family the more difficult it will be to meet those minimums.
• Are the person’s religion or lack thereof important? If it is important for members to be Christian and an Athiest enters as a candidate be prepared to move on to someone else.
• Concealed Carry Permit? Requiring that the person have and show their concealed carry permit at a minimum tells you they passed a background check.
• Work Background? Going from job to job could be an indication that they struggle to commit.
• Social Media: Does the individual OR ANY OF THEIR CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS promote any undesirable idealogies? One example is someone that rants frequently being anti-government and promoting violence. Another example would be someone who is obviously racist or militant extremist.

It takes months to develop relationships and gain a true understanding of an individual. It simply cannot be overemphasized the difficulty to create a bonded group of people  – aka a survival group – of people that start out as strangers. It can be done, but, it takes a lot of time and effort.

Land & Land Use: The original scenario stipulated that at a minimum of 10 acres would be the parcel size. There are typically two ways of looking at retreat land:

Ark:  The retreat is a temporary place to go for comfort, safety, and security. The amount of time to stay on the Ark depends on the quantity of supplies put back. The goal of the ark is to ride out the storm until conditions allow for relocation of members or some alternative lifestyle.

Eden: This retreat is set up for an extended, longterm level of existence and self-sustainment. Imagine sizable crop production and farm animals.

A decision must be made as to the type of retreat the survival group is creating. Obviously, 10 acres is not large enough to sustain 18-25 people for years to come. The parcel size needed can vary depending upon how it will be used. Tremendous amounts of food can be grown in a small space providing the right conditions exist. Having more gardening land than needed is an excellent problem to have.  Protein sources such as rabbits, chickens, goats, sheep, and cows would be essential for the Eden retreat and beneficial for the Ark as well.

The specific number of acres needed completely depends on Ark versus Eden as well as the makeup of the land itself. What is the soil like? Is there game on the land? Is there any water on the land – stream? pond? lake? Point is the land needs to fit the desired use of land.

Minimum versus Recommended Supplies:  A lot of fun can be had sitting down and making lists of guns, ammunition, knives, food, etc. that members MUST have prior to joining. Typically when referring to minimums, this is the minimum supplies that a prospective member MUST possess – or purchase – prior to gaining membership. The founders of the group make the initial rules thus they can set minimums as they see fit and when they must be acquired. I have known groups to set minimums, however, they require that members achieve the minimum quantities within a certain amount of time. 3 months? 6 months? 1 year?

Below are just a few ideas regarding suggested minimums:

• Security: One AR-variant and one pistol per adult member.
  • 1500 rounds .223/5.56 per AR-variant, 500 rounds per pistol
  • 10 AR-magazines / 4 pistol magazines
• Food & Water Storage:
  • 1-year food supply per person
  • 1 55 gallon drum per family of water
  • Water filtration with redundancy
• Shelter: Each joining member family builds a shed/cabin on the retreat in accordance with the landowner’s requirements. These could be simple 10′ x 16′ sheds that can be built at a cost of around $1,500 depending on materials.

While many may suggest that the shelter/shed requirement is too much to ask, I believe this is an essential component of the membership for two reasons.

1. This shows a high level of commitment. The understanding should be that should the member ever decide to quit the group – the shed stays and the contents go with the member.
2. What if the SHTF 2 months after a member joins the group? WHere are their supplies? Where are they going to stay? Having the cabin as an initial requirement for all members provides immediate shelter not only for the people, but also for their supplies.

The list of minimum required supplies can be lengthy. It is important to note that most any prospective member should already have the majority of the required minimums and if they don’t are they really someone you want in your group?

These minimum supplies are just that – the minimums to gain membership in the group. There may be additional supplies and quantities that can be attained over time.

Rules, Policies, and Restrictions: These are all important and like any organization or society rules and policies are needed. These should be general guidelines and not an overly complex endless list of detailed “laws” that will frustrate and disinterest potential members.

Policies and rules regarding safety should be emphasized as well as OPSEC. Common sense should guide the founders to establish policies and rules covering firearms on the property, visitors, accessibility, OPSEC, filming, etc.

Non-Member Family/Friends: This is the most concerning part of the scenario for me. Bringing in non-vetted and unfamiliar strangers to the group in the midst of some type of calamity will present significant challenges. With that said it is an area that most groups simply do not consider. What if member Vasily Zaytzev has plans to bring his wife and 12-year old son when the excrement hits the rotating ceiling utensil. His sister is in town and the ball drops. Is he really going to say, “Good luck ‘sis!” Would all the other members of the group expect him to do that? Most prepper’s look at this situation far too simply and unrealistically. Discussing these potentials NOW and putting things in place NOW to mitigate the effect and possibly even turn this situation into a positive must be down. Hey – ‘sis just might be a doctor who trains people on tactical firearm handling on the side when she isn’t tending to her medicinal herbal garden. 

Summary:

There’s much more to forming a survival group than what has been mentioned thus far(gardening, medical supplies, tactical training, skillsets, etc.). For those seriously concerned about the future what these two friends are trying to accomplish in this scenario is necessary. Going it “rogue” in a true SHTF is a recipe for disaster. Whether it’s an Ark, or an Eden – a refuge of security, of sustenance, of trusted people you can rely on is invaluable.

More to come…………

Take care all.

Rourke