Personal Security

Growing up, I was in the Boy Scouts and we spent a lot of time outdoors learning new skills. I can sharpen a blade, start a fire and build a shelter without any worries.

I use to joke that I was the perfect boyfriend because I knew how to tie knots and I was always prepared.

Today, I'd bet that the majority of adults don't know any of these skills. I won't go so far to say that we've gone soft as a society, but our priorities sure have shifted.

Recently when Arlo and Canary both sent me home security camera systems I got thinking about our house security.

We already have an alarm system and had never given much thought to a need for cameras in the house. Plus, knowing the kind of security holes this could open up if not secured I never really saw a need.

Both devices work amazingly well and I actually donated the Arlo system to a local family who needed a security system after a series of thefts. Recently, the footage that the Arlo captured of another attempted robbery lead to catching the person!

There are certainly a few more things we could do around the house, but all in all I feel good.

Current events have kept personal security on my mind a lot though.

I've never been an every day carry sort of guy, but I think that is going to change to be better prepared for the reality we live in.

Prepping to attend ITS Muster 2015 has me shopping for some new gear and when combined with asking myself hard questions about how prepared I am for a variety of situations I realize I'm not very prepared at all.

Sure, I try to always park so that I can pull out rather than back out. I rarely sit with my back to a door. I try to maintain at least a basic situational awareness of what is going on around me at all times.

You'll never see me being one of those zombies blaring music into their headphones and oblivious to all around them.

When in doubt, I'm always trying to follow The 12 Rules.

Do you ever think about your personal security? What about you and your family?

If the power went out this minute and didn't come back on for forty eight hours would you be able to cope at home?

If you have kids,  do you have plans for if there is a fire, natural disaster or if they find themselves in an active shooter situation?

These are the things I think about and then make plans for and the answer is YES we have had all those discussions at the Chapman house.

I can hear some of you thinking I've gone over the deep end, but really I just want to be as prepared as I was when I was younger. Some of my skills are definitely not what they use to be and some refreshing of them won't hurt at all.

Plus, it'll get me up and away from my keyboard which is never a bad thing.