Skills & Topics

The knowledge on this site spans a range of interconnected skills and topic areas. Follow the links below to explore the guides and articles in each category, or head to the Situational Reports section for current analysis of active situations.

Practical Skills

The foundational techniques. These are the skills that everything else builds on:

  • Fire — Building, maintaining, and using fire safely in any conditions
  • Water — Finding, collecting, filtering, and purifying water
  • Shelter — Staying warm, dry, and protected from the elements
  • Food — Storage, preservation, and making the most of what you have
  • Tools — Selecting, maintaining, and using hand tools and cutting implements
  • Knots & Lashings — Essential joins, bindings, and constructions

Home Emergency

When the systems inside your home stop working:

  • Power failure — Lighting, cooking, heating without electricity
  • Water supply disruption — Emergency water, storage, purification
  • Heating loss — Staying warm when gas, electricity, or oil fails
  • Communications failure — Staying informed when the internet and phone are down

Severe Weather

Extreme conditions and how to manage them:

  • Storms and high winds — Property protection, safety, post-storm actions
  • Flooding — Evacuation, property protection, dealing with aftermath
  • Snow and ice — Travel safety, heating, supply chain impacts
  • Heat waves — Keeping cool, hydration, protecting vulnerable people

Field Survival

When you find yourself outdoors without planned shelter or supplies:

  • Navigation without technology
  • Finding water and making it safe
  • Fire-lighting in adverse conditions
  • Improvised shelter building
  • Signalling and rescue

First Aid & Health

Medical skills for situations where professional help is delayed or unavailable:

  • Wound management — Cuts, bleeds, infection prevention
  • Broken bones and sprains
  • Burns and scalds
  • Hypothermia and heat stroke
  • Medication access and alternatives

Resource Scarcity

When the normal supply of goods and services is disrupted:

  • Food shortage management
  • Water conservation techniques
  • Alternative cooking methods
  • Fuel storage and rationing
  • Community resource sharing