Patrick Kelley
The 5 Levels of Preparedness
As survivalists, we know that it’s our job to be prepared for any and every possible situation to occur at any time. But those crazy non-preppers are always asking, “what do y’all prepare for anyway?” Instead of giving them the obvious answer (everything, duh), we can take a look at the five levels of preparedness and really show those newbies what we prepare for and why. Having little or no commitment to preparedness can get you into sticky situations, so be sure to heed the information below.
Level 1: Basic Prepping
When preppers first start out this is where they usually begin: basic prepping. Even the people who don’t think of themselves as preppers fall under this category. Why? Because anyone with common sense prepares for the future in some type of way. Level 1 of preparedness is enough for people to go about their daily lives and requires minimal mobilization. They may have a first aid kit, flashlight, and candles, but they probably won’t have a stockpile of food for when supplies are shut off or a safe for sensitive information. It is important to be aware of your resource availability in these basic preparedness levels. If this is your current preparedness level, think about lessons learned from situations you haven't been ready for and level up.
Situations prepared for:
- Power outage
- Brief snow/rain storm
- Rolled ankle/bad sprain
- Mild wound
Level 2: Temporary Setbacks
Temporary setback planning is for those things in life that make you go, “well crap.” They’re nothing huge, but enough to set you back in some type of way. They’re usually things like your car breaking down or breaking your leg. When it comes to temporary setbacks, the best way to approach them is to have a rainy-day fund, a cliche as it sounds. That way you’re not set too far back from focusing on the more important types of prepping on this level of preparedness.
Situations prepared for:
- Car breaking down
- Contaminated town water
- Deep wound
- Broken bone
- Large fires or moderate fire danger
Level 3: Weather
Level 3 of preparedness is where we start to get into the nitty-gritty. This is where preppers start to gain advanced survival skills and tactical knowledge. Preppers who are in this level are beginning to learn the importance of stocking up on food and other resources and investing in battlgear that’ll help keep them safe regardless of the situation. They also start to learn more about their geographical area and what types of weather could impact the world around them.
Situations prepared for:
- Micro-tornado
- Strong winds and lightning
- Blizzard
- Significant hail storms
Level 4: Disaster & Collapse
At the fourth level, preppers start to look at what they’d need to survive in more extreme disasters. These are the types of disasters, such as experiencing high to extreme fire danger, that can shut down supply routes and cut off basic provisions for life like food and water. Most preppers say they fall under this category because they are scenarios that are the most likely to happen. If you have a bug-out bag and know wholeheartedly what needs to be in there and why, you’re probably in this level.
Situations prepared for:
- Flood
- Earthquake
- Extreme fire danger
- Global financial crisis
- Economic collapse
Level 5: SHTF
Some call it doomsday prepping, some call it SHTF prepping, but we call it being prepared for anything. This is where true preppers thrive. The big guys who have put in all the hard work to gain extensive knowledge, skills, and gear are ready for all types of disasters. They’ve worked their way up the pyramid and have learned the-in-and-outs of what to do should one of these situations occur:
- War
- Nuclear attack
- Chemical weapon
- Widespread disease
- Societal collapse
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