SEAL Survival Guide (39 page)

Thumb drop

This move will bring a person to his knees within moments.

1. From a standard handshake grip, rotate your hand upward as you grip the attacker’s hand, so that your thumb is above his thumb knuckle.

2. Lock that knuckle down with your thumb.

3. Bend his thumb, turning it and pushing his entire hand directly up toward his forearm. Keep doing so until you have full control and can force him down to his knees. (See illustration on
page 158
.)

Fighting an Assailant Who Has a Gun or Knife

If your assailant has a weapon, then your choices in defense will change. Disarming a person with a gun is incredibly risky. It takes a second to pull the trigger, so the best option might be to comply and wait for an opportunity to attack. However, if you are close enough and the situation necessitates you attack, your goal would be to use maximum effort and
attack the weapon
with the full intention to deflect his aim. Trying to wrestle the weapon from his grip is less likely to work than pushing his hand away, be it up, to the side, or downward. At this point, you may get the opportunity to strike at vulnerable areas and disable the attacker enough to get off the X. If the person has a knife, again, keeping your distance is the goal. Use your shirt, coat, or whatever you can find to deflect his thrusting arm, which then could provide an opportunity to use defensive tactics.

4. HAUL ASS

Although this is the last step in this section, avoiding fights altogether needs to be your first priority. Get off the X and save your fighting techniques for the gym. But you might need to strike first and hard to have the chance to get away. Don’t stay engaged if you can escape. The moment you have an opening, take it and leave the scene, because fights can change instantly and drastically.

Final Note

As I have aged (matured), I have learned many valuable lessons. One of these is that when big kids (adults) get into fights, three things can happen:

• Someone goes to the hospital.

• Someone goes to jail.

• Someone goes to the morgue.

I would
never
tell someone not to defend themselves. I do however subscribe to the following policies:

1. Don’t start a fight; finish a fight.

2. If you see a guy with ears that look like chewed-up bubblegum, keep walking!

FIRE: FORESTS, BUILDINGS, HOMES

Each year, an average of more than five million acres of U.S. forests burn. The fires cost $1 billion to extinguish, destroy $500 billion worth of property, and cause the deaths of at least three thousand people. Fires are started from natural factors, such as lightning, which is blamed for more than thirty thousand fires annually; or from human carelessness, such as from campfires or cigarettes; or by arson. And with the vast amount of tree death due to beetle kill leaving behind abundant dry timber in some states, an absolutely devastating forest fire is a mere lightning strike away. Nevertheless, once a forest is ablaze, its force and destructive powers create a formidable survival challenge.

Situational Awareness: Know Your Risk

A number of government agencies monitor national areas that are susceptible to fire, including the National Weather Service and U.S. Forest Service, which have updated maps posted online. If you live near or plan to be in fire-prone regions, stay alert to environmental factors such as droughts or seasonal periods of low rainfall.

Outdoor Fire Threats

If your house is located in the vicinity of a fire, be prepared to evacuate well in advance. Do not ignore official alerts. As a preemptive attempt to save your property, you should be watchful of hot, flying embers that can travel miles from active forest fires. Wetting down roofs and activating lawn sprinkler systems, if available, will help, but evacuation should be the primary plan of action.

If venturing into forests or brush areas during these periods, be aware of the location of natural firebreaks, such as rivers, lakes, ravines, and paths purposely cleared of trees. Try to stay in close proximity to
these, as fires can start rapidly, and depending on levels of moisture and wind, flames can burn vast swaths of land, raging at speeds of more than 80 mph. That’s slightly faster than you can run. The most furious of these fires have even overtaken vehicles trying to flee.

If you are in a forest or brush area, the smell of smoke should be an immediate call to move to a safe area. The problem is that the smoke alone will not indicate from which direction the fire is approaching. You can assume that fires will travel more intensely in the same direction as the wind is blowing. However, as mentioned, embers that emanated from the fire may jump ahead of the main wall of flames and could easily surround you. Before you plan an evacuation route, take time to observe the direction of the wind and consider the type of terrain in which you will move. Fire burns more rapidly in an upward direction, so with fire,
do not
head to high ground. The best choice is to evacuate toward low-lying areas, waterways, or roads. Sometimes, you might need to cross a section of burning grass to get behind a fire, where the already-scorched earth might be the safest place to be. Do not panic. Use the Rule of Three—then make the decision and go.

SURVIVAL CHECKLIST

 Be familiar with fire-hazard conditions.

 Avoid or evacuate well in advance of a fire. If you live in a high-fire-hazard area you should already have valuables packed and ready to go—don’t delay your evacuation to do this! (See “Gear,”
page 295
.)

 If within range of smoke, wear a respirator, or use a moistened cloth over your nose and mouth.

 In a wildfire or forest fire, head to low ground. Get to firebreaks, rivers, lakes, gullies, ditches, or ravines.