OutpostCore

Pillar

Skills and Drills

Plans that have never been run are guesses. Each drill here has a setup, a time limit and a pass mark, and we publish our own results including the failures.

Guides

No guides published in this pillar yet. The resources below are worth reading in the meantime, and the newsletter announces each one as it lands.

Resources worth your time

6 vetted links for skills and drills, annotated so you know what each one is for before you click.

  • Government or standards bodyTrainingFree

    Community Emergency Response Team (opens in a new tab)

    FEMA

    Free local training in light search and rescue, fire suppression and triage, running in all 50 states plus tribal nations and territories. The best value in preparedness training, and it puts you in a room with your neighbours.

  • Established nonprofitTrainingPaid

    Red Cross training classes (opens in a new tab)

    American Red Cross

    First aid, CPR and AED certification near you. A weekend here beats any trauma kit you can buy, and the kit is far less useful without it.

  • Established nonprofitTrainingFree tier

    American Heart Association CPR (opens in a new tab)

    American Heart Association

    CPR guidance and class finder, including hands-only CPR, which takes ninety seconds to learn and works. Start with the free video if the class cost is the blocker.

  • Established nonprofitNonprofitFree

    Amateur Radio Emergency Service (opens in a new tab)

    ARRL

    The organised volunteer side of emergency radio. Joining a local ARES group is how a licence turns into something you can actually use under pressure, because you practise on a schedule.

  • Established nonprofitTrainingPaid

    NOLS Wilderness Medicine (opens in a new tab)

    NOLS

    Wilderness First Aid and Wilderness First Responder courses. The two-day WFA is the realistic option for most people and it changes how you pack a kit.

  • Established nonprofitNonprofitFree

    Team Rubicon (opens in a new tab)

    Team Rubicon

    Disaster response volunteering with real training attached. If you want practice rather than theory, deploying with an organised team is how you get it.