Practice Your Bug-Out Drill

If you had to play the piano or other musical instrument in front of a group of people, would you practice that song or would you just wing it when the time came?

What about a presentation at work or a talk at church? Would you rehearse, maybe in front of a mirror, or would you just let it rip and hope for the best?

I’m pretty sure all of us would put at least some practice time into making sure we knew exactly what we were going to do, even if we felt competent at the particular activity.

So, why don’t we practice bugging out with our families?

Maybe we have our bug-out bags packed and stationed near the front door. Perhaps we have emergency food and water bottles ready to grab in case we have to get out of Dodge in a hurry.

Maybe we have larger items and a full survival kit in the trunk of the car. Perhaps we even have a checklist of all the things we need to do in a rush if necessary.

But if we haven’t rehearsed our bug-out drill, there’s a good possibility everyone in the family will be scrambling while trying to remember everything they need to accomplish in just a few minutes’ time in order to be able to leave the house quickly.

There’s a great way to avoid all the stress and confusion that an emergency situation would normally bring to this dreaded time. And that’s practice.

Once a month – or at least once every three months – you and your family need to conduct a bug-out drill. And I don’t mean just running out to the car to see who can get there first.

I mean quickly turning off the heat or air conditioner, shutting off the water, unplugging all electrical appliances, grabbing your bug-out bags and other essential items, locking the front and back doors, and jumping in the car.

That’s not where it ends. Then drive to a large park and spend at least 30 minutes walking, with each person carrying his bug-out bag. A disaster may quickly make roads impassable, so walking is bound to be part of a real bug-out experience.

If you really want to do it up right, spend the night camping out to get a real feel for the experience before returning home in the morning. But the key is for everybody to be ready at a moment’s notice to get out of the house in a hurry.

And the more you and your family rehearse this routine, the better prepared you will be to do it for real when the time comes. Practice will make perfect.