Preparing for the worst (Part 2)

Like I said in Part 1, I would not go over the HARDEST thing to prepare for in a disaster type situation.

The hardest thing to prepare for is boredom. Boredom will lead to complacency, which will then compromise security and other means for survival. No matter the war or disaster, there will be a lull. Minutes, hours, days, there is no telling how long it will last. In a safe situation, a book can help pass the time. Group interaction and games are useful, especially if there are kids.

If you're not in a safe area, that lull will usually end suddenly. You cannot be "switched on" all the time. You would go crazy, and your system is not developed to handle it. Furthermore, you won't be able to operate in everyday life.

Imagine walking down a dark alley, in an area that you are unfamiliar with. Most likely, if you are smart, you will be extremely aware of what's going on. You'll be wary of that bum sleeping near the dumpster. You'll look toward every noise. You'll be "ready" to move at the first sign of danger, although it will probably be more of a jump and a high-pitched yell when a rat scurries past. In any case, that's like being "switched on," albeit with no training of what to do in that state. The thing is, you can't be like that constantly, or you will become a nervous wreck. It's best to not always be in those situations.

To-Shin Do teaches the ideas of Condition White (completely relaxed), Condition Yellow (aware that something may be happening), Condition Orange (aware of a threat), and Condition Red (actively dealing with a threat). Condition white is what you are normally in at home or at work, in a place you feel completely safe. Yellow is where you operate when you're unfamiliar with your surroundings, or aware of general potential danger. Orange is when you've identified the specific danger and are prepared to deal with it. Red means it's go time.

You NEED to switch off. Especially if you were just "turned on" for an extended period of time. You can't run red all day. Even in a combat zone, you'll drop to white if there's enough security that you are able to sleep.

And that last point brings us to the most important part of preparedness and self-defense: self-protection. It's not "the best defense is a good offense." It's the idea that, within the realm of your control, you avoid situations that will place you in danger and force you to defend yourself. Sometimes, the long way is just safer. Sometimes that gut instinct is completely right.

For example, I like to listen to my MP3 player when I travel. I have trouble not listening to what's going on around me. I overhear too much some times, so I like to drown it out. When I'm on the train, I'm into my music and my book. Granted, I'm still aware of my surroundings (Condition Yellow). I still glance around, and the music isn't so loud that I can't hear anything else. I'm not good at turning off completely.

However, I occasionally I'll either turn off the music to hear (why leaving the headphones in to make it seem like I'm not), or take the headphones out. One of those times is withing the last block or two leading to my apartment (no matter how much you vary your route, there is only one way to get into your door). The neighborhood's nice, but I don't take chances. I turn music off, take one headphone out, the other tuck into my collar. As I unchain the gate, my body motion is such that I am able to look in the direction that I came. Once the key is in the front door, I look behind me as I open the door, and enter, ensuring it shuts behind me. I'm in Condition Yellow for about a minute. Once I'm inside, it's back to Condition White.

I'm not conducting SLLS (pronounced "sills," it's a combat patrolling technique that stands for "Stop, Look, Listen, and Smell"). I mean switching to a low level of awareness and preparedness. Should something happen, I don't have to go from zero to hero to deal with the situation, and I've gained vital seconds in evaluating my situation.

While I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine, she said "Patrick, not everyone is a bad-ass like you and has combat training." This is true. That doesn't mean that you can't develop and internalize the ideas that would help this. Here's a list of a few books that will at least introduce you to ideas that professionals use to make themselves safe, as well as assist you in thinking of how to prepare:

• The Gift of Fear
• The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life
• Meditations on Violence: A Comparison of Martial Arts and Real World Violence
• Gang Leader for a Day
• Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda
• Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA
• The Zombie Survival Guide
• The Ranger Handbook
• Earth Abides

Feel free to ask me about any of these, or why they made the list.

The three most important things that I can recommend are: do not limit your scope of knowledge, don't let your new found knowledge cripple you, and always carry a small notebook and a pen. On the first point, if something makes you curious, learn about it. I'm reading Packing For Mars. I am not going into space any time soon, but I have learned a lot of interesting thing in planning and consideration. Even if you can't completely use the subject, you can abstract the ideas. Here's are two of my takeaways from that book:

• Not that bravery has been entirely phased out. Those recommended astronaut attributes also include “Ability to Function Despite Imminent Catastrophe.” If something goes wrong, everyone’s clarity of mind is needed.
• “I don’t know if we…have the mentality—I don’t want to say ‘guts’—to take the kind of risks we did when we [went to the moon] the first time…. And that’s a sad commentary.” After all, no matter how much you plan and how carefully you engineer things, there will always be problems. The safety manager of the eighth Apollo mission once famously pointed out: “Apollo 8 has 5,600,000 parts…. Even if all functioned with 99.9 percent reliability, we could expect 5,600 defects.” On the other hand, as they say, failing to plan is planning to fail.

Once you start expanding your knowledge, you will learn a few things. First, you really know nothing. Second, that there are some really useful things to learn. Last, there are a lot of things that can kill you. If you dwell too much on this, it will cripple your ability to act. You will live life in fear of the next step, because you fear that it will kill you. That's as good as being dead. Don't run recklessly into life, but understand the danger and mitigate them. I know electricity is dangerous, so I make sure to trip the breaker, and test the circuit before installing a new light switch. If anything, remember the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear from the book Dune:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

On the last point, I ALWAYS carry a small notebook. It's great when you get some random idea that you can jot it down quickly, so it's not lost to the ether. That website you saw, that problem that came up, that thing you need to buy; all things that the notebook can preserve for you until they are solved. Cross out tasks and info when you are done with them. When the notebook fills, get a new one, go through the old one, and transfer anything you still want. Similarly, use that Amazon wishlist. Come across a book that might be interesting in the future? Put it on the wishlist, and you'll get to it some day.

Preparing for the worst (Part 1)

Every student learns the magic number 3. Whether you’re an F-15 fighter pilot or a single mom, in a car accident or taking a walk in the park, the number 3 will keep you alive. The Rule of 3 states that you cannot survive:

• 3 SECONDS WITHOUT SPIRIT AND HOPE
• 3 MINUTES WITHOUT AIR
• 3 HOURS WITHOUT SHELTER IN EXTREME CONDITIONS 3 DAYS WITHOUT WATER
• 3 WEEKS WITHOUT FOOD
• 3 MONTHS WITHOUT COMPANIONSHIP OR LOVE
  -The Survivors Club

Now that that "Hurricane" Irene has passed, I think it's time to talk about preparing for bad situations. I got a bunch of questions during that time, so I figure it would be good to put that info out there for everyone. I don't know about most of you, but I've been preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse* for quite some time now. Most of you probably aren't ready for something on that level.

At all.

In fact, most of you probably aren't ready for anything that alters your day-to-day routine or removes certain normally used structure from your lives.

The best survivors understand that normal is just a fleeting state of mind. Indeed normalcy may seem steady and constant, but it’s really just the intermission between the chaos and messiness of life. Survivors accept that life probably won’t ever return to the way it used to be. So they let go, adapt, and embrace the “new normal.”
-The Survivors Club

The first thing to remember is that you CANNOT plan for every eventuality. It's impossible, and trying to do so will leave you unable to do anything, because you'll have too much to deal with. I recommend that you become familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. For a disaster, you need the bottom 2, self-esteem, and problem solving & creativity. We'll get back to this in a moment.

The next step is to build up your level of preparedness from small problems to large. Don't try to plan for a hurricane if you can't tighten the screws on a chair. Amazingly, you'll find that all the things needed for a light emergency are also useful in big one. My first idea for preparing for small problems is to get:

• A hammer
• A Screwdriver and/or a Leatherman
• A flashlight (get more than one, and put one in your car) and spare batteries
• A small, battery powered AM/FM radio.
• First aid materials. At a minimum, be able to deal with small cuts, large wounds, and pain. Tampons can plug small bullet wounds.

For non-prolonged problems and disasters, those items will tide you over until help or emergency services can be obtained.

The next step is to prepare for prolonged problems and disasters. Take the things that you can't do yourself and try to mitigate the effects of what happens when they are gone.

• Can you make electricity? That's what the flashlight is for (maybe you need a generator).
• Have a cow to slaughter? Might want to get a few days worth of food. Technically, if there is a chance of power loss, refrigeration will be lost, so get food that doesn't need it, and requires little to no preparation. A fridge can keep stuff cool for a day after losing power, but only if you don't open it.
• Do you have a well? Get a gallon of water per-day per-person to tide you over. I recommend gallon bottles, and use that to fill a smaller container, rather than but a bunch of bottles, which drives up the cost, or the giant 3-gallon bottles which become hard to move.

Next, prepare for the specific disaster, especially if you know it is coming. You don't need to be an expert, but you need to understand what dangers are there, especially if you know what disaster is coming. For example:

• Wind related? Beware of flying debris and branches that will break windows.
• Water related? Flooding. Evacuate to high ground early.
• Earthquake? Get under a table (Avoid the doorway).
• Fire. You can go the fire-extinguisher route for a kitchen fire , but you're probably better off just getting out of there for forest blazes. Also, regularly clear brush around your house.

Also, as much as the Zombie Survival Guide may seem like a joke, it is actually a very informative book on disaster preparedness and survival, even if you ignore the zombie part.

Another small point is to think of what you need to do in order to be mobile. Occasionally, a disaster will force you to move. Figure out what you will definitely need, what you can actually move, and what may be available on the other end. Don't bring 8 gallons of water if you're moving to somewhere with running water. That's partially why I advocated gallon bottles, and not the huge 3 gallon ones. Also, you probably use sensible footwear (not Army shoes and golf shoes, Andrea).

Lastly, mitigate the chances of problems should a disaster arise. If you have a family, at least make sure basic ideas of the plans are understood. If there is potential for danger, you should at least be aware of it so your brain isn't completely shocked should something go wrong. For example, you know what I do every time I get on a plane? Locate the nearest exit, and listen to the damn flight attendant. You may think they are there for just drinks and peanuts, but they actually do a lot:

When you board a plane, you’re probably accustomed to some friendly banter from the flight attendants. They welcome you, ask where you’re from, and make idle talk about the weather. It may seem like empty chatter, and you may wonder how they can stand saying “Hi, how are you?” to three hundred travelers. But this is serious business. They’re not just being friendly; they’re profiling you. For starters, they’re checking to see whether you’re fit for flying or whether you’re under the influence. They’re also looking for suspicious behavior including clues of terrorist activity. One of their other main objectives is to identify ABPs. In the parlance of flight safety, that means “able-bodied passenger.” In an emergency, ABPs are the ones they call upon for help. Flight attendants are trained to identify ABPs as they board and to keep track of where they are on the plane. ABPs are typically solo travelers. They’re alert, healthy, and physically fit. They’re often wearing clothing that suggests some kind of military, law enforcement, or firefighter training. They’re likely to be in the top 10 percent on John Leach’s 10–80–10 scale.

She’s crunched the numbers on who gets out alive and who doesn’t. When I ask her the bottom line—who survives?—her answer is blunt: “Young, slender men.” Agility and strength make the biggest difference when you’re trying to wriggle through airplane wreckage or slip through a twenty-inch-wide emergency exit.

For instance, most passengers believe you can survive an hour without an oxygen mask after a plane decompresses at high altitude. In fact, you’ve got only a few seconds. They also believe you’ve got thirty minutes to flee a burning plane. In reality, as you’re about to see, you’ve got only ninety seconds... That’s all. Ninety. Any longer and a fire could burn through the aluminum skin of the plane and the cabin temperature will soar to more than two thousand degrees. Soon after, a flashover fire will consume everything. In just ninety seconds, the cabin turns into an inferno. That’s less than the time it probably took to read this page.

You should never drink a beer or a martini before getting on a plane. You should never pop a sleeping pill before flying. You shouldn’t nap or listen to your iPod when you’re rolling down the runway. And you definitely shouldn’t wait for the thud of landing to wake up.
-The Survivors Club

In Part 2, there will be more on situational awareness, and I'll discuss one of the hardest things to be prepared for.

*Just as a quick disclaimer, you can look at the idea of "Zombie Apocalypse" to mean some type of catastrophic, world-altering disaster, in which most infrastructure breaks down. It's easier to think of a "zombie," than it is to imagine that your fellow human has entered a state of survival such that they would be willing to kill you without remorse.

Why are You Panicking?

"Hitchhiker, grab your towel and don't panic!"
-The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Before "Hurricane" Irene hit NYC, people seemed to lose their minds. Two days before the hurricane happened to be my grocery day. I saw people in BJ's with 2 full carts of food. It was like they were preparing for the end of the world. If the disaster is bad enough to warrant that much stuff, you may want to just avoid the disaster entirely (like those areas that were evacuated).

The question is, what made people panic like that? What caused people to hoard batteries and flashlights like we were going to be plunged into 10 years of darkness? Why did people who feared the idea of losing power also purchase lots of meat, especially if they would not have any refrigeration?

How people react is affected by what information they are presented with, and the manner in which the information is presented. In the case of the hurricane, the information was presented like NYC was going to crumble. It also didn't help that the media piggybacked it with the "earthquake" from earlier in the week.

A example of this presentation issue can be seen elsewhere. In The Survivor's Club, the author looked at airline flights, and why people seemed to see air travel as dangerous.

He started out by asking: Why do people perceive the danger to be so great? Barnett studied the front page of The New York Times and found the answer. Page-one coverage of airplane accidents was sixty times greater than reporting on HIV/AIDS; fifteen hundred times greater than auto hazards; and six thousand times greater than cancer, the second leading killer in America after heart disease.

What are my chances of dying on my next flight? In the aviation safety field, it’s known as Q: death risk per randomly chosen flight. Analyzing all the data from the last ten years, here’s Barnett’s bottom line: When you get on your next domestic flight, your chance of being killed—your Q—is one in sixty million. That means you could fly every day for the next 164,000 years before you would perish in a crash.

Even if you somehow ended up in a plane crash—a remarkably unlikely if—your chances of dying are still unbelievably small. Believe it or not, the survival rate in plane crashes is 95.7 percent. Yes, 95.7. More precisely, the National Transportation Safety Board analyzed all the airplane accidents between 1983 and 2000. Some 53,487 people were involved in those incidents, and 51,207 survived. Hence, the survival rate of 95.7.

The front page appears to tell us what is important, and we've started looking at the 24-hour news cycle as our way of staying "informed." The problem is, we rarely do any evaluation on our own, taking everything at face value. This is worsened by the fact that the papers and news channels present their information in order to catch viewers and hold them. Information presentation is a competition, and the real losers are people who don't do independent research or look to multiple sources.

Pain Redifined

The other night, during my workout, I had to do some psychological evaluation of my definitions of pain.

Now, there are different types of pain. There's the physical type that is caused by actual damage or stress to body parts. For example, I don't use Nike sneakers, because they cause a huge amount of pain to the bottom of my foot, under the arch. Anyway...

Due to tryouts coming up in May, I have begun ramping up my physical training. What this amounts to is usually 2 workouts a day, plus martial arts training on Monday and Thursday. Physically, I'm not going to die, but I'm feeling something I haven't felt in a long time.

It's probably due to the fact that I am generally in better shape than your average person, outside of the military. When you compare yourself to the people around you, you feel really good, because they are generally out of shape. However, this leads to a level of complacency. I haven't had to push myself like this in a while, so I'm starting to hit those walls that I haven't hit. There is also the matter of learning that I can easily function through that pain, as long as I psychologically identify it for what it is: not the point of failure for my body.

As badly as this training is kicking my ass, it's necessary. I know that this year, the deck is stacked, and I know some of the people trying out. I know I have my work cut out for me.

Building my Medical Kit

Those of you who know me in any capacity should know that I am a gear whore. If you need a guy that has some randomly useful item, at a time when would would suspect that no one would have it, I'm your man. If I'm carrying a bag with me somewhere, it usually has a multi-head screwdriver, a lock-pick kit, flashlight, leatherman, allen wrench multi-tool, neosporin, a thumb drive, and the charger for my phone. I'm the guy that always brings the ram, bolt cutters, and a crowbar to arrests.

Anyway, due to a miscalculation, I had a lot of money left over for my flex-spending medical plan, and needed a way to burn it, because I would just lose the money otherwise. The money has to be spent on medical supplies and services, and they recently removed over-the-counter medicine. Since you can only buy so many condoms without seeming completely insane (ever make a condom choice because it was more expensive?), I decided that it was time to build a quick first aid kit for use on the job. Actually, I built two, and then got some extra stuff, all for the sake of spending money.

First Aid Pouch, MOLLE Compatible Black

I'm going to need a place to put the stuff, and since I'm not building an EMS bag, it has to be something small enough to fit on my body armor, in a cargo pocket, or in a glove compartment. The main draw of this pouch was that it could fit MOLLE webbing. It also has internal elastic to hold stuff down inside. I purchased two of these.

Bear Claw Tan Nitrile Gloves: 10 pair, rolled

I already have a box of these, but since I was spending money, why not get some that were already prepped for the kit (also, so I could see how they did it). If there is time, gloves are always a nice way to protect yourself when dealing with blood. Also, avoid colors like black unless they are absolutely necessary for tactical purposes. It is hard to see blood on black gloves, which may pose a problem when checking a victim. Two of these are in each kit, because gloves always break.

NAR Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T Tourniquet)

A tourniquet that can be applied one-handed is always good, just in case you're the casualty. I looked at another model, but settled on this one because of the ease of getting the tightening bar into the holder. Also, the strap that secures it doubles for where you write the time.

NAR C-A-T Tourniquet Holder

It came down between this holder and this one. In the end, I decided that I would go with the one that covered the tourniquet completely. Deployment time should be negligible. The tourniquet will be mounted on my body armor, since you don't want to have to go digging for this.

Hemcon Chitogauze


Similar to QuikClot, I did some research and found that the chitosan gauze stopped bleeding faster, and absorbed less blood in the process. I also like that it comes z-folded, which makes deployment from the container much easier. When gauze is rolled, the entire roll must pulled out to unroll it as you go (I think you can master the pull from the roll center method, though), exposing it to the elements, and the chance of being dropped.

This is to be stuffed in large wounds where arterial bleeding is present.

Celox Trauma Gauze

Similar to the chitogauze, this is another hemostatic, but can also be used to treat burns. The trick to this, is that the gauze isn't coated with chitosan, but is actually made of the chitosan agent itself. I would prefer that it were z-folded, though.

CELOX-A

I'm really the guy that you want around if you get shot. Reading up, I came across this, which is for smaller wounds where trying to stuff gauze might not work. The applicator allows delivery of the hemostatic agent deeper into the wound, and closer to the artery.

NAR HyFin Chest Seal & HyFin Xtreme Chest Seal

Ches wounds suck, especially if they are sucking. These are two similar items, with one that is just designed to cover more of the chest in the case of multiple wounds. The adhesive is good, even if the application ares is wet.

NAR Emergency Trauma Dressing 4"

If a wound isn't deep, you're going to need to cover it. So this is the other option. It can also be placed over a packed wound once the bleeding is under control.

Nasopharyngeal Airway (28 Fr., 9.3mm)

It comes with lube! I was totally going to shove it up your nose dry. Also, I don't have to care if your gag reflex works, not that I've ever cared.

ADC Adsafe CPR Pocket Mask

It's not like you'll wake up when I kiss you. This is a little too large to get into the pouch, but a large pouch presented other issues. I mean, sure they say you can use only chest compressions, but I'm not planning for heart attacks. Also, easier to get a seal.

FREE Immediate Action Card

Don't know what to do? Panic under pressure? Realize that no one else on your team has a medical kit, so chances are unless you can talk, you're screwed? This should help. I am upset that it doesn't talk about burns, but it was free. CPR instructions on the back.

Master Classic II Littman Black Edition Stethoscope

This is where I was just spending money because. When I opened the package and told my grandmother the price, my grandmother first said "you can get those anywhere in Chinatown for cheaper." However, once she took a listen with it, she said it was awesome (she's a retired nurse from the NY Hospital for Special Surgery). My aunt (a teaching nurse at Columbia) said that most doctors she knows use Littman brand (which she also owns), and that a lot of nurses go with a cheaper model (which is actually extremely clear). She says that stethoscopes are probably the most stolen thing in a hospital, by other nurses and doctors, so never put yours down.

ADC Diagnostix 2100 Digital Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

A fun and completely unnecessary item, my aunt (my mom's side of the family is almost entirely nurses) said this is like gold in a hospital. So much so that no one buys one because it will be stolen off of your patient's finger. She just uses the heart rate machines at work, and says that most patients don't get their oxygen saturation checked. She want's one for her birthday (note to Phoenix and Austin).


If anyone saw anything that I may have overlooked, or if you have suggestions, let me know.

Flashback Friday

This was originally posted on November 14, 2004. For some reason, I decided to tackle dating and profession at the same time. Efficiency of blogging? Who knows. My original blog at blog.com has disappeared, so don't bother trying to go to it. The digital war links still work, but I have no idea what was at the Benning site. Might have been for the Roy P. Benavidez MOH citation.

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So in my infinite reading and web surfing, I stumbled across this comic: http://www.digitalwar.co.uk/d/20040423.html. The series is actually pretty good. Unless you're a Lord of the Rings fan. In that case, you will find that this is a parody that has gone on way too long and should be a fan site to www.bobandgeorge.com.

Anyway, I find this particular comic interesting because it tackles a subject that has long sat in my brain, mostly because I have this weird way of running across the situation over and over and over.... well, you get the idea.

The last girl that I dated was someone that I hadn't known and become friends with first. Things just kind of developed into a relationship over time. It went from "someone I could talk to" and was "hanging out with" to "dating" over the course of 3 months. Then you back date the whole thing to when you met, and call that your dating period. So that relationship lasted a total of 7 months (it also ended 7 months ago). Strangely enough, when the relationship ended as abruptly as it did (refer to the first entry at http://black6.blog.com) there were few "lost friend" repercussions.

You then need to contrast this with the fact that I tend to keep few female friends. It's not really by choice. I just happen to be in a section of professions where there are not very many women (Army Infantryman), and the fact that my previous environments were West Point (14% female) and an all boys high school. I think in that High School part, I had maybe between 1 and 3 (I can only guarantee 1) women that I talked to regularly that were my age and not part of my martial arts training.

So a lot of the women that I end up friends with fall into the category of "I'd date you, but I'd rather not screw up this friendship, because then I'd only have the guys at work, and I can only take so much grunting on a daily basis" or "I was trying to date you, but then I took a wrong turn somewhere, or some reason of higher morality stopped me." Once they leave that second category (i.e. they become available), the are almost immediately shuttled into the first category, mostly because I'm an ass, and you'd really have to put up with constant joking sarcasm (which a lot of women are attracted to, surprisingly enough). and an extreme amount of logic based thinking that overrides emotion (which some think is me just playing hard to get). In any case, I wouldn't be a good friend if I put a friend through that while we were dating. So, if anyone knows any aggressive women, direct them my way. It'll make both our lives a lot less painful.

The next comic in the series is this one: http://www.digitalwar.co.uk/d/20040425.html. Ignore the first half, and go down to the part about saving someone. I've actually put as much thought into this subject as I have the other one over the past couple of years. In my line of work, and just about every line of work that I've ever considered, from police officer, to volunteer firefighter, to government agent, to SWAT, you come to grips with the reality of your own probable death, and the lives of other being in danger. At some point in my mind, I began to realize that it was best to suppress the thoughts of saving someone, because in doing so, you're at the same time hoping that someone else's life is in so much danger that YOU must step in. Essentially in wishing for your own heroic moment, you're wishing for someone else's tragedy.

There is actually a slight difference in this when it comes to certain professions. Such as being a firefighter. You generally KNOW the job you are walking into. Force of nature, threatens the lives of people. Even if it's an empty building, the spread of the fire could endanger others, and compound, should a gas main be hit or something. If you're only aspiration is to pull beautiful women from burning buildings with your huge arms, you've got some thinking to do.

Strangely, in my profession, there is little room for "heroics" because that usually means that something has gone horribly wrong, and your "heroics" are necessary to save the lives of those around you. Such heroics can by found by reading through Medal of Honor citations and seeing things such as "jumped on a grenade" or by reading this one http://www.benning.army.mil/whinsec/NCOA.asp?id=211. There is no way someone could have wished for a situation like this. One can only hope to be this brave should something like this happen. But first, one should hope that this never happens to begin with.

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