Gas Explosions

**Austin Barlow** · 01-24-2009, 07:45 AM

This morning at 4:05, I woke up to the sound of an explosion. It sounded like it happened right outside our house, I thought a bomb had blown up. I made sure everyone was awake, I was running possibilities through my head when my dad said he could smell gas. While all this was happening I was (unfortunately more frantically than I would have hoped to) getting some warm clothes and my backpack on. In my hurry to get out of the house and to a safe location I forgot three vital survival tools, my watch, my survival tin, and my Ka-Bar. I had my back up knife in my pack along with all my supplies so I still had all my bases covered, just not as well as I wanted them to be. Long story short, I got my family to a safe location, the explosion was contained, and while the host's house was destroyed he managed to be rescued and sent to the hospital in one piece. What I'm trying to express from all of this is, I've got everything near by and I can find it in the dark, I definitely feel prepared, but it's different to react to a urban emergency like an explosion than it is too something 'natural'. This may sound like the obvious, but for people who have been in similar situations, I hope they agree: We don't always see it coming. As survivalists we feel, and indeed are, more prepared for disaster than most other people, however, when you get woken up in the middle of the night not knowing what's happening but knowing it's something bad, it's a totally different mental ball game. While transitioning from the dream land to disaster isn't easy, I hope that with experience maintaining an immediate clear mind will be easier.

**RBB** · 01-24-2009, 12:30 PM

Being suddenly thrust into a situation does strange things to the mind. It is not at all unusual that you forgot items you felt were essential. It is great that you had backup items in a bag and by grabbing the bag you had a great many essential items with you.

Reacting to stress has been a subject of great interest to me for many years. Some people come upon a bad accident and, in spite of their stress, they are helpful. Some people come upon a bad accident and are so overwhelmed by the adrenalin - they end up getting cuffed and thrown in the back of a squad so they don't injure the injured or get in the way of emergency personnel.

I had a fella start shooting at me. Fortunately, my flashlight was in my left hand, or I doubt I could have drawn my gun. I held that flashlight in a death grip until I tried (twice) to pull a magazine from my belt pouch - and realized I would need to let go of the flashlight to do it.

A friend of mine was in a similar situation, except he had a clipboard in his right hand. This one turned out okay too, as the shooter kept trying to get his gun around the clipboard to shoot my friend and my friend kept moving the clipboard into his line of fire - neither of them fully cognizant - in the heat of the moment - that the 1/8 thick clipboard wasn't going to stop too many bullets.

In a high stress situation, time is relative. Seconds seem to take minutes and minutes can seem to take hours - or - you can have just the opposite effect. Your hearing is sometimes impaired, and all you can hear well is the thrum of the adrenalin pounding in your ears and racing through your system. Though you can see anything you are concentrating on extremely well, you can sometimes end up with tunnel vision so pronounced that something happening right next to you goes unnoticed.

This is a time when training and "muscle memory" becomes very important. People often revert to their earliest training. If you were trained to pick up all your brass and stuff it in your pocket after shooting - you may well do it during a shooting situation. If you were taught never to leave the house without taking out the garbage - you may well do it in a high stress situation. Stress. Very strange thing.

**Ole WV Coot** · 01-24-2009, 03:50 PM

I didn't have a problem with stress, handle it well but when things calm down I get the shakes bad. I don't know if was conditioning or what I just know when I decide it's safe or whatever has been taken care of I ain't worth a plug nickle for anything. Guess I was always late for most everything.

**Austin Barlow** · 01-24-2009, 09:36 PM

Originally Posted by Ole WV Coot

I didn't have a problem with stress, handle it well but when things calm down I get the shakes bad. I don't know if was conditioning or what I just know when I decide it's safe or whatever has been taken care of I ain't worth a plug nickle for anything. Guess I was always late for most everything.

I'm sorry but I had trouble understanding what you were trying to say after the first sentence.

**nell67** · 01-24-2009, 09:42 PM

Originally Posted by Austin Barlow

I'm sorry but I had trouble understanding what you were trying to say after the first sentence.

e is saying that he is calm under stress,but when the "event" is over is when it sinks in and he gets nervous about what happened,alot of people handle emergencies well at the time they are happening,they just react to the situation,but when it's over is when they "lose it",I am the same way.

**Austin Barlow** · 01-24-2009, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by nell67

e is saying that he is calm under stress,but when the "event" is over is when it sinks in and he gets nervous about what happened,alot of people handle emergencies well at the time they are happening,they just react to the situation,but when it's over is when they "lose it",I am the same way.

That much I got, I wasn't sure about the rest of it (the plug nickel line). I stay pretty composed for most things, I don't think I've ever gotten shakes after something though. One things for sure, the next time things go boom at 4 AM, I'll make sure I take a deep breath before doing anything else.

**RBB** · 01-24-2009, 11:12 PM

Originally Posted by Ole WV Coot

I didn't have a problem with stress, handle it well but when things calm down I get the shakes bad. I don't know if was conditioning or what I just know when I decide it's safe or whatever has been taken care of I ain't worth a plug nickle for anything. Guess I was always late for most everything.

The adrenalin rush is what causes the after action "shakes."

**primeelite** · 01-25-2009, 12:45 PM

I am kind of the same way, in the heat of the moment I am completly calm and can get things done without any problem but once it all cools down my adrenaline gets to me and gets the shakes slightly. I think peoples bodies just react differently to the sudden thrust of adrenaline, a lot of it is conditioning of learning how to not let the adrenaline get to you because it can make you crazy and do stupid things in the heat of the moment.

**Austin Barlow** · 01-25-2009, 03:10 PM

Adrenaline is an interesting thing, no doubt.

**Ole WV Coot** · 01-25-2009, 03:14 PM

That makes sense. Thanks Nell for translating. I will try to do better and be more clear if I can, but I can't make any promises. I have gone for hours with no shakes and have learned to use and channel the initial rush with proper training and mindset. A confrontation that lasts doesn't do the same as an automobile wreck where I can do what needs to be done, then drive several miles down the road and feel the need to pull over and "normalize" myself.

**trax** · 01-26-2009, 12:18 PM

Well done, Austin.

Pop, I'm the same way. Best guy to have around during the crisis, after the crisis...not so much, need a moment alone. But I always seem to be ok for whatever the duration of the crisis is....

**Durlaburban** · 02-15-2009, 09:05 PM

I am more of thinker in a stress situation... espesally when im shooting my 243 Last time i shot a deer time slowed down. it felt like i had hours to make the shot when my guide said hes never seen anyone shoot with a 2 second window like that. i could of told you where the bullet was going... what organs i was going to hit. what the squirrel 100 yards behind me was thinking and if it would rain that night. i seem to have this amazing ability to slow down time and think before an act. just i never think before i speek lol.