[arcaneadam]

So I'm getting together some written emergency plans to have at the house, in each car, BOB, and even in my wifes various purses. She isn't super interested in this whole thing (she's supportive and pays some attention, but I know if the SHTF she may not remember as much as I'd like) so I would like to have written plans available for her and the kids.

These plans would include things like meetup locations, routes, BOL's, contingencies, etc. I am a bit worried about these plans being written down though and then available to unscrupulous persons who may stumble across them if one of the written plans got left behind.

When I was in the army we used to have OPSEC plans in place for when a vehicle needed to be abandoned. (Stack any sensitive materials, radios, computers, documents, maps on the front seat and drop an incendiary grenade on them as run away. Or as happened during the battle of Baghdad, have the AF drop a JDAMS on a disabled tank) I don't think that covers every situation though.

I'm just curious if anyone else worries about this and if so what are your solutions to OPSEC for written plans?

 

[TXplowgirl]

Simple. Write in a code that only you and the wifey understand. JMO

 

[vicdotcom]

Have two sets. One fake and one real. Real one in the red envelope and fake one in the blue. Have a "truth statement" (Our pets name is XYX) on the top of each. The one that is true is the real set and the one with the false statement is the fake plans. Just in case you/she forgets which color is which.

 

[keepingon]

This is such a tough one for me, because I'm afraid of keeping valuable info in easy-to-get-at locations (the nature of the beast with bug out bags, etc!, lol!).
A member of the forum thought that his bag had been stolen a few months ago; turns out a friend had put it in a different spot (he was moving into a new apt.). Happy ending on that one, but it could have been a disaster, as it contained everything a creep would need to steal an identity!

 

[Writer's Block]

Here is what I do:

Establish codes to use for key elements of the plan. Make sure it is something that has meaning to you and your's but not much to anyone else.

For example (and this is a basic one), instead of saying "Meeting Location One is the Dog Park on the Corner of Oak and Bleeker" you write "Meeting Location One: Where we always walk the dogs."

A variation is able to be done for communications too. For example, my group is big fans of Star Wars, so we set up that any reference to "Ackbar" (as in the Admiral) means "It's a Trap!". This means, say I was at gun point and they were forcing me to lure my friends out into the open at the park. I could say "I was on my way to see Ackbar and found something at the park. You need to come and see" and my group would know it was a trap.


In terms of physical security of the plans, keep them in a notebook or something that will not stand out in anyway (her purse) and at home keep them in binders and such some place hidden away. The old box full of tax records is good for this.

 

[TMcArthur]

KISS - Keep It Simple Sam. That way you don't have to write anything down. Even if it is written down, kids aren't going to follow detailed instructions. They will do what the school tells them to do. Plus it is far more likely your instructions will either be lost or forgotten about in a real crisis. Very seriously doubt they will be stolen and used for unscrupulous purposes.

I can just see some teacher - or your wife's coworker - saying, "Oh wow! I got the XYZ family's emergency plans. If the SHTF I'll just show up and take his/her place!" NOT.

Talk to your kids school. Find out what their procedure is and work from there. Ditto your wife's workplace. If your plan is more complicated than one line, it probably won't happen.

 

[arcaneadam]

KISS - Keep It Simple Sam. That way you don't have to write anything down. Even if it is written down, kids aren't going to follow detailed instructions. They will do what the school tells them to do. Plus it is far more likely your instructions will either be lost or forgotten about in a real crisis. Very seriously doubt they will be stolen and used for unscrupulous purposes.

I can just see some teacher - or your wife's coworker - saying, "Oh wow! I got the XYZ family's emergency plans. If the SHTF I'll just show up and take his/her place!" NOT.

Talk to your kids school. Find out what their procedure is and work from there. Ditto your wife's workplace. If your plan is more complicated than one line, it probably won't happen.

I'm definately a fan of KISS but at the very least I need to be able to have some sort of instructions/directions for my wife for no other reason then she stinks at navigation. So she needs to have some sort directions written down taking her from general local areas to safe evac routes.

 

[Marcie]

Drive it with her a few times until she knows where she is going and the different routes. from what you are describing, if the SHTF, she won't find you list.

 

[Manaiathon]

If you leave the plans behind then how are you going to use them? If you can leave them behind and don't need them then why have them?

 

[Staxx]

I'm just curious if anyone else worries about this and if so what are your solutions to OPSEC for written plans?

To the best of my knowledge, no one on this forum has ever heard of, or mentioned, the term OPSEC.

That is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Nobody saw me, you can't prove a thing.

 

[Barbosa]

This is such a tough one for me, because I'm afraid of keeping valuable info in easy-to-get-at locations (the nature of the beast with bug out bags, etc!, lol!).
A member of the forum thought that his bag had been stolen a few months ago; turns out a friend had put it in a different spot (he was moving into a new apt.). Happy ending on that one, but it could have been a disaster, as it contained everything a creep would need to steal an identity!

And that's why I keep my bag as a supplement, not a mobile bank or safety deposit box.

 

[Gankom]

We have most of our information written down. We're not super worried about anything be comprimised. For the most part the only written plans with anything that could be considered sensitive are kept at the BOL which has people in it 24/7. I cant really think of any information about our plans or preps thats written down that we can't afford to lose.

The one exeption would be members personal information. Wallets, passports, etc. For the most part, alot of that info is being carried everywhere anyways, but its a risk that needs to be taken. I'd rather be prepared, and know everyone else is all set, that risk disaster because someone forgot something.