Retreat Security

Retreat Security: Knowing who’s coming up the trail in the middle of the night is critical to your groups survival plan. It does nobody any good, if the presence of an intruder comes as a complete surprise.

There are some ways you can almost eliminate this. The various gadgets out on the market can be modified to serve as intruder alarms, and will work quite well. Wireless (Battery Operated) Motion Detectors: Wal-Mart sells these for about $30.00. They come with a key chain remote for arming and disarming it, and runs on a couple of AA-batteries. Essentially the range of these little units is about 20 feet, and will sweep a 110-Degree perimeter. It can be set to “Chime” an alert when somebody enters the zone, or it can be set to “Alarm” as well. Modification for retreat security is pretty simple: 1) Open the case and expose the small printed circuit board. 2) Find the wires connected to the small piezzo buzzer/speaker. Snip these wires off at the base of the buzzer, leaving enough wire to work with. There’s not going to be a lot of wire, but only one inch will do the trick. 3) If the unit has any flashing lights, then snip those wires as well. Tape the end to prevent contact with any other component of the unit itself. 4) Using twist-connectors, or butt-connectors; attach wires from the circuit board (The One’s That Went Into The Buzzer) and pull them through a small hole that you have drilled into the back of the unit itself. You have effectively disabled the loud siren noise and any flashing lights emanating from the unit when it is triggered. The two wires can now be attached to a 50 foot wire, and hooked to another smaller buzzer, or light inside you retreat. When the unit is triggered by motion, the unit will send the alarm to whatever device you have chosen as an alarm. Radio Shack sells “Vibrators” like used in cell phones. They operate from .5-volts up to 22 Volts, and work quite well as a silent alarm.

Night Vision Scopes/Goggles: Some of these units are a little pricey. But department stores carry some of the lower end units for less than $150.00 dollars. There are even squeeze operated units that work like a survival flashlight. Squeezing the handle for one minute, gives you ten minutes of night vision capability.

Sound Amplifiers: Another handy gadget to have around. These little earpieces are designed for hunting, and will allow you to enhance the sounds around the area. There are several brands and types available, including the professional Parabolic handheld microphones. But in my opinion, they are large, and take up a lot of space. Thermal Heat Detectors: Cabella’s sells a civilian version of the military heat imager. These units will detect body heat out to about 100 yards. Some even reach out to 900 yards. They are like night vision, but detect heat coming from live objects, or radiant heat from the surrounding rocks. At night, this unit will pickup people or game animals clearly. The colder it is outside, the better they work. Plants and leaves give off heat signatures, as do some minerals. But with practice, it’s easy to spot a human moving through the woods. Wireless (Battery Operated) Camera: Wal-mart, as well as most department stores sell these wireless units. They are inexpensive, but lack any decent range. Expect having line of sight capability for about 300 feet. So basically 34 yards is about their maximum effective range. It’s a good backup system, and best used to check out who is coming up the trail, once the long range detectors have alerted you. Of course, nothing beats a pair of eyes and ears on the ground. Keep a rotating guard schedule around the clock. Never leave yourself open to invasion by having everyone eat and sleep at the same time. Communication between the guard post and retreat itself is necessary. Battery operated intercoms, field telephones, walkie-talkies, all work great. Make sure that at least one person inside the retreat is always awake as well. It does nobody any good to have a guard outside, and nobody responds when there’s a problem. Establish a check-in procedure. The guard checks in every thirty minutes. Use code words in case he has been taken prisoner, and is forced to “check in”. Follow these simple procedures: A) Have everyone wear camouflage uniforms. Find the older versions that are not being used today. Everyone has BDU’s and the new ACU’s, so try to find tiger stripe, or some of the foreign cammies. That way an outside will be quickly identified, when the clothing doesn’t match. They can’t just sneak into camp, and blend in with everyone else.

B) Never leave the retreat without being armed, At All Times! Wear a sidearm when going to the outhouse. Preferably carry a shotgun with you. C) Nobody leaves the camp in less than 3-man teams, and everyone plans the actions once outside of the camp. Every trip away from the retreat is treated as a combat patrol. Patrols away from the retreat maintains communication (If possible) at all times. D) heavy tarps are placed over windows at night to keep light discipline active. This goes for noice as well. Night air carries sound further. So at night, no fires, smoke from stoves, light peeking through windows, or even flashlights (without double red filters) are to be used. That also should be the responsibility of the guard detail, to insure that all light and noise is absent. That way anyone coming by the retreat will not be alerted by these tell-tale signs. E) No shooting of firearms within two miles of the retreat. (Unless it’s an emergency.) Gunshot sounds carry 10-miles at night, and at least half that distance in the day time. The colder it is outside, or thinner the air; the further sound travels. Don’t advertise your presence. F) All vehicles, atvs, snow-machines, generators, and other equipment should be stored out of sight. Use burlap covering, canvas tarps, or cammie nets to keep their shape undefined. Use duct tape and black paint to cover chrome and lights, to include reflective plastic lights. G) Install communications antennas so that they cannot be seen from a distance. Nothing like seeing a long white cb-antenna among the trees to draw attention to your retreat. It’s like a magnet. H) Don’t use gasoline powered generators without muffling their sounds. Having a well insulated generator enclosure, and heaping dirt along the sides and top, will make it quieter. I) Chainsaw, axes, and other sounds that could give away your position should be used sparingly. When you do use equipment that is loud, make sure that additional guards are posted for several hours afterwards. Upon hearing the sounds of an axe chopping wood, or a loud chainsaw, somebody could sneak up to your location, and watch your camp for signs of weakness. Remain vigil for at least 24-hours, and keep a close watch on likely avenues of approach. If you maintain light and noise discipline, your chances for not having a confrontation will be greatly increased. Even if you tend to be a nice guy, or your group wants to help people out, remember that there are very diverse personalities out there in the world. You never really know a person, or what they are capable of.

The woman that arrives at your retreat with three kids, could likely, under pressure, rob you blind, and leave your hospitality. Later when she’s back to being hungry, she remembers your retreat’s location, and in due time you will find yourself in a confrontation with a small gang of hungry desperate people.