Zombie Squad
By: Andrea Noble
Issue date: 11/3/05 Section: Culture
Since there have yet to be any known zombie takeovers, the local Zombie Squad spends its time preparing for outbreaks rather than conducting zombie exterminations. Pre-planning includes trips to the shooting range and conducting survivalist seminars.
The Zombie Squad hosted a seminar at the sci-fi convention Archon 29 in Collinsville, Ill., in early October, where they emphasized the importance of being prepared for unexpected disasters. With the artistic help of squad member Nick Williams, other members were given zombie makeovers and participated in zombie classification demonstrations.
Some of the Zombie Squad's tips for preparedness include having a predetermined location to evacuate to, an escape plan and an easily accessible "bug out bag." A bug out bag is a backpack pre-packed with the necessities to survive in seclusion for about three days, including food, water, utility tools, matches, a small radio, a flashlight and a first aid kit.
"A lot of people, when they think about survivalists, they think of the 1970s of living in the mountains and waiting to shoot Russian paramilitaries," said Zombie Squad member Dan Adams at the monthly October group meeting.
Dan's wife, Cat Adams, agreed many people see the survivalist mentality as being slightly paranoid. Cat said she tried to talk others into being prepared for blackouts and/or other predicted problems during Y2K, but most of her friends just looked at her like she was crazy. After finding like-minded individuals in the Zombie Squad, Cat said the group would function like a support system if disaster were to strike.
"It's like insurance," Dan Adams said.
For anyone who calls Squad members paranoid, William Spencer points out that Zombie Squad affiliates he spoke with in New Orleans reported significantly less problems than the average citizen stuck inside the city post-Hurricane Katrina.
While levels of preparedness depend on each member, everyone has their own specialty. Another co-founder, Michelle Hatfield, was more interested in learning about self-sustainable living, including growing her own plants and rigging up solar powered homes. But her interests and talents have widened through her involvement in the group.
The Zombie Squad hosted a seminar at the sci-fi convention Archon 29 in Collinsville, Ill., in early October, where they emphasized the importance of being prepared for unexpected disasters. With the artistic help of squad member Nick Williams, other members were given zombie makeovers and participated in zombie classification demonstrations.
Some of the Zombie Squad's tips for preparedness include having a predetermined location to evacuate to, an escape plan and an easily accessible "bug out bag." A bug out bag is a backpack pre-packed with the necessities to survive in seclusion for about three days, including food, water, utility tools, matches, a small radio, a flashlight and a first aid kit.
"A lot of people, when they think about survivalists, they think of the 1970s of living in the mountains and waiting to shoot Russian paramilitaries," said Zombie Squad member Dan Adams at the monthly October group meeting.
Dan's wife, Cat Adams, agreed many people see the survivalist mentality as being slightly paranoid. Cat said she tried to talk others into being prepared for blackouts and/or other predicted problems during Y2K, but most of her friends just looked at her like she was crazy. After finding like-minded individuals in the Zombie Squad, Cat said the group would function like a support system if disaster were to strike.
"It's like insurance," Dan Adams said.
For anyone who calls Squad members paranoid, William Spencer points out that Zombie Squad affiliates he spoke with in New Orleans reported significantly less problems than the average citizen stuck inside the city post-Hurricane Katrina.
While levels of preparedness depend on each member, everyone has their own specialty. Another co-founder, Michelle Hatfield, was more interested in learning about self-sustainable living, including growing her own plants and rigging up solar powered homes. But her interests and talents have widened through her involvement in the group.
