# Escape from FEMA when SHTF



## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

How to escape zip ties.

Front:






Rear:






vract:


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Eh... those aren't "real" zip ties. The police ones are substantially studier and a double design. Every video I've ever seen on escaping from zip ties always show the commerical single ones (like that video had).

These are the ones you need to figure a way out of:


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Ha Ha! I guess this video would be more appropriate for escaping from a Mall cop for stealing a puppy from the pet store!!


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

I got em beat already . they can't get my arms back there


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

CP is right. Those are not the ones used by law enforcement. And I can tell you that we were fooling around one night and we put a big, burley officer in the kind tht CP posted and he could not get out of them even when he was handcuffed in front. (Disclaimer: police officers never cuff each other with flex cuffs while on duty. It was in the parking lot after work.)


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

well the tips they are talking about arent really based on strength, but more about using the fail points of flexi cuffs against itself. On the other hand, like you and others have noted, that's not exactly the same thing LEO is carrying. 

It would definitely help to know this when Thug A and Thug B are taking prisoners/hostages... but your chances of turning it into a get out of jail free card if hooked up by the man because you were a particularly obnoxious PITA at a protest is unlikely


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## hiwall (Jun 15, 2012)

Escape from FEMA when SHTF

Not very likely. Don't get caught.


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## Hooch (Jul 22, 2011)

its still pretty cool to know tho..n who knows..maybe they wont have proper LE quality zipties come shtf or some time after...but yea..better to not get caught in the roundup

btw..I was reading the updated US Army document published on feb 12 2010 on Interment Camps yesterday..I got halfway through it...pretty interesting read....


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## Sentry18 (Aug 5, 2012)

We primarily issue the ASP tri-folds and the Cobra Cuff mil-specs. Both are very strong and very difficult to get out of (even with something sharp). They make the standard police zip cuffs look cheap and flimsy. I purchased several of the Cobra's for my bug out bags.


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

I think with all the arms & ammo, that the civil side of the gooberment, is stacking up .... they don't intend to be taking prisoners that require restraints ..... you'd be better off learning where the body's arteries are located in relationship to protective body armour ....


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## 12over6 (Jun 12, 2012)

Hey all, first time posting but an answer to the flexcuff problem....while the singular type you'd buy at a hardware store are easy enough to escape from as noted in the video the type police use are also relatively easy to overcome although a little more time is required.....remove a shoelace and tie a loop in each end, place the shoelace through your arms and against flexcuffs, place a loop over each toe of your shoes, move your feet like you're riding a bicycle, the friction created will burn through the plastic in a matter of seconds


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

12over6 said:


> Hey all, first time posting but an answer to the flexcuff problem....while the singular type you'd buy at a hardware store are easy enough to escape from as noted in the video the type police use are also relatively easy to overcome although a little more time is required.....remove a shoelace and tie a loop in each end, place the shoelace through your arms and against flexcuffs, place a loop over each toe of your shoes, move your feet like you're riding a bicycle, the friction created will burn through the plastic in a matter of seconds


.... perhaps if you are using a pocket-saw for a shoe lace...


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## mtexplorer (Dec 14, 2012)

kejmack said:


> CP is right. Those are not the ones used by law enforcement. And I can tell you that we were fooling around one night and we put a big, burley officer in the kind tht CP posted and he could not get out of them even when he was handcuffed in front. (Disclaimer: police officers never cuff each other with flex cuffs while on duty. It was in the parking lot after work.)


Also academy training dictates restraints to be used in back, not in front for officer safety. If their arms can't be pulled together then two sets of cuffs are used.


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## HamiltonFelix (Oct 11, 2011)

That's a good point. 

As far as the zip tie business goes, that video is nonsense. It proves only that the brand of tie that fellow purchased can be broken. Unless he's using actual police restraints it's pointless. I'm in the electrical industry myself. Trust me, we do have cable ties big and strong enough that you will not break them without tools. Ties are made from tiny to very large, engineered for the intended application. I have no doubt police ties are similarly engineered. 

BTW, 5.11 and some other belts have a tiny elastic retainer in center back for a handcuff key. Many years ago, I amused myself by making tiny knives of hacksaw blades and then concealing them in the double layered waist of my jeans, using a slit directly under the center back belt loop. I suggest non-ferrous materials, so it takes a bit more to be noticed by a metal detector. So far, I've not seen successful non-metallic handcuff keys.


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## mtexplorer (Dec 14, 2012)

HamiltonFelix said:


> That's a good point.
> 
> As far as the zip tie business goes, that video is nonsense. It proves only that the brand of tie that fellow purchased can be broken. Unless he's using actual police restraints it's pointless. I'm in the electrical industry myself. Trust me, we do have cable ties big and strong enough that you will not break them without tools. Ties are made from tiny to very large, engineered for the intended application. I have no doubt police ties are similarly engineered.
> 
> BTW, 5.11 and some other belts have a tiny elastic retainer in center back for a handcuff key. Many years ago, I amused myself by making tiny knives of hacksaw blades and then concealing them in the double layered waist of my jeans, using a slit directly under the center back belt loop. I suggest non-ferrous materials, so it takes a bit more to be noticed by a metal detector. So far, I've not seen successful non-metallic handcuff keys.


Leather watchband, usually layered in two pieces, separate and slide the key inside. I used this trick on reserve officers during training, they always forgot to take the watch when I was handcuffed.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

HamiltonFelix said:


> That's a good point.
> 
> As far as the zip tie business goes, that video is nonsense. ...


Oh I'm not sure. Good knowledge to have.

SHTF I'd bet a lot of cheap zip ties will appropriated from hardware stores. If they are used on me, I'd be happy to know I could get out of them.


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## bahramthered (Mar 10, 2012)

This is worse than worthless since this guys arn't prisoners. They're not made to sit or under watch. The guy in the video flex half his body to get the job done. 

Additionally notice these two key things. He used on. Zip ties come in huge packs. Why not two? Three? And on top of that notice how carefully he positioned the head to make sure it was in front and in the middle. 

People advocating this stuff just really are not thinking real world situations through. Just looking at the bag of them sitting on my coffee table I come with a lot more effective methods than allowing people to stand and carefully position the bands for their escape.


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## HamiltonFelix (Oct 11, 2011)

With regard to my February 1st post, I stand corrected.

Look at http://www.magnalight.com/search.aspx#q=handcuff%20key&t=no

Magnalight, Larsen Electronics.

I now have plastic handcuff keys that work. No quantity discounts, though. Even if you order 800, they are still four bucks each.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

HamiltonFelix said:


> With regard to my February 1st post, I stand corrected.
> 
> Look at http://www.magnalight.com/search.aspx#q=handcuff%20key&t=no
> 
> ...


How would you get at them to use them if you're handcuffed? Once you're in jail or somewhere else, they give you different clothes.


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## MDsapper (Mar 12, 2013)

in a shtf situation there wouldnt be a lot of time for cops to be processing people before they put them in holding cells. they would probably just lock you up until things calm down so you would have plenty of time to escape.


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## OHprepper (Feb 21, 2012)

Ummm... Not to out myself here bill... But I've been in the back of a few cop cars.... I would sew it into the inside of my belt line in the back. That's a pretty easy place to get to while in handcuffs. And while in the car is when i would take them off or loosen them.


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

Realy; FEMA can't find a localized disaster much less show up for a national disaster.

You probably have as much likelyhood of encountering the Abomitable Snowman.


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## Aliaysonfire (Dec 18, 2012)

12over6 said:


> Hey all, first time posting but an answer to the flexcuff problem....while the singular type you'd buy at a hardware store are easy enough to escape from as noted in the video the type police use are also relatively easy to overcome although a little more time is required.....remove a shoelace and tie a loop in each end, place the shoelace through your arms and against flexcuffs, place a loop over each toe of your shoes, move your feet like you're riding a bicycle, the friction created will burn through the plastic in a matter of seconds


I just wanted to say I really like your screen name. And the info was nice too


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## Turtle (Dec 10, 2009)

BillM said:


> Realy; FEMA can't find a localized disaster much less show up for a national disaster.
> 
> You probably have as much likelyhood of encountering the Abomitable Snowman.


Exactly. Unless they are just playing "dumb" ( and ineffective, and slow, and ill-prepared, and generally inept...), I think we all would have more to worry about from a pack of feral barn-cats than FEMA.

Of course, as the bumper sticker says, "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

Turtle said:


> Exactly. Unless they are just playing "dumb" ( and ineffective, and slow, and ill-prepared, and generally inept...), I think we all would have more to worry about from a pack of feral barn-cats than FEMA.
> 
> Of course, as the bumper sticker says, "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."


I'd agree with you, except that after 9/11 and the formation of DHS, which essentially took over FEMA, the objective changed. This change was reflected in subsequent natural disasters.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

FEMA was in Pike County KY a few years back for flooding; from the outside looking in, they did a pretty good job of helping some ppl-others not so much. Driving down that road, you can still see houses that shld have been torn down and there wasn't any FEMA trailers for the folks (that I saw). Cleanup took a long time too (cars in the creek, a camper on rail road tressel, truck in a tree (saw it personally, green Ford F150, extend cab).


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