The Addenda

One deep-dive skill curriculum per manual category, Foundations, Applied Practice, Self-Sufficiency, and Mastery & Teaching, for going from zero knowledge to real, tested competency.

Tier, Stage, or Phase?

Three different numbers show up across this site:

  • Phase (1-5) is the timeline of an actual event: from before it happens (Phase 1, most likely where you are right now) to long after, with no fixed end (Phase 5).
  • Tier (1-4) is how deep you've prepared in one category, from the bare minimum (Tier 1, about 14 days) to ready for the worst (Tier 4, a self-sustaining community).
  • Stage (1-4) is your own level of expertise at any single skill. This is not directly tied to a disaster and can be pursued at your own pace.

See the Glossary for the full definitions.

Download or print one stage at a time: Stage 1 Print Stage 2 Print Stage 3 Print Stage 4 Print

All Addenda

See the full skill matrix, all 64 cells at once

The Addenda Skill Matrix at a Glance

The table below shows all 64 cells of the addenda matrix (16 categories across 4 skill stages) with that stage's goal for that category. Click any cell to jump straight to that section.

CategoryStage 1: FoundationsStage 2: Applied PracticeStage 3: Self-SufficiencyStage 4: Mastery & Teaching
Water Know the core safety facts well enough to not hurt yourself or your household, and understand the landscape of what's ahead. This stage is readable in an afternoon; it's meant to be the floor everyone in the household clears quickly, not a deep skill. Move from knowing the theory to having actually done it, under real (if low-stakes) conditions. This stage is hands-on by design; reading about water treatment is not the same skill as having actually treated water. Expect this stage to take a few weeks, mostly gated by getting your hands on the right gear rather than effort. Genuine independence from the supply chain for meaningful stretches of time, the actual skill level Chapter 2's Tier 3 assumes a household has. This stage is a real commitment and produces skills that don't degrade quickly once built. The ability to teach others reliably, operate at a scale beyond your own household, and hold professional-level credentials where they exist. This is the stage Chapter 2's Tier 4 (community-scale, shared infrastructure) actually depends on: someone has to be capable enough to lead it. This stage is ongoing rather than something you finish.
Food Know the core safety facts well enough to not hurt yourself or your household, and understand the landscape of what's ahead. This stage is readable in a weekend; it's meant to be the floor everyone in the household clears quickly, not a deep skill. Move from knowing the theory to having actually done it, under real (if low-stakes) conditions. This stage is hands-on by design; reading about canning is not the same skill as having canned. Expect this stage to take a few months, mostly gated by class schedules rather than effort. Genuine independence from the supply chain for meaningful stretches of time, the actual skill level Chapter 3's Tier 3 assumes a household has. This stage is a real commitment, typically a full growing season plus a multi-week course sequence, and produces skills that don't degrade quickly once built. The ability to teach others reliably, operate at a scale beyond your own household, and hold professional-level credentials where they exist. This is the stage Chapter 3's Tier 4 (community-scale, shared resources) actually depends on: someone has to be capable enough to lead it. This stage is ongoing rather than something you finish.
Sanitation & Hygiene Know the core safety facts well enough to not make a sanitation situation worse, and understand the landscape of what's ahead. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually built and run a no-power sanitation setup under real, if low-stakes, conditions. Genuine independence from municipal sanitation infrastructure for extended stretches, the actual skill level Chapter 4's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage produces skills that hold up when there's no sewer service to fall back on. The ability to teach others reliably, coordinate waste-management response at a community scale, and hold professional-level credentials where they exist. This is the stage Chapter 4's Tier 4 (neighborhood waste infrastructure) actually depends on.
Medical Care Know the core safety facts well enough to not make a medical situation worse, and understand the landscape of what's ahead. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually practiced the physical skills under instruction. This stage is hands-on by design and centers on a real, standard certification most households should hold regardless of any other prep. Genuine independence from professional medical care for extended stretches, the actual skill level Chapter 5's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage is a real commitment (multi-day intensive courses), and produces skills that hold up when there's no hospital to fall back on. The ability to teach others reliably, coordinate medical response at a community scale, and hold professional-level credentials where they exist. This is the stage Chapter 5's Tier 4 (community medical responder network) actually depends on.
Energy & Heat Know the core safety facts well enough to not kill yourself or your household with the equipment Chapter 6 tells you to own. This stage is readable in a weekend and is non-negotiable before touching a generator or wood stove for the first time. Move from knowing the safety rules to having actually operated the equipment correctly under real conditions. Expect this stage to take a season or two, gated by weather (you genuinely need a cold day to test heating capacity) more than effort. Genuine independence from grid power for extended stretches, the actual skill level Chapter 6's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage involves real coursework, not just more careful DIY practice. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others safely, and the capacity to help design or maintain shared energy systems at community scale. This is the stage Chapter 6's Tier 4 (linked household energy systems) actually depends on.
Shelter & Structural Safety Know the core structural-safety facts well enough to make sound decisions and not create new risk. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually built and slept in a shelter, and practiced a real structural walkaround. Genuine independent competency, the actual skill level Chapter 7's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage involves real multi-day coursework. The ability to teach others reliably and coordinate shelter capacity at a community scale. This is the stage Chapter 7's Tier 4 (shared shelter for displaced members) actually depends on.
Security & Self-Defense Know the core safety and legal facts well enough to make sound decisions and not create new risk. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the rules to having actually practiced the physical and legal skills under real instruction. Genuine independent competency, the actual skill level Chapter 8's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage involves real multi-day coursework. The ability to teach others reliably and coordinate security at a community scale. This is the stage Chapter 8's Tier 4 (formalized community watch) actually depends on.
Communication Understand the actual landscape of emergency communication options and terminology well enough to make an informed choice about which to pursue. This stage is readable in a weekend. Hold a real license and have actually operated on the air under real conditions, not just studied the material. Genuine independent communication capability across a wider range and under real emergency-management structure, the actual skill level Chapter 9's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. The highest license class, the ability to teach and license others, and real leadership capacity within emergency communication structure. This is the stage Chapter 9's Tier 4 (shared community network) actually depends on.
Access & Functional Needs Know the core safety facts well enough to help without causing injury (to the person you're helping or yourself), and understand your household's specific equipment landscape. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually practiced caregiving physical skills under real instruction, and have a real, willing backup caregiver in place, not just a name on paper. Genuine independent caregiving and equipment-management competency, the actual skill level Chapter 10's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage involves real, substantial coursework. Professional-level credentials, the ability to train others, and real community-scale capability. This is the stage Chapter 10's Tier 4 (distributed caregiving, community wellness checks) actually depends on.
Mental Health Know the core crisis-response facts well enough to not make a bad situation worse, and understand the real resources available. This stage is readable in a weekend. Hold a real, standardized certification and have practiced the actual skills under instruction, not just read about them. Both certifications in this stage are short, low-cost, and widely available in Utah. Genuine independent capability to support someone through a real, sustained mental health crisis, the actual skill level Chapter 11's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household or community has. Professional-level or professional-adjacent credentials, the ability to teach others, and real community-scale mental health infrastructure capability. This is the stage Chapter 11's Tier 4 (distributed community mental health network) actually depends on.
Pet Evacuation & Shelter Know the core pet safety facts well enough to not make an emergency worse, and understand what real resources exist. This stage is readable in a weekend. Hold a real certification and have practiced actual handling and first aid skills, not just read about them. Genuine independent capability to manage a pet medical situation or unfamiliar animal without a vet or professional trainer present, the actual skill level Chapter 12's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others, and real capacity to lead community-scale pet response. This is the stage Chapter 12's Tier 4 (distributed pet first aid, fostering network, reunification coordination) actually depends on.
Digital Data & Documents Understand the core digital security and archival concepts well enough to make sound decisions and evaluate whether a given tool or practice actually solves your problem. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the concepts to having actually implemented and tested the real systems Chapter 13 describes. Genuine independent digital security judgment and real archival/research skill, the actual level Chapter 13's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others, and real capacity to build or maintain community-scale records infrastructure. This is the stage Chapter 13's Tier 4 (distributed community archive, records registry) actually depends on.
Economic & Financial Know the core financial facts well enough to make sound decisions under stress, and understand your actual legal protections. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually practiced budgeting discipline and a real trade negotiation, not just understood the concepts. Genuine independent financial judgment and real trade skill, the actual level Chapter 14's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others, and real capacity to help design community-scale economic systems. This is the stage Chapter 14's Tier 4 (formal local currency/credit system) actually depends on.
Fitness Know the core movement-safety facts well enough to not injure yourself doing the physical tasks every other chapter requires. This stage is readable in a weekend, though the physical practice itself takes longer. Move from correct technique in isolation to real functional capacity under load, built through consistent practice rather than a single session. Genuine independent physical capacity sustained through real daily labor, the actual level Chapter 15's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has, plus enough injury-management judgment to keep training through minor setbacks correctly. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach and program for others, and real community-scale physical capacity coordination. This is the stage Chapter 15's Tier 4 (distributed community labor capacity) actually depends on.
Transportation Know the core vehicle safety facts well enough to not create a dangerous situation, and understand Utah's actual legal requirements. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the basics to having actually performed real maintenance and driven under real, if controlled, challenging conditions. Genuine independent vehicle repair and navigation capability, the actual level Chapter 16's Tier 2 and Tier 3 assume a household has. This stage involves real, structured coursework. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others, and real capacity to coordinate transportation at a community scale. This is the stage Chapter 16's Tier 4 (shared/pooled community transport) actually depends on.
Post-Disaster Recovery & Rebuilding Know the core safety and legal facts well enough to not make a bad situation worse during the highest-fraud-risk period a household is likely to face. This stage is readable in a weekend. Move from knowing the theory to having actually documented damage and evaluated a real contractor scenario under practiced conditions. Genuine independent competency to navigate a full rebuild or relocation decision, the actual level Chapter 17's Tier 3 assumes a household has. This stage involves real, substantial commitment if pursued toward licensing. Professional-level credentials, the ability to teach others, and real capacity to coordinate community-scale recovery. This is the stage Chapter 17's Tier 4 (shared contractor vetting, community damage assessment, mutual aid rebuilding labor) actually depends on.

Reading the Matrix

Each row is a category; each column is a skill stage. The shading darkens left to right, light for Stage 1's basic awareness and dark for Stage 4's teach-others-and-coordinate-community endpoint. Unlike the manual's tiers, stages aren't tied to a disaster's duration; work through them at whatever pace your life allows, and treat each stage's self-check as the real gate.