Many of you may think a zombie apocalypse may never happen, but as the old Boy Scout saying goes, you should always be prepared. Here are some simple tips on how to stay alive if this trying ordeal should arise.

1. The best offense is a strong defense.

And this holds true even in zombie situations. Make sure you have a strong shelter, because it is the No. 1 way to protect yourself and survive. There are three major components to a good shelter: defensibility, sustainability and mobility.

Defensibility requires the evaluation of the overall strength of the structure. Take into account the location, such as what parts of the natural surroundings will be beneficial to your protection (moats or cliffs are very acceptable) and keep in mind the access to weaponry or what you could substitute as a weapon with the local surroundings.

Sustainability deals with the material goods needed for survival, such as food and water. Try to stock up on non-perishable foods, as well as bottled water, so you are prepared should the day require it.

Mobility of the safe house deals with the ease of escape. Should the house be breached by the infected, there needs to be an escape mechanism. The best shelters have multiple escape routes in case one is blocked. Transportation is also key, so make sure some sort of vehicle is at your disposal. Once you escape, technology will get you to safety. The portability of weapons is also crucial because you need to be able to protect yourself without hindering your escape due to a bulky weapon.

2. You need some serious skills

Those most likely to survive need to hone in on certain skills that will best equip them for survival: welding, martial arts, communication, wilderness survival and medicine. Welding allows a person to make weapons on their own, martial arts gives someone the upper hand in a fight, communication allows survivors to communicate with the other remaining humans and medicinal practices provide for a quick fix in cases of injury.

3. Aim to kill

Make sure you are well-versed in how to kill a zombie, as well as effective weapons to use. If faced with close-up battle, try using an ax, sledgehammer, shovel, crowbar or tomahawk and give them a shot to the head.

When facing a crowd of zombies, lighting them all on fire may be the simplest solution to the problem with the least sacrifice of your weaponry. This is often a neglected tactic, but it is very useful. Rifles are good for long distances, so if you’re in a safe location, this is the best option.

For those of you pacifists who don’t believe in violence, you can simply just wait out the apocalypse for a few years because zombies are rotting flesh and will eventually die out if given the proper amount of time.