Survival is a consistent necessity for humanity. Whether it is surviving the bubonic plague of the 18th century or the disco fad of the 1970s, society always comes through the other side relatively unscathed. The next looming catastrophe is the zombie apocalypse and the crews at REI’s South Side and Robinson locations are looking to help.The outdoor recreation supply outlet is hosting a zombie apocalypse survival clinic on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. at its South Side and Robinson stores. While the seminar may not teach attendees how to defend themselves against a zombie attacker – removing the head or destroying the brain, if they ever need to know – it will be teaching general emergency preparedness with a Halloween theme. REI outreach specialist Peter Greninger disclosed the details of the clinic in a phone interview on Saturday, which includes tips on first aid, principles of survival and assembling a disaster supply kit. Greninger also revealed the origin of the zombie-themed demonstration.“The zombie preparedness workshop originated out of our Manhattan Beach store in California,” he said. “They weren’t really drawing a crowd until someone said ‘let’s have a little fun with this.’”After a few suggestions, an employee thought of the idea to host the zombie survival clinic. The idea was officially born and adapted company-wide, including the South Side location, which opened in 2005, and the Robinson store in Settler’s Ridge, established in 2009.While REI may be running with this Halloween theme as a whole, each store has its own input on how to run each seminar.“REI is really moving this program nationwide, but all our programs are done at the local store level,” Greninger said.While the class is open to everyone, Nick Stanford, retail supervisor at REI’s South Side location, notes the event really caters to a younger demographic. He also pointed out that REI is not the only outlet running with this specific theme.“Even if you look at the [Center for Disease Control’s] website, they have safety tips with a zombie apocalypse twist,” Stanford said.REI is well known for its outdoor seminars on everything from bike maintenance to map and compass capability, but not many of the stores’ clinics have the chance for a costume contest like the zombie survival event. Attendees are encouraged to dress in their flesh-eating best for a chance to win a three-hour climbing party for up to 12 people. According to Stanford, the staff of the South Side seminar is planning on counteracting the crowd costumes by dressing up as zombie attack survivors, further playing on the skills being applied to the clinic. REI South Side’s assistant manager, Amy Legeza, is sure the theme will get people thinking about safety in the outdoors.“Overall I think the people who we get here are here for the first time,” Legeza said. “Hearing the word ‘zombie’ piques their interest, and hopefully the clinic gets them thinking about survival in the outdoors.”Legeza also said that participants may not necessarily think about outdoor safety on its own, but grouped with a fun Halloween twist such as zombies, outdoor safety can become a priority.Greninger pointed out that the South Side class is filled, but has a waiting list, and there were few spots open for the Robinson location’s event as well. With such a positive response before the event even happens, Greninger is hoping for more like it in the future.“We’ll certainly do this based on the response,” he said. “These are great real-world skills that I think everyone should know. We’re just looking to have some fun.”He also added if anyone has any ideas for seminars, the staff at REI is always looking for suggestions.