Under The Dome & 'Doomsday Preppers'

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The new CBS series Under The Dome shows the catastrophic events that occur when a small town gets cut off from the outside world.
And while the story line may be fiction, as Nicole Brewer reports, for some, the potential for disaster is very real.

When it comes to disaster, some say they're prepared for just about anything.

So-called "doomsday preppers" know the list of the possibilities from bad storms, flooding, earthquakes, to terrorist attacks even.

They say you never know what could happen.

Which is why doomsday preppers stock up on items like food, fuel, even guns and ammunition.

They want to be self-sufficient in case something happens and have skills that might come in handy Under The Dome.

The new CBS mini-series looks at what happens when a small town gets cut off from society.

It's just the kind of scenario that inspired Mark Scelza of Jobstown in Burlington County, New Jersey.

"Five years ago I was watching a movie with a friend and started thinking if anyone could survive a zombie apocalypse or any major disaster, and I didn't think they could," said Scelza.

So, he created the Zombie Survival Course.

Scelza teaches you how to defend yourself against monsters you see in the movies.

But it's not just a zombie invasion, although Scelza admits it gets people's attention.

"Oh yeah, we have fun and try to make it fun but what we're teaching is real," says Scelza of his survival camp. "I guess the main reason people need this course is so they have the basic skills to survive."

I experienced it first hand, from firing a gun to shooting a crossbow.

And there was something Scelza calls "Zombitsu".

That's where people learn how to fight off an attacking zombie, all in fun.

"They learn to defend themselves with a stick basically, could be a machete, club, a baseball bat," says Scelza.

There's also a lesson in First Aid.

"What we teach is sutures or stitches, we teach how to give injections," explains Scelza.

Once you have the skills for survival, he says you'll need some supplies.

The list ranges from food and First Aid to water and toilet paper and it's all packed in a bag, ready to go.

"If you were at work, home, if you had to leave, you could grab that bag and survive for 72 hrs," says Scelza.

Don't believe it?

Mark says give it a few hours because even some who come to his Zombie Survival Camp for a laugh soon have a change of opinion.

"By lunch time, they're thinking holy mackrel, I don't know how to do these things and I should," says Scelza.

It's important knowledge that he says people need to know before disaster strikes.

For more information, visit: http://zombiesurvivalcourse.com/.