Nifty nugget 04. A Cheap and effective fallout meter.

A very inexpensive fallout meter based on the Kearney Fallout Meter.
We have tested and used a Kearney Fallout Meter (from the Original Oak-ridge design by Dr. Kearney and Dr. Edward Teller)
The KFM design is very accurate and requires no batteries or any other high tec parts.
We haven't personally tested this kit. (http://www.baproducts.com/asccustompages/products.asp?ProductID=248) ( below) It is worth a try given it's price.

http://www.baproducts.com/asccustompages/products.asp?ProductID=248

The Basic design of the Kearney meter is quite functional and durable.  It is well worth the peace of mind it provides.

This kit comes pre-assembled. however, you are paying top dollar for an assembled and tested product
http://www.nitro-pak.com/kfm-radiation-meter
This is quite similar to the kit we tested.

We have no financial interest in either of these companies and receive no monies nor any other consideration on these products.

Links for these plans are available online free of charge.  We will be posting several of these links in our links shortly

WS

Nifty Nugget 03

By Far one of the Most Useful Items I have Ever Found.

Is Bubble pack with Foil covering both sides of the bubbles. It is nearly 90% heat retention.

One of the first tests of it that I saw was a tube / Sleeve of this stuff. If you could keep your arm in it for more than 20 seconds you could win a prize.

I don't believe anyone collected on that.

The name brand I know is:

Reflectix It comes in several sizes. 4' x 25' R-3.7 Double Reflective Foil Insulation is by far the most useful. I keep it in the trunk of my car If I need to Change a tire in the snow or the rain.

I have cut it to fit my windshield. I have used it as an emergency sleeping bag.

Local Cost in WV/ PA Area

$30.22 for 4' x 25'

You should check it out.

Preparedness Part 4 – Security Considerations

Preparedness Part 4 – Security Considerations

Don Hodge for 4^thTriage

In collaboration with Will Stewart

This is a controversial and very emotional area. Emotion and panic can kill you. Many people are horrified at the thought of pointing a firearm at another human being. Many feel that civilized behavior comes from gun control. Many point to the daily news and reject gun control as hazardous to one’s personal health. Unfortun-ately criminals often use our humanity against us. This is a decision you will have to make – even by refusing to discuss the issue – which may have a large impact on you and your family.

If you don’t want to have firearms in your security plans, consider a sturdy walking stick 3’ to 4’ long - which is quite useful against animals as well as people.

Another alternative to firearms is the air rifle or air pistol. These use compressed air to fire a pellet (Commonly .177 and .22 calibers. The .20 is less standard with fewer options ). They provide some protection against and can be used for hunting small game, birds, and animals up to the size of a medium dog. Most are single shot. Use models with cockling levers rather than compressed air cartridges. See considerations for firearms below.

Otherwise if firearms or air guns are not a part of your security package, then good luck and proceed to the next part.

If you choose to carry weapons or firearms, you must keep tight control on your emotions. Human life is very precious. Fear and anger are not excuses. Don’t make a bad situation worse. You will be held accountable for your actions later.

That said, it doesn’t make sense to do all that work to save your life and your family’s from a disaster, then let them be murdered.

Firearms and Security.

As you debate this issue with yourself some things to consider are:

1. Federal law prohibits state and local officials from taking your firearms during a disaster.
2. The police and authorities will be busy. Even in the best of times the police react in minutes after being notified of a problem, criminals act in seconds.
3. Criminals are called such because they choose not to obey the law. Any law. Perhaps they may act differently in a disaster. It seems unlikely.
4. Desperate, scared people will do things that would have horrified them even just a few days before.
5. To you it doesn’t matter if the six guys determined to take your vehicle (or break into your home) and take your supplies (and/or kill you) are thugs or just scared – the outcome is the same.
6. Most religions and moral codes allow for self-defense.
7. Most of us are not 6’6”, 250 lbs, and martial arts experts able to twist 20 thugs into pretzel-like shapes – without breaking a sweat.

If you choose to include firearms into your disaster supplies, please consider:

1. Firearms, like cars or any tool, are really dangerous to you if you don’t know how to properly use them.
2. Safety courses are available at low cost or free from the NRA, shooting clubs, and some gun shops.
3. Like everything else, safety and skill come from practice, practice, practice.
4. Skill with firearms does not exist automatically just because you have a firearm. It takes work and practice, practice, practice.
5. Some people – even trained military (and perhaps you) – hesitate to point a firearm at another person and pull the trigger. If the life of your family or your life is involved, hesitation could be tragic and fatal.
6. Criminals know that many people will hesitate or can’t hit a moving target.
7. Some police and trainers recommend overcoming this hesitation by loading the first two chambers of a revolver with bird shot (called shot shells – not shotgun shells). The bird shot is unlikely to seriously hurt someone. If someone keeps coming after two shots, they mean deadly harm to you. After two shots, it is easy to fire the third – and fourth, etc. Aim for the chest.
8. Different firearms - like hammers, wrenches, and other tools – are designed to do particular jobs well (and will do other jobs less well).

• Shotguns – designed primarily for hunting birds and defense inside the home – effective to 25 yards (with slugs in a slug barrel up to 100 yards and effective for hunting large animals). The smaller the gage the greater the kick/recoil. 12 and 20 gauges are most commonly available.

The .410 (The Smallest commonly available Shotgun) has the least kick (Recoil) and can be used by young children and smaller adults. Some have the added benefit of being able to use common .45 hand gun ammunition.

• Both pump and automatic loading shotguns are available.
• Semi-Automatic (one squeeze of the trigger gives one shot) handguns – used for personal defense (because it’s cramped or you must use your hands and can’t carry a rifle). May have more rounds than a revolver.
• Revolvers – since you can rotate the cylinder and select the chamber you fire, much more versatile. Usually 5 or 6 chambers which can be loaded with bird shot, special ammunition, standard, and that load to stop a bull.
• Hunting rifles – many different calibers for many different sizes of animals. Not suited for combat. Parts will break under the number of shots in a firefight – barrels will lose accuracy and even droop. Usually bolt-action as most states limit hunting with semi-automatic rifles.
• Battle (I.e. Assault) rifles - .223 (5.56 mm NATO), .308 (7.62 x 51 NATO), 7.62 x 39 Russian (SKS, AK-47) are the common calibers. The .223 is effective to 165 yards and has such low recoil that a child can use it effectively. The .308 NATO, a much heavier bullet, can punch through brush and knock a man down with one hit at 500 yards. The 7.62 x 39 Russian is accurate at short ranges and has impact (if you hit anything) at 500 yards. Magazines contain 20 or 30 rounds. Semi-Automatic.
• Note: what are commonly called Assault rifles are only Semi-Automatic look-alikes. A true Assault rifle has the option of fully automatic fire.

9. 95% of all pistol gunfights occur at 7 yards (21 feet) or less.
10. The goal is not to kill, but to stop life threatening actions.
11. Stopping power (in pistols) against humans depends largely on the diameter or caliber of the bullet. The larger the caliber the more stopping power. Hence a .45 has more stopping power than a .22, a 9 mm (.355), and a .38. That is why hollow points which spread on contact boost the stopping power of a caliber.
12. Both the .38 and the .357 are actually a diameter of .357 with the difference being that a .357 has about twice the powder in the cartridge and about twice the force. You can fire the less expensive .38 cartridges in a .357 handgun. Never, NEVER fire .357 cartridges in a .38 handgun.
13. For reliable stopping power in a pistol use a .357 and larger caliber (10 mm, 40 S&W, .41, .44, .45, etc.). .38s and lesser calibers need boosts in stopping power by using special ammunition (like Federal’s Hydra-shoks® ).
14. While the largest bear killed in North America was shot with a .22, the .22 does NOT have stopping power. There is a case of a man going berserk and murdering the 3 people with him. During the process, the victims shot him 18 times in the chest with .22 LRs. He still murdered them and then walked several miles to the hospital – where he died 3 days later.
15. In any situation you are thinking about using a firearm, ask yourself “Does this situation require or merit the use of deadly force?”
16. Rules for using firearms:

• Most firearms have safeties, so keep them set on safety. Know how to take the safety off so you can shoot.
• Never bluff with an unloaded firearm. If it is serious enough to consider using a firearm, it IS serious enough to load it.
• Never point a firearm at anything you aren’t willing to shoot.
• Never shoot at anything you aren’t willing to kill.

17. Always, always ASSUME a firearm IS LOADED.
18. If you keep firearms in the house, display signs in your house that read: “All Guns In This House Are Loaded” – whether they’re loaded or not.
19. Teach firearms safety to all family members and visiting children.

Recommendations for the general public:

• a revolver (.357 or a .38 with Hydra-shock ammo – include shot shells for poisonous snakes)
• a pump shotgun (More reliable than the semi automatic and requires less maintenance.)
• the addition of a hunting rifle of large caliber or an assault rifle could be useful in chaotic situations - possibly a Ruger Mini-14 (the popular .223 caliber, rugged, inexpensive, and a child could handle it) or an AK-47.
• When choosing a firearm The availability of ammunition should be a high priority. The most common ammunition (that is the most produced and greatest quantity such as ammunition used by military and police) is the best choice. For rifles the .223, 7.62X39, and .308 are the most produced in the world. For handguns .9mm NATO (9X19), .45, .38 and .357 Magnum.

A more in depth article on Firearms specifications and terminology will be posted shortly.

Preparedness Part 6 – Food Management Considerations

Preparedness Part 6 – Food Management Considerations

Don Hodge for 4^thTriage

in collaboration with Will Stewart

Look if you are serious about disaster preparedness and saving money, you have to start with the concept of a “pantry”. Not a few kitchen cabinets where you hap-hazardly put contents from the grocery bags you just brought in. No, you want an organized food storage place. You need to commit to eating what you store and storing what you eat.

So you have to find the space for storing. You probably will need to add shelves. You have to protect from heat in the summer and freezing in the winter. There are many designs for shelving which save you time, space, and work. If you put your new purchases in on the same side every time and take out what you are going to use from the other side of the shelf, you’ll automatically have rotation without examining all the cans/packages to see what is oldest. That makes rotation work – without a penalty in time to do it. If you have two sets of shelves each with the output side facing each other on a common corridor, then the “harvesting” of your pantry will be that much more efficient. If you slant the shelves downward with the “in” side on top and a “lip” on the bottom (“out” side), you will save work on pushing the food forward when you add new supplies to that part of the shelf by letting gravity work for you. There are many ways to have efficiency here so put on your thinking cap.

This also means you are going to need to analyze what you like to eat and what you are eating now. You are going to have to make lists – and shop by them. Grocery stores arrange products to encourage impulse shopping. Their goal is to have you buy as much as possible – that you can pay for. Yes, they provide you a service and make it easier for you to get what you can’t grow, raise, or have the facilities to process. If you stick to carefully thought-out lists, you’ll save money. If you buy bulk containers, you’ll save money. One method for using bulk foods efficiently has been on Dr. James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” radio program several times. This involves planning all the menus for a period (say 2 weeks or a month), breaking down each item into necessary ingredients, buying all of the ingredients, and setting aside the next day or two to prepare and cook the menu items. The final step is to place individual portions into baggies, label the contents (with date), and put in the freezer. When you are ready to eat pull the number of pouches you need for the meal, put in a pot with water, and boil for 15 minutes. Extra people at the dinner table? No sweat, pull out a few extra pouches. This can save tons of money. This saves a tremendous amount of time in daily cooking and cleaning up. Make it a joint exercise with some neighbors.

What about special sales and “targets of opportunity”? Absolutely! Particularly meats. Here again, lists (a special list of items which come up regularly on sale that you are interested in) and have capacity to store. If it’s frozen, do you have the freezer space? Chest type freezers keep cold air from draining out when you open them. A freezer or two is a great investment. Keep them in a cool place where they won’t be flooded. Have a backup generator for them. If you lose power for a few days, you can suffer a tremendous financial loss. The generator will not have to run continuously to save the contents of your freezer(s) – only a few hours at a time.

The Basic Four Survival food supply for one adult for one year is: bulk hard red winter wheat (400 lb.s), powdered milk (50 lb.s), honey (100 lb.s), and salt (8 lb.s). Use Chart 2-5 (pg 19) ”Computing Family Factor” from Stevens’ Making The Best Of Basics to calculate the total amount needed using the adult male as your base.

Adult male = 1.00; Adult female = 0.85; Teenager male = 1.40; Teenager female = 0.95; Child male = 0.95; Child female = 0.75; Infants (1-3 yrs old) = 0.50 .

Have ample supplies of any special foods needed for infants, elderly persons or persons with special dietary needs.

Store vitamins and any supplements you use. Store cooking oils (there are powder versions), salt, pepper, spices, any seasonings you use, sugar, salsas, soy sauce, tabasco, ketchup, mustard, etc. Have a large selection of comfort/stress foods - cookies, hard candy, sweetened cereals, lollipops, chocolate, cocco, coffee, tea bags, etc. Use these to reward yourself and family upon completion of some task – or as a general “pick-me-up” treat.

Include seeds for sprouting. Sprouting does not even need light. Swish water in the jar a couple times a day – then use water in soup. This gives lots of fresh greens.

Two other points about disaster preparedness that are really important: 1) be sure to have several manual can openers; and 2) COOKING INDOORS WITH FIRE CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.

Safety and sanitation are prime considerations – especially when trained medical treatment may be difficult or impossible to get in a timely manner. Here are some very important “Do”s and “Don’t”s.

“DO”s -

• Do keep food in covered containers.
• Do keep cooking and eating utensils clean.
• Do keep garbage in closed containers and dispose of it outside.
• Do keep garbage away from animals. Composting - or burying garbage if necessary.
• Do keep your hands clean when dealing with food by washing them with soap and water that has been boiled or disinfected.
• Do discard any food that has come into contact with contaminated floodwater.
• Do discard any prepared/cooked food that has been at room temperature for two hours or more.
• Do discard any food that has an unusual odor, color, or texture

“DON’T”s -

• Don’t eat foods from cans that are swollen, dented, or corroded, even though the product may look safe to eat.
• Don’t eat any food that looks or smells abnormal, even if the can looks normal.
• Don’t use powdered formulas with treated water.
• Don’t let garbage accumulate inside (or especially at an evacuation camp) - for fire, sanitation, and wild animal reasons.

General thoughts to keep in mind -

• Thawed food usually can be eaten if it is still “refrigerator cold” (that’s 40 degrees F).
• It can be re-frozen if it still contains ice crystals.
• Commercially canned food may be eaten out of the can without warming.
• If you want to heat a commercially canned product: Remove the label; Thoroughly wash and disinfect the can. (Use a diluted solution of one part bleach to ten parts water.); rinse; and open the can before heating.
• Remember, “When in doubt, throw it out.”
• Plan out a “sample” menu for a week or two. Try substituting a week of that “emergency” menu for a week of your normal living. You’ll find some changes you want to make.

Means of cooking -

• DO NOT USE GASOLINE TO START FIRES.
• For home in times of emergency, methods include wood stoves, propane and charcoal grills, pot-belly stoves, fireplaces, candle warmers, chafing dishes, and fondue pots.
• For fueling wood stoves, fireplaces, etc. you can make “logs” out of tightly rolled newspaper, bound with wired, soaked in water and dishwashing soap in the tub, and dried. This makes the “logs” expand and burn longer.
• Some stoves are multi-fuel burning “pellets”, corn, and/or coal. Check carefully if thinking about coal as some coal burns too hot for some stoves.
• Electric hotplates (stoves, etc.) if you have a generator, solar photo voltaic, wind turbine or other means of producing electricity.
• For evacuation it is best (from weight and space considerations) to use camp, multi-fuel backpacking stoves (Coleman®, MSR®, Peak®, etc.), camp fires (be very careful you don’t start a wildfire), and small habatchis/charcoal grills. These are for outdoor use only.
• To build a camp fire –
  • Select a sheltered spot protected from wind gusts. Remember there will be sparks floating upwards, so be careful.
  • Clear a space and put rocks around the space where the fire is to be built. Do not use rocks that have been in water (streams, lakes, etc.). When the fire gets hot, they may explode.
  • Gather wood (as dry as you can get). Avoid green/living wood. Wet wood often has a dry core of material that can be used as kindling. The outer wood can be dried over the fire and burned eventually.
  • Stack away from fire pit with sticks/logs in piles roughly by diameter. If wet, stack wood closer to fire to partially dry out.
  • Separate out really small diameter pieces (twigs and sticks) to: 1) build a small teepee open on one side and 2) add when fire first gets going.
  • Shave off a pile of wood chips. Place them inside the teepee. You can add other tinder (dry grass, small bits of bark, paper, cotton balls soaked in wax). Leave plenty of space for air to get in. No air, no fire. Have extra.
  • Magnesium fire starter bars will start fires even out of wet material. Shave off a few small shavings onto tinder then strike with knife on striker bar to get sparks. Other good devices are waterproof matches and cigarette lighters.

Storage guidelines -

• The lower the temperature and the less the humidity, the longer the items stored will keep. Keep storage temperature at least under 70 degrees F.
• For every 10 degrees F above 70, you reduce your storage life by half. For every 10 degrees F under 70, you double your storage life.
• Note that 3 to 4 feet under ground the temperature is 50 – 55 degrees F all year round.
• Do not eat from containers that are rusted, bulging, or dented.
• Secure containers up off floor from flooding, vermin, and insects.
• Metal containers lined with a plastic bag are best. Bulk grains usually come in 5 gal. plastic buckets (with liners).
• Stack buckets and containers so it’s easy to inspect them regularly. It would be a good idea to allow a cat or two to have free access to your storage area.
• If placing bulk items like grains in buckets at home, remove as much oxygen and moisture as possible. Oxygen can be removed by forcing it up and out by heavier gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide (by placing dry ice in the bucket). This will also kill insects. Close bucket with a tight fitting lid.
• There is a tool at Emergency Essentials that makes removing the lids much easier when you want to get into them.
• Select a variety of foods and storage methods.
• Storage methods include -

• Commercial cans, i.e. “wet pack”, stores for 6 months to 2 years. Bulk (restaurant) sized cans are cheaper per serving.
• Home canning in mason jars for fruits, vegetables, and meat. Stores for two years and more – perhaps much more. You can grow your own food or buy “extra”. You don’t have to have a large garden to do canning. There are many roadside stands, farmers’ markets, and neighbors with extra.
• Home dehydrating (usually solar) and smoking. After you remove the water, vacuum seal, and store.
• To save meats in your freezer from spoiling if you lose power – make jerky. See Dr. John Raven’s excellent article “Jerky: It’s not just for Christmas anymore” on the basics of making jerky at: www.texascooking.com/features/dec2002makingjerky.htm
• A summary of Dr. Raven’s steps to make jerky:

• Cut meat into thin strips (roughly ¼” thick, ½” wide, and 6” long - removing extra fat.
• Marinate (using his quick-cook or cold method) and/or season with salt, pepper, spices, chili powder, sauces, etc. – use your imagination. Flavor to your taste.
• Place on racks (or hang), separating each piece.
• Keep temperature at 140 degrees F for 6 to 8 hours in a smoker or an oven (keep oven door cracked open).
• Hanging in sun will take several days (cover with cheesecloth to keep insects off) and bringing inside at night.
• Jerky is done when blackened - and when bent will crack but not break.
• Place in baggies and/or vacuum seal.
• Commercial Freeze Dried Foods. Usually in large #10 cans or pouches (often called MREs – Meals Ready to Eat). Stores for 5 to 10 years. Tests suggest much longer shelf life.
• Commercially packed bulk grains (and vegetable seeds) in 5 gallon buckets (or #10 cans). Stores for 5 to 10 years. Tests suggest much longer. You’ll need to have a hand powered grain mill.
• Irradiated foods. Controversial. Canadian irradiated milk will stay good for two years on the shelf without refrigeration.
• Unless you have a generator, solar photo voltaic, wind turbine or other means of producing electricity, do not depend on a refrigerator or freezers to store a lot of food.
  • Once the temperature in a refrigerator rises above 40 degrees F the food starts spoiling. You have four (4) hours to save it.
  • Without power, freezers will only keep food for several days at very best. Chest type freezers where the cold air can’t drain out will keep food frozen for several days without power - if kept closed except for very brief openings once or twice a day.
  • Use dry ice. Twenty-five pounds of dry ice will keep a 10-cubic-foot chest type freezer below freezing for 3-4 days. Use care when handling dry ice. Wear dry, heavy gloves to avoid frostbite.
  • Generators may be run for short periods of time to provide power for freezers and refrigerators. Fuel storage longer than 4 to 6 months may be a problem without additives.
  • There are refrigerators and freezers which run on propane and/or natural gas – including refrigerators in RVs.

A final note for home disaster preparedness, you can extend your food supplies in a more sustainable and self-sufficient manner as follows -

• Learn the wild foods in your area. Harvesting will stretch your supplies.
  • Many look like weeds.
  • Some like cattails will surprise you. (The pollen is a flour extender. The roots are best edible in early spring. Cattails filter out harmful pollutants and are safe to eat even growing in polluted water.)

• You can grow your own food (fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, herbs (including medicinal), grains, chickens, ducks, catfish, tilapa, rabbits, pigs, goats/sheep, etc.) and that is always a plus – particularly with all of the contamination, chemicals, toxic additives, and hormones that we are finding in commercial products (domestic and foreign).

• Ecology Action (http://www.growbiointensive.org/) can show you how to grow all the calories an adult needs for a year in as little as 800 square feet.
  • They can show you how to turn rock dust into rich organic soil in 7 years – 60 times faster than nature. John Jeavens and his crew (based in Willits, CA) have been doing this over 35 years in over 140 countries.
  • John Jeavens’ book “How to Grow More Vegetables, Fruits, and Nuts than you thought possible” (2007 edition) is a must have.

• Include seeds for growing vegetables. Usually in vacuum packed containers which last 5 – 10 years.
  • Hybrid seed have higher rate of germination, but will not breed true if you save seeds from the plants you grow.
  • Modern hybrids usually produce a larger crop and are more resistant to diseases and blight.
  • Open pollinated or heirloom seeds are older varieties which always breed true and produce the same qualities/taste.
  • Many open pollinated breeds are more tasteful than modern hybrids.