Winter Survival Kit for Your Vehicle

Every vehicle, RV, boat, and camper should have emergency gear on board. From a small supply for your car to a full blown survival kit for RV and camper use.

In the winter months, especialy in the northern states, your daily use car should have blankets, food bars, water, first aid and emergency candles. A candle inside of a tin can can heat a car quite well. There are 36 hour emergency candles that produce heat and light in an emergency. If you slide into a ditch where the snow is deep you may not be able to open the car so have all survival gear in the passenger compartment and not in the trunk. DO NOT USE THE CAR HEATER! In these situations, with the car snow bound, carbon monoxide will likely wind up in the passenger compartment with you. You must use other means of staying warm.

RVs and campers should have more extensive supplies because of the remoteness of your location. A good survival kit for 72 hours for twice the people on the trip is a wise stratagy to ensure a good outcome. Also have a well equipped first aid kit with extras like a tourniquet and snakebite kit.

Boats should also have these things and CPR supplies like a mouthguard. These really work! They make it easier to inflate the victims lungs especially if you are doing CPR alone. Many times a drowning victim has a pulse but is not breathing. These mouthguards work great and quickly!

Be safe and enjoy.
Eric

Prepare Yourselves and Get to Know Your Neighbors!

I sincerely hope to help inform and call others to action for better outcomes in disaster situations. If more of us prepare ourselves think how much burden would be lifted from the agencies like The Red Cross and Salvation Army who come to the disaster areas to help. They could do so much more for the injured and those trapped whose emergency supplies got ruined, washed away or just didn't prepare themselves. I love and respect the folks who respond but we shouldn't count on them to be everywhere all the time.

Let your neighbors know they can count on you and ask if you can count on them. Educate them on potential emergencies in your area and make an agreement to keep enough supplies for each other. If for some reason one's supplies become ruined or unreachable you'll be covered. This works well in rual areas where neighbors generally have a strong bond. In urban areas this could be adderssed by Neighborhood Watch or Homeowner Associations. If everyone kept twice what they needed for 72 hours then a pantry could be formed and shared to help those in need.

We can be our own relief agency. When the Red Cross comes, offer them a bowl of soup! They deserve it!

Eric

Your Pets and How to be Prepared

We all love our pets and want to protect them if possible. There are pet first aid kits and survival kits out there but, in my opinion, are incomplete. To go along with them I recomend a muzzle for dogs and a pair of thick leather gloves for cats. A pet in pain may or may not trust us completely and would possibly lash out when we try to treat their injuries. Try to have an assistant. The owner would be best for restraining and conforting them as the assistant does the first aid. Pain killers are risky as dosages for different pets vary so much.
 DO NOT give pain relievers without specific instructions from a vet ahead of time. It is a good idea to talk to your vets next time you see them and ask about these things.
A leash, of course, should be added to your supplies and get your pet used to a harness. A harness is much better for them in rough conditions. Remember to add water for them to your supplies and keep pet food pouches or pop top cans.
For more info check out www.aspca.org/pet-care/disaster-preparedness/

Thanks for reading,
Eric

Child Safety in Wilderness Areas.

So, you've been roped into taking a pack of curious, high energy kids on an outing into or near a wilderness area. This is an area for concern but not panic!
Preparation is the key. All the kids should have a small pack with survival essentials onboard. High energy food bars, water, first aid and communication devices of some kind. Everyone in the party should have a shrill whistle made for signaling in an emergency. This includes the adults. I'll tell you why.
Educate the kids before you get in the vehicle for the trip. They should know what you expect of them. Also, they should know that as soon as they feel they have lost their direction, STOP, BLOW THAT WHISTLE AND STAY PUT! When a leader of the group hears the whistle they should respond with their whistle. This reassures the child but should be stressed that it is not a call for them to follow. The whistles of the child are the ones to be followed to their location. The kids should be instructed not to blow their whistle in response but only to use their whistle if they are lost or in danger. The other children SHOULD NOT try to find their missing buddy without close supervision. I'll tell you why!
This technique at the same time should be used to signal injury or dangerous situations. If one of your party has fallen into a revene, you don't want everyone running toward the same danger. If the kids are mature enough you could make a system of signals. Say 1 whistle for lost, 2 for danger or injury. That's your call. And there should always be someone that stays at the campsite with their whistle to signal you back in if needed. 3 whistles could be the signal for base camp.

Let the kids know you mean business. You like to have fun and are a fun person, BUT, you will be taken seriously about the rules you lay down. So, educate them well, be a strong leader, follow these suggestions and use common sense and all should be fine. If a child gets hurt or lost because of the unavoidable, these techniques will increase the odds of a good outcome tremendously!

There is nothing like a GPS. Set it to locate your base camp location as soon as you arrive and never be without it. I LOVE THE GPS!

Thanks for stopping by!

Be Prepared For the First Three Days !

The first 72 hours of a disaster are the most critical. This is when you will address injuries, loss of power, contaminated water, and possibly ruined foodstuffs. I recomend a survival kit with first aid, communication, food, water, and possible shelter solutions. See my links for guidance and facts in this area. What happens in this critical period before help arrives determines the outcome.
I will write later about individual survival related to being lost in wilderness situations and child education and preperation for camping and hiking trips. Also on how these subjects pertain to your pets.

Thanks for reading and come back soon!

Natural and Man Made Disaster Preparedness

The most important thing I can say is MAKE A DECISION !

Yes, bad things happen. Hopefully not to us. Sometime in our lives it is most likely that we will be that "other person". The decision to be prepared, for yourself and loved ones, could be the decision that saves a life. There are survival products out there that can make a good outcome for your family's health in these situations. MAKE THE DECISION TO CHECK IT OUT.