Preventative Measures: Wildfires

What are some of the preventative measures we can do to make it tougher for a wildfire to invade our property? While it is not always possible to protect our home completely from these disasters, there are ways to give a wildfire less fuel. And we should also be ready in the event we have to evacuate or we are not allowed back on our property.

With the temperatures rising and the wooded, weedy areas around our homes becoming a tinderbox ready for a spark, tending to a few of things on your property to may help prevent fires from taking over your home or at least make it more difficult to do so. Keeping your home in good condition should be part of your preparedness routine. This is always a possibility if you live in an area susceptible to this kind of havoc.
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PRESS RELEASE

June 29, 2012, 5:12 p.m. EDT

IBHS Offers Colorado Residents Last-Minute Wildfire Preparedness Advice

TAMPA, Fla., June 29, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- As evacuations from the very dangerous Waldo Canyon wildfire continue in Colorado, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) urges home and business owners to make last-minute preparations to their home or business that could help the structure survive a wildfire attack. 

Wind-borne embers can travel more than a mile from an actual fire, according to the IBHS and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. One no-cost, but highly effective, way to reduce risk from wildfire embers is to clear debris from roofs and gutters. In particular, overhanging or dead tree branches, leaves, pine needles and other combustible items should be removed. Be sure to remove any combustible items surrounding your house or business, such as wood piles, gas cans, and wooden structures that can be easily moved at least 30 feet - and ideally, 100 feet - from the building. Also, windows and doors should be tightly closed, and all roof vents or soffits covered to prevent embers from entering and igniting materials inside the building. 

"Our hearts go out to the thousands of people whose lives have been unfortunately impacted by this terrible fire," said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. 
"While.... (more....)
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Colorado Wildfire: Family's Escape Caught on Tape
from ABC NEWS:

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In the event this is your family, is there an emergency kit of some kind ready to go with you in your car? This is not always something you can take a minute and prepare for. It happens in the blink of an eye and it you and your family leave empty handed you will have to ride out a crisis like this in a very uncomfortable manner. Insure your family's safety and their well being. 

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Having to leave behind a home and treasures you love is going to be tough enough! 

See the tab above: Prep 1 2 3 links for more emergency preparedness topics!

When the SHTF ~ A Rant

This is about as harsh as I am going to get.. Let other preppers set the doom and gloom tone.

Thinking about all the ways that the SHTF events can impact our lives and what some of us are doing about it makes me think. What about dear friends and family members who are too busy, too caught up, and perhaps not serious about where their lives may be if a situation should occur in their lives that they could have prepared for. Come knocking on my door when it's too late and I am going to want to tell 'em I told ya so, but I won't because I am really not that mean, or can I be???

Fires, storms, riots, unemployment, floods, medical problems, and loss of homes are the SHTF events of today. Preparing for any or all of these crisis can help you to better understand what it takes to prep for a larger event. Starting small and moving onto major survival levels pushes you and your family into a better readiness state and closer to being a family that is ready to survive  and not a family ready to starve, die, or be victimized. 

The emergency teams that are associated with natural disasters do not have time to hold your hand because you neglected to address these issues before these events happened. They need to to find victims who need medical care, locate and prepare the dead, tend to hazards, and organize rescue operations, and deliver emergency first aid to those who need it.

Facing the destruction of all you held dear being gone isn't the time to say I could have done more. It's the time to roll a preparedness plan into action and sustain your family until circumstances turn around and you can be guided back to a reasonable living situation. With the essentials of food, water, shelter, and emergency energy covered you can be ok no matter what you have lost. Your life, your health, and your family with you is more important than the pile of stuff that is no longer there.

Where does one begin?

Gather your emergency 72 hour kit together, now. Arrange a set of emergency supplies that can be stored in the trunk of your car. Sit down with your family and review what measures you need to take for your particular needs. Set aside a stock of food storage. Collect drinking water and energy sources such as batteries, charcoal, sterno, and similar items. Make bed rolls to go with each emergency kit as well as a change of clothes.

Ask anyone in a hurricane zone what's the first things to disappear in the markets? They will all tell you: Bread, Water, Batteries.

Having these life sustaining items in store long before a disaster is on your front step is wonderful insurance for your family.

Preparing to support your family in times of trouble is as important as planning to pay your bills every months and planning to go to work to tend to their needs. Why leave preparedness out of your planning? You plan a family vacation, do you not? Plan a survival team family meeting and implement a contingency plan in your lives.

The more you talk over the needs of emergency preparedness and gather against the SHTF crisis the better off you are going to be, no matter what happens!

More by this author @

www.survival-recovery.com

and 

Home and Family Preparedness

Highway Accident - How many had an Emergency kit?

Chemical spill creates havoc on I-15 

Is there an emergency kit in your car? Being prepared for emergencies in any situation makes sense with so much going on these days. Fires in the news and things like this highway accident should be warning signs to get on with readiness.

Why be stranded somewhere when proper planning with preventative measures means you don't have to be?

I wonder exactly who had emergency kits with them when a chemical spill stopped up the highway for hours. Trouble on highways and traffic tie ups can take you well past your next meal break and into schedule disruption. What if this event kept people trapped out there for days? Now, that's a scary thought. 

Accident Closes Highway... From: LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL 

BY LAWRENCE MOWER AND BRIAN HAYNES

A chemical spill shut down three of the four lanes on Interstate 15 near Primm for hours Friday morning, causing traffic to back up for miles in both directions.

If you have a survival kit ready to go for in your vehicle, scrambling for food, water, and some kind of shelter is not necessary. It is already taken care of. Supply a bag for your car with items that can take the heat of being stored in the trunk. Food items, water in GLASS bottles, a blanket, a change of clothes, and a first aid kit can take you a long way in these disasters.

Start collecting those small drink bottles and refill them with sanitized drinking water. Make sure to clean the bottles and sterilize them before adding the water. Wash well in hot, soapy water and dunk for 10 minutes in boiling water to kill bacteria. Let cool and dry. Add mixture of water that is three drops of bleach to one gallon of water. The bleach will keep bacteria and algae from forming. Change out the bottles every 3-4 months or so. In summer and deep winter, skip the glass bottles and remember to bring a few bottles of water with you or a gallon of drinking water. If you get into the habit of carrying a few supplies with you, an emergency breakdown in scheduling will not affect you too terribly. P.S. Don't forget to bring a good book with you!

ER Bar

Carry items in a bag with you for nutritious snacking. Packages of nuts, cheese crackers, jerky, and granola bars take up very little space and can aid in times when we can't get to our next meal immediately. Gum and hard candy can help with a sugar burst or two. Hard candy also helps with thirst as it counteracts a dry mouth. Even a small amount of nutrition is better than sitting someplace with an empty stomach. Good too are the emergency cookie bars. I call them cookie bars because that is what they taste like.) They provide sustenance and will give the body enough energy to get to the next step in a crisis mode.

Lastly, carry emergency equipment. A small shovel, basic tool kit, roadside emergency kit, and maybe a portable grill for heating water or cooking. The better the planning and emergency kit, the easier the crisis is handled. Don't be one of the people out there wishing they had supplies. Be the one who planned well.

If you have any suggestions on items for a car emergency kit, please, add them in the comment section below. Thank you for visiting!

The advertising links featured on these pages are products from various affiliate programs for the purposes of quality marketing. We feature them here because we recommend them as quality products and will not recommend something that will not meet your needs. By clicking on link and purchasing items you are contributing not only to your well being and needs but you are helping support the writer of this site with small residual income. This enables further research and time to keep working on these issues and topics. 

Frugal lifestyle is Emergency Planning!

Random Readiness notes:

As a driver in a busy city I never know where my day may wind up. I am always starting a new adventure when I clock in at the office and am issued the keys to the car of the day. Some days it may be easy to do lunch at a fast food joint. The other days however may find me camped out somewhere (in a shady spot hopefully) and waiting for my client. These types of work have me either thanking God I brought my lunch pail with me or kicking myself that I did not. I want to be as prepared as I can for the job I do. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow will be a round trip charter to LAX and back to Vegas. That's a long day and I do NOT want to stop for long. The sooner I can get home safely the better off I am and the company's expenses are as well.

The same thing applies to any planning of a long term trip, building a contingency plan for emergency survival,  or that just in case unknown minor emergency. Bring a bag that's small enough to not be a bother but roomy enough to keep a few readiness items in it.

Planning ahead well enough you take pressure off of the situation and can apply that energy to using other skills.

This has been covered this in  other posts but I really want to stress how much easier it is to plan ahead for crisis than it is to have to live through it with out any back up what so ever.

I have people tell me all the time I am wasting my time. Laugh out Loud, I think to myself. I have used these plans and supplies a number of times though not on a serious scale, yet. Times of tight budget, illness, unemployment, and seriously busy scheduling have me accessing my preparedness planning. Time and again I am grateful that I am NOT wasting my time but adding to the things that help me.. Saving time and money in the process.

Frugal lifestyle IS Emergency Planning!

More info on these handy links:

Survival Food Basics:

http://www.squidoo.com/survival-foods-requirements

AND

Survival Recovery Site: www.survival-recovery.com

Survival Kit Ideas: 

http://www.squidoo.com/a-survival-kit-list

Red Cross , FEMA, and Emergency Skills

The Red Cross is a wonderful resource for Emergency Skills!

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In catastrophes we need to be ready for anything. 

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People who work with the Red Cross and other organizations as first responders need all the help they can get. If we are better prepared to help our self, family, neighbors, and friends the better we can all work together to assist those folks who are there to help us.

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A class from the Red Cross or FEMA's First Responder's Course would be a great way to learn more about what we need to be prepared for emergencies and how to go about that. In the video Jaime Lee Curtis shows us a recommended 72 hour kit and it's contents. A class can help teach you other preparedness ideas to add to that readiness.

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This short video shows us some simple tips from the Red Cross for what to pack in an emergency kit.

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These classes not only teach first aid and medical emergency techniques such as CPR they also teach you what hazards to deal with like turning gas and electrical supply off if there is a danger from them being active. There is a wealth of information in attending these instructive courses! 

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Better still most of these classes are offered for free! 

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Learn and use the simple practice of being aware of what dangers you may face in your area in terms of weather and other possible hazards. This information maybe one of the best things you can do for your family, yourself, and neighbors as well. These valuable skills can be carried on into a full on survival mode if needs be.

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 Set aside time to attend a First Responders Class in your area sponsored by FEMA or a become a Red Cross Volunteer. 

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Operational First Responder Courses: 

www.fema.gov/nims/nims_training.shtm

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Red Cross:

 Prepare for Emergencies with American Red Cross First Aid, CPR ...

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Related Articles:

Red Cross Volunteers recent interaction with emergencies:
Red Cross Responds to Fla. Floods, Western Wildfires



More information on preparedness and other survival and readiness topics see:
Site: www.survival-recovery.com

Image: Allposters (affiliate permissions)

Updated and edited (again!) 07/20/2012

Stay Hydrated Party Animals!

Barkeeper? I'll take Water, Please!!

It's summertime again and the temperatures are starting to rise. This heat can be overwhelming. The healthy thing to do is stay cool by drinking plenty of water. There are dozens of reasons drinking water is good for you. Staying hydrated is important to all around health. Fight off summer heat by making H20 your favorite beverage. 

In Las Vegas, where I live and work I see tons of people carrying on with a drink in their hand and few of them are carrying a water bottle. Party on but include water in your party plans. Have a couple of cocktails but make sure you intake a bottle of water every few drinks to keep the body hydrated well enough to combat the sun, alcohol, and heat. This goes for anyone participating in outdoor summer sports or activities. Especially here in Sin City!

The city of Las Vegas is hosting the Electric Daisy Carnival again this year out at our Motor Speedway. Thankfully this event is scheduled overnight. With temperatures in the 100's during the day I can see hundreds on thousands of people on their way to this mass party / festival determined to have a good time and they will if they mind a couple of good tips. One of them would be drinking plenty of water. Dancing and carrying on costs the body precious fluids and replacing them only takes a couple of sips of H20 here and there.

Water up party animals!!!

Keep the body's water levels up BEFORE signs of dehydration show. And have a great time!


H20 - A Dozen Reasons to Drink Water: http://www.squidoo.com/h20-just-good-water

Links For Related Survival Topics - Site Map

Links for related Survival Topics here on Preparedness 1 2 3 are listed by topic.

The links below are articles on this blog Preparedness 1 2 3 (or Prep123 for short!)

I wanted to sort them into categories as sometimes the blog posts get jumbled and you may not be able to see some great tips and writing because it's buried in the back of of the blog.

Thanks for dropping in and don't forget to book mark this page! It will be updated from time to time when new links are added!

Communication:

• Preparedness - Communication Devices

Disaster Preparedness:

• Plan ahead - Prepping For Natural Disasters 
• Preventative Measures - Wildfires

Emergency Kits:

• Highway Accident - How Many Had An Emergency Kit?
• Food Ideas For 72 hour Kits
• 72 Hour Kit and Bug Out Bags
• First Aid Kits and Supplies
• Survival Handbag

Emergency Preparedness (general preparedness posts):

• Readiness and Mental Preparedness
• Power Out - Is My Food Still Edible?
• Children And Emergency Preparedness
• Emergency Preparedness Specialist
• When the SHTF - Rant
• Surprise! The Moment You Were Preparing For Wasn't Disaster!
• What If's We Don't Think About
• Why Store The Basics?

Food Storage:

• Vitamins In Emergencies
• Food Storage Companies
• Home Production
• Budgeting For Food Storage
• Storing Foods
• Fussy Families - My Family Has Different Diet Needs
• Inventory And Food Storage Planning

Frugal Living:

• Frugal Lifestyle IS Emergency Planning
• Crisis Planning - Frugal Living
• Frugal Living Storage Tips

Gardening:

• Container Gardening Ideas
• Container Gardening How To

H2O and Water:

• Quest For Clean Water In Emergencies
• Water Main Break - Store Some H2O
• Stay Hydrated Party Animals!
• H2O

Home Defense:

• The Spirit Of Preparedness - Self Defense

Preparedness In Action:

• Barely Making It
• Move In Employment Has Me Relying On My Preparedness

Survival Skills:

• Red Cross And FEMA Emergency Skills

Other Great Links Here:

Almanac
Butter for food storage

See more on Squidoo: Preparedness Keys

Survival Recovery on Wordpress:

Survival Recovery (Site)

Container Gardening Ideas

There are always neat and nifty ideas floating around the net for gardening. My favorites are anything that are grown in small spaces in containers. This in depth article shows how to do Tipsy Pots using inexpensive materials. This looks like a great way to grow herbs or even strawberries in a stacked set of pots. I would like to try this for my garden but I would have to anchor the stack into another container. Will get back to you on this!

Image from:  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9BsEIFlkqd5BnLjhPXxn4Sk6xOmJzVOPwAJzk_p0oUbjm-Aj0w2H9Kgdp88ysgWYF5h1OfrkhGxnIEF5RC2OSnTlAgW8lvAN48ngHQg-P-3RFJtrJAvHSw-RmSKMDe7Gv9BGlfy02vDP/s400/June10+015.jpg

See: http://skywalker8.blogspot.com/2010/06/tipsy-pots-tuitorial.html