We are excited to announce that we will be launching our new website on May 21, 2012! We will continue to feature the best deals on Berkey Water Purifying Systems and other Preparedness Products. The new site will allow for easier navigation and easy check-outs. Please stay tuned and look forward to more great deals & savings from The Berkey Guy & company.
This week’s CERT training gave me some experience in the fundamentals of Search-And-Rescue or SAR. In learning the fundamentals of searching for the victims of a disastrous or catastrophic event, the principle of personal safety first must be exercised!
Personal safety is an on-going process, not a static event. Such considerations must be implemented before, during, and after responding. I have often thought of personal safety in terms of arriving on-scene and deciding if I can respond, given what’s happened or not happened. Now, I understand more fully that a responder should never “feel at home” on-scene and must stay aware for his own and partner’s safety: situational awareness.
From the CERT Field Operating Guide (FOG) No. 573 (pg. 24):
Priorities of CERT Search and Rescue:
- The safety of CERT members
- Life safety for victims and others
- Protection of the environment
- Protection of property
Goals of CERT Search and Rescue:
- Rescue the greatest number in the shortest amount of time
- Rescue lightly trapped victims first
Effective Search and Rescue:
- Effective Size-up (see Size-up Checklist)
- Rescuer safety
- Victim safety
The FOG then goes on to make this point:
Safety Considerations: Regardless of the severity of structural damage, rescuer safety must be the primary concern. The two most frequent causes of rescuer deaths are disorientation and secondary collapse.
Here are some more points that I learned, along with a little expansion on the topic:
Primary Concern is Rescuer Safety
If you’re a prepper, then hopefully you have learned to appreciate redundancy. Redundancy allows us to master the fundamental principles of life. As complex as the world is, all of that complexity is based on basics. It is the repetitiveness of a particular message, such as safety, that will remind us to never attempt a rescue near a downed electrical line. It is that same redundancy that reminds us to activate EMS when we’ve observed someone grab his chest and fall unconscious to the ground, or in shouting “CLEAR” while visually confirming that no one is touching a victim who is receiving the effects of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Remember, don’t become part of the problem by becoming another victim!
Buddy System
The buddy system is an excellent way to maximize the presence of human resources. Having a buddy, or two, ensures an extra set of eyes, ears, and able-bodied effort to assess the scene and provide feedback beyond the inherent limitations of an individual. It will be crucial that both “buddies” actively follow the principles of rescuer safety in order to maximize the benefit of collaboration.
Beware of Hazards
Many hazards do not present themselves in a clear and obvious way. Electrical conduits such as power lines, lethal vapors or gases such as carbon monoxide, pyrotechnic devices such as airbag inflators, and similar hazards do not shout out, “I’m a danger, watch out!” unless responders have educated themselves to the latent threats inherent in each one. It is beneficial for all consumers to learn more about the basic threats posed by the items which make our lives more convenient, as long as they are working properly!
Safety Equipment
It never ceases to amaze me how something so simple as wearing goggles, gloves, or helmets, can seem such a burden to folks who should be wearing such equipment because of the nature of their activity. It is easy for individuals to develop “superman” or “superwoman” syndrome after having repeated an activity hundreds of times without incident. Need I remind us all that all it takes is just-one-time? Safety equipment is designed to protect us/reduce risk from that 0.0001% of circumstances when things go wrong.
Support Teams
If you’ve ever watched an active response to a wildland fire, or a serious structure fire, then you’ve no doubt seen support teams staged somewhere on-scene assisting exhausted responders, providing them with water, food, and medical treatment. CERT members often form part of those support teams, helping refresh other responders and offer support in many ways.
With the previous points in mind, an appropriate Scene Size-Up becomes the object of study and practice.
Size-Up Checklist
-TBG
Part 2/3, Search and Rescue: Physical Search, will discuss the Size-up Checklist more fully and cover the physical search process of SAR.
Tune-In tonight 7pm CST to hear David SafeWater interview Sheri “The Organic Pet Lady” on The Berkey Guy Show”: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorprepper/2012/05/09/the-berkey-guy-show-with-jeff-gleason
Catastrophic events affect more than human lives; they endanger the lives of many of our family companions: pets. In consideration of the same kinds of events against which we prepare ourselves, our families, and our communities, those of us with pets hold the responsibility to provide for their needs and safety as well.
Small animals vs. Large animals
The differences in accommodations will vary between the sizes of pets or livestock that you and I have. Cats, small dogs, birds, and other smaller companions can be easily placed in carriers that allow for transportation and safe handling. Larger animals such as horses or livestock require their owns considerations and specific plans for care, evacuation & transport, feeding, and attention. Any animal that requires special care or baseline medical attention will require an added amount of time and attention in an emergent event. It is extremely important that provisions be made for such animals in advance, before any emergency or disaster actually occurs.
If both you and your immediate neighbors have horses/livestock, it would benefit you both greatly if you established a coordinated response effort ahead of an actual event. The same collaborative principles apply to smaller pets/animals. The power of your response network is what will increase the likelihood of surviving a catastrophic event with minimal injury and/or loss.
The County of Los Angeles suggests an evacuation plan for animals that includes the following points:
ESPFocus.org is an online resource provided by the County of Los Angeles, CA. ESP stands for Emergency Survival Plan. Their PDF on Pet Preparedness shares the following points:
ESPFocus also recommends the following considerations:
After the crisis has passed, it may be some time before
you can return to your home, so be prepared for a stay of
several days or even a week or two. Keep in mind that
even if your house is intact and you are allowed to return,
the area may not yet be safe for your pets.Risks after a fire include burned or cut paws, eating or
inhaling toxic substances or residues, escaping because
of downed fences or other damage, loss of shelter and
shade, and a lack of water supply, power supply, and other
services. Many similar risks will be present after an
earthquake or other disaster.Keep in mind that when animals return to a changed
landscape, they may be upset, disoriented, and easily
stressed. Give them as much calm and normalcy as you
can, and follow similar rituals whenever possible.
Pet Preparedness 101: Part 2/2 will cover more specifics of supplies, tools, and useful resources to strengthen your pet preparations.
-TBG
This week at my CERT training, I was able to learn more about fire safety. Specifically, I learned that fire can also be described as “an exothermic reaction process where rapid oxidation of a material produces light, heat, and other products of combustion”. I learned the answer to a $64,000 question: Is oxygen itself flammable? The answer: No. It was interesting to learn about the fire triangle as well. [Fire Triangle image] Oxygen contributes as an oxidizing agent to the flammable fuel material.
Until this week’s training, I had never used a fire extinguisher to extinguish a significant size flame. The fuel source of this particular fire was gasoline and it was performed under the supervision of professional fire personnel and with enough resources to secure a “controlled burn”. In contrast to a controlled burn, the term conflagration denotes an uncontrolled burn, such as in a structure fire or a wildfire or blaze. This fire extinguishing experience increased my respect for firefighters and provided first-hand exposure to the amount of heat generated in a small, controlled burn.
We watched videos that described historically significant events and tragedies involving structure fires and losses of life, such as the Station Fire on Rhode Island, February 2003:
Having lived in Southern California in my younger years, I have experienced earthquakes of varying magnitudes including the Whittier Narrows quake of 1987 and the Northridge quake of 1994. I have witnessed firsthand how scenes and groups of individuals can become chaotic in an instant when the earth moves. This chaos is what has led to so many losses of life in structure fires such as the Station Fire. When enclosed locations are populated beyond capacity and poorly lit, these are the basic ingredients for a tragedy, although a tragic event may not occur.
An interesting comment was made by one of our instructors (paraphrasing mine):
There are some people that mistakenly subscribe to what they call “the rule of thumb”. They suggest that as long as you are able to stand far enough away from a disastrous event so as to be able to place your thumb in front of your dominant eye and obstruct the view (contain the event by visibly blocking it from your view), then you are at a safe distance…that’s wrong and those people are mistaken! You can bet I’ll be a few thumbs’ distance behind those people with all their thumbs.
That instructor was right, especially with an event like this one:
In this week’s class, we also covered:
• Various methods of carrying victims out of an area
• ABCDE fires
• Appropriate situations & how to turn residential gas off
• Obtain & properly maintain/check smoke & carbon monoxide detectors regularly
• Hazmat in home
o Separate ammonia from bleach
Below is a fire classification chart that I found at SafetyPosterShop.com:
-TBG
Our friend from YouTube Sootch00 recently made a video on the most important and fundamental life sustainer: WATER. Please watch and enjoy!
Our good friend and author of The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse, Fernando Ferfal Aguirre, made this video on 10 EDC (Every Day Carry) items. Please watch this video and let us know what you carry or recommend for EDC. Your feedback will help others improve their preps. Got a video you recommend that we share? Let us know by commenting below.
-TBG
Last night, I attended my second class of C.E.R.T. training (Community Emergency Response Team). It was fun and I learned quite a bit. In last night’s class, we covered the following items:
How to Assess a Situation
When arriving at the scene of an emergent event, one of the easiest ways to avoid injury and “becoming part of the problem” is to perform a rapid visual assessment of the environment. The point here is to never enter into an unsafe environment. It may be necessary, for example, to visually assess the situation from inside your vehicle. The best help that you can offer in such a situation is to secure your own safety first, and then report as much information as possible to professional emergency responders. Their job will be to secure the area, determine appropriate response/entry, evacuate the area, search/rescue/treat victims, and prevent injury to service personnel.
In an ideal situation, another trained individual would accompany you to the scene where you can determine the appropriate response.
The Priority of Personal Safety
Personal, Partner, and Patient safety cannot be overemphasized. This is why firefighters and police officers are instructed to make entry into a threatening situation only when estimated risk is manageable AND they have the appropriate personnel support such endeavors. Two common sayings you will hear in regards is, “Don’t become part of the problem”, or “We don’t need another victim”.
The Importance of Incident Documentation
As with medical procedures performed in controlled settings, appropriate responses to emergent scenes require the documentation of facts, actions taken, and observed responses. A professional paramedic friend of mine said it simply, “If you didn’t write it down, then it didn’t happen.” The documentation of the number of victims, observable threats, actions taken, and the progressive events helps to relay the gravity of the situation to other responders and for future study, post-event. Debriefings are post-event meetings that allow responders to discuss the event and to begin analyzing it in hopes of learning from it for future events. In this way, more appropriate responses can be created and practiced. Documentation also lends itself to legal review in cases where responders are required to testify about their actions on-scene.
Intro to MCI (Mass Casualty Incidents)
This portion of the training is designed to provide responders with time-sensitive responses to incidents involving several victims. Psychologically, the algorithmic flow of responder actions appears insensitive and heartless, allowing victims only brief attention from the responder until he/she categorizes the victim and then moves on to the next victim. During this section of training, the harsh reality of “doing the greatest good for the greatest number [of people]” struck me. This truly was an eye-opener for me personally!
Triage
This word comes from the French infinitive “trier”, meaning “to sort”. To perform a triage, responders establish priority of medical attention to affected victims & “tag” them accordingly. Fundamentally, the triage operates with the understanding that in an MCI, appropriate resources and personnel will be limited from helping each victim with the same urgency and quality of care as others.
RPM- Respiratory, Perfusion, Mental status
Once a responder has begun to perform assessments on victims of an MCI, they first determine if the victim is breathing on their own. If not, the responder can attempt to reposition the airway in hopes of facilitating spontaneous breathing. If no respirations are present, then the responder will attempt one more re-positioning. If the second attempt to open the airway is unsuccessful in obtaining respirations, then the victim is tagged with a black morgue tab from the triage card.
There are several other possible outcomes to initiating a START. The example of the morgue tag is the worst-case scenario flow of running the algorithm. For other possible outcomes and more info, read THIS (downloadable PDF).
Several more points were discussed in last night’s class including:
I will detail the bullet points above in a follow-up post…but now, back to studying the material for the next class!
-The Berkey Guy
This last week, I had the opportunity to participate in my first Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. I have to admit that I had been putting this off for quite some time, but am glad that I am finally getting involved now.
The initial class was great. There are a few weeks remaining and lots of material to review. After talking with quite a few folks about their reasons to not take the course, here are the primary excuses, commonly used:
Privacy & Trust
As far as giving more information to government agencies than they already “have” on you, here’s the deal: You are not required to provide your social security number in order to participate in the training. If you would like the opportunity to progress into the advanced CERT trainings and skills capacity, you will need to provide that information. Providing that SSN is important for the agencies because they need to establish that individuals with advanced training are of a character and background free of issues that could conflict with the safe & trusted deployment of their response-ability, without immediate supervision and can function autonomously & securely. Often times, advanced-level CERTs are deployed into areas outside of their immediate communities, into other federal or state regions than the one in which they reside personally.
If you are of an opinion that you would like to help your community (i.e. neighbors, fellow residents, etc.) but distrust government, then consider that by uniting your efforts with CERT you will become the trusted resource to those whom you aid when other agencies/organizations are unable to respond.
Knowledge Expansion
Each individual has the opportunity to expand his/her knowledge in every field of study…and especially practical application! I have met with more than two active fire chiefs of densely populated metropolitan cities and each one has been active in fire service for several decades. Each of them also readily shared that they continue to learn on the job, regardless of their experiences over the years.
It is possible for an individual to have read all of the CERT and supplemental materials and to gain a knowledge of the didactic portions of curricula. The real test of learned knowledge comes in its mastery through application. Any profession which requires its constituents to continually drill and train, understands this principle as well as the need for muscle memory and the building of fast-twitch muscle fiber response.
One crucial component of the classroom/field-drills training is the interaction with other individuals in order to develop appropriate responses per scenario. This is the most challenging aspect of implementing the book work. There will always be lessons to learn from drills. Remember this saying? The more you sweat during practice, the less you bleed during gametime.
Time is Valuable
Time is more valuable than money. For those whose schedules or areas cannot accommodate 8-hour individual classes, 2-hour classes are also available during evenings in most locations. The steady participation in several classes of shorter length can accommodate virtually every individual, regardless of their availability.
For those who are completely unable to attend because of conflicting schedules, you could benefit from visiting the main CERT website and downloading the participant manual and studying at your own pace. Here is the link: CERT Training Materials.
Personal Individual Development
Each and every one of us knows that our country’s decline is the cumulative consequence of individuals abandoning personal accountability. Many attitudes toward emergency preparedness reflect that similar disregard. This is changing, believe it or not. I constantly see individuals who have finally “had enough” of the status quos in their lives. They have decided to take action and engage themselves. Personal individual development is a process that is rewarding and liberating. As we position ourselves with greater autonomy, we strengthen our value to our families, neighborhoods, community, and country. This is the greatest aim of patriotism: Sovereignty.
Following are my notes from my first CERT meeting this last week.
Instructors have over 30 years of experience in emergency preparedness
[Received] Community emergency response team manual
Citizens are the first responders
Key elements of disasters:
Relatively unexpected
Emergency personnel overwhelmed
Lives endangered
Be sure to store water as water supply is not inadequate [slightly mentioned]
Assemble disaster kit
Develop a safe room
Possible disasters:
Flash floods
Lightning
Winter weather
Earthquakes
Biggest killer is flash floods in USA
Have flood insurance
Have a flood evacuation plan
Stay out of flooded areas
Tornadoes
Hail
Winter storms
fill your gas tank
Extreme temperatures
Heat cramps
Earthquakes
Strap water heaters
Develop a plan
Conduct earthquake drills
Identify an out of state family contact
Secure book case
Water storage
1-2 gallons per day/person [they were too brief on this point]
Food storage calms people
Store [food] you like
Medical supplies
First aid kit
Keep prescriptions
Landslides
The following article is used here with permission from our friends Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy. Enjoy!
We have discussed the issue of trauma evaluation and treatment in various articles over the past year, but we have rarely brought up the issue of dental trauma. During the Vietnam war, medical personnel reported that there were as many dental issues presented at Sick Call as medical issues. In a collapse situation, therefore, we can expect a percentage of the Survival Medic’s patients to come with dental problems as well. Despite this, few people who are otherwise medically prepared seem to devote much time to dental health.
Today’s dentists have high technology on their side, but this technology will not be available if things go South. Therefore, we look to historical methods of treating these problems. Although some of these methods may not currently be in use, they may suffice to at least temporarily deal with the issue in times of trouble. . Of these issues, some will be related to trauma
Dental trauma may appear in various forms. After an injury to the oral cavity, a person may have:
(here’s our link to part 1 about dental anatomy and tooth fractures):
http://www.doomandbloom.net/2012/04/dental-trauma-part-1-fractures.html
A tooth that is knocked loose but not out of its alveolar socket is called a subluxation. Lightly using your gloved hand or a cotton applicator should identify if it is loose and how much. Minimal trauma may require no major intervention. If a tooth is loose, it should be pressed back into the alveolus (socket) and “splinted” to neighboring teeth for stability. Dentists use wire or special materials for this purpose, but you might find yourself having to use soft wax if professional help is not at hand. Prevent further trauma by placing on a liquid diet (juices, jello) for a time, until the tooth appears well anchored. Soft diets (things like puddings or soft cereals) are also ok.
The most favorable situation when a tooth is completely knocked out (an “avulsion”) is that it came out in one piece, down to its root and ligament. In this circumstance, time is a very important factor in possible treatment success. If the tooth is not replaced or at least placed in a preservation solution, the success of reimplantation drops 1% every MINUTE the tooth is not in its socket.
A good preservation liquid for teeth that have been knocked out is “Hank’s Solution”. This is a balanced salt solution that has been used to culture living cells, and it helps protect raw ligament fibers for a time. Hank’s Solution is available commercially as “Save-a-Tooth”. Although you can make your own Hank’s Solution, it is a fairly complex process. (http://www.thelabrat.com/protocols/Hanks.shtml)
If you are not at your retreat at the time of injury:
If the tooth has been out for less than 15 minutes, you may attempt to reimplant it…
To continue reading, Click HERE.
For those of you fellow preppers out there, how many times have you heard this from your family, friends, or neighbors when they start talking about a disaster happening and they plan on living unprepared?:
“I’ll just go to [insert your name here]‘s house!”
Chances are that even for those of us who live quietly, trusted acquaintances come to rely on us for extra batteries, food or water storage tips, or recommendations for gear & resourceful websites/blogs to visit for more info, still like to joke about this preparedness. Heck, there’s even a video-making knucklehead on YouTube that makes statements to promote the typical mob mentality. I don’t mention his name here because he’s a troll…remember, DO NOT FEED THE TROLLS. People like David Sarti are planning to keep those kind of thugs at a distance and so should you. I suggest that the best way to do that is to develop your safety network. Learn more about human psychology. Get to know the body’s fight/flight response intimately. Build your endurance abilities. Get plugged-in with other like-minded folks who are trustworthy, deliver on their commitments, and live quietly. If you are fortunate enough to have hi-speed teammates, then good for you. If you’ve got eyes and ears for that last sentence, keep them safe.
This week, I’ve been interacting with trusted friends on a particular social network. My initial topic was earthquake vulnerability in the Southern California area. One particular friend made a joking comment about coming to my house at the “appropriate” time. Relative to security and sizing up breathing liabilities/threats, he will be a valuable asset. In other words, I would hate to be under this guy’s boots. But I made the passing remark,
I say that statement to convey two points: (1) don’t expect freebies, and (2) you’ll need to productively contribute in order to enjoyably consume. The sobering thought that supersedes all preps and training though, is this: I hope to be fortunate enough, along with my family, to survive whatever ordeal will require a focused appeal to such resources and training.
There is nothing wrong with people coming to seek help. It is a fundamental survival behavior. There is nothing wrong with setting boundaries and communicating acceptable/intolerable behaviors, or even exacting contributions of otherwise freeloaders. Those who “get it” have already begun dealing with such scenarios before they materialize. Balance is crucial. Fear is deconstructive as a motivator. Even with tons of guns, ammo, and an army, those who have the mental and psychological fortitude & poise in order to deal with situations and people-especially when outcomes appear bleak- will fare better than those whose deficits limit operational self-reliance and appropriate intercourse.
-David SafeWater
