Fire Drills

[Bill Ryan]

"Fire Drills" is just a metaphor. I had an interesting experience that prompted this thread, a particular aspect of prepping that can be easily overlooked.

Yesterday, I had a flat tire on my old 4x4. Ugh — but I had all the tools and knew exactly what to do. It'd just be a 10-minute hassle, I thought.

But then I hit all kinds of trouble. My spare was bolted to the rear door, and secured by a padlock. It'd been that way for ten years. I'd anticipated the issue of the lock getting seized up with dirt, so I'd thoughtfully protected it with wraparound tape. But when I came to unlock it, it was still totally encrusted in grime.

I had a toolkit with some WD-40, so I set to work on it and after a long while got the little key to turn without breaking it. But even then it wouldn't open. Eventually, with an additional sprinkling of fairy dust, I managed to lever it open with pliers and a big screwdriver.

The spare was bolted on the door with three wheelnuts. I loosened two of them fine, but the third one was seized tight. So I applied all my strength to it, and then the stud broke and started to turn at the back.

So that meant that I had to somehow stop the stud from turning. None of my spanners would fit, but I had an adjustable wrench that was really hard to get in the tiny space available, with only room for a couple of fingers to fiddle with it. That took an age to get in place, and after even more fairy dust I eventually managed to get the spare wheel loose and off.

The entire thing took me nearly a couple of hours. And I was actually lucky! (I then drove into town and found the problem was a bad valve: I got it fixed it for just $3.)

But the moral of the story was that though I had all the tools and knew what to do, I'd never checked that it was all possible. It would have been really simple to have thought ahead and made sure everything worked before the roadside emergency.

That's the "Fire Drill" metaphor. Don't wait till there's a real fire before you find out your fire extinguisher is empty, or (maybe!) that you have no idea how to use it.

~~~

I have an earlier story like this to tell against myself, as well. Three years ago I bought a little generator in a Black Friday sale, which was 80% discounted. I was delighted, got it all wired up, and checked that it all worked fine.

And with no power outages, I just left it in my shed, sitting there all brand new for a year and a half.

Then I had the thought that maybe I should remind myself how to start it up and connect it, because quite a lot of time had passed. But I could not get it going at all. OMG!

I had to take it in to be serviced, though the thing was all shiny new. A valve had stuck in the carburetor, just because it'd never been run for 18 months.

I learned from that — and now, once a month as a little regular ritual, I start it up and run it for a few minutes. Now I know that it'll work if ever I have to rely on it.



These are silly little stories, but there's an important message here.

1. Make sure you know what do to do with a piece of equipment. (And can do it!)
2. Make sure that it works.

Mike Adams is always going on about this (rather irritatingly!) — with guns. He says, quite rightly: don't go buy a gun (if you feel you need to) and then just faithfully keep it in your drawer like a magic talisman. You need practice and training. You do need to know how to use it.

And there are simpler Fire Drills, too. If you live in a rural location, and all the power goes out one evening, and you're there in total pitch black darkness (and you could be anywhere in the house, not necessarily in bed) — can you feel your way, blind, to where you know there's a flashlight? And does that flashlight work?

Do you know how to change your household fuses? If you don't have the right fuse, can you improvise? Will your fusebox even open? Do you know how to turn your water on and off? Will the stopcock turn? Do you have the tools you need to do that kind of thing? Do you have a fire extinguisher? Is it the right kind? Is it big enough for a major kitchen fire? Do you know where it is?

All this is part of prepping, of course, so it does kind of belong in this section. Many of these things seem tiny and trivial, and most people reading this may have all those bases covered. But if there's just one future personal emergency that can be averted with a little prompt for thought, then this bit of storytelling may have been worthwhile.

[Anna70]

Thank you so much for sharing this sound advice, Bill! It reminded me of an incident we once had with a flat tyre due to worn out valves. It turns out that when you have your car tyres replaced, the mechanic does not necessarily also replace the - often equally old - valves. (We weren't aware of this at the time.) New valves only cost a few pounds to install, but the old valve going on us led to a much more costly tyre replacement, as it had been damaged by having been driven on flat for a tiny distance.

What is it with valves?!

[mountain_jim]

I did get out the old gasoline, 2-burner Coleman stove a few weeks ago and fueled, relearned, and tested it (after 10 years of it sitting in box in basement). I originally chose the gasoline version of the Coleman stove thinking I would have a reserve of fuel in vehicles I could syphon and my seasonal, stabilized, mowing/wood cutting fuel can.

However, my new Berkey water filter is still sitting new in the box, after purchase a few weeks ago

Yesterday while reading Avalon posts and washing clothes, I heard water running and thought that's odd, cycle should have finished by now, but did not immediately go check on it.

When I did, water was spewing and pooling on the floors of several rooms of the house, and then leaking through ceiling to the basement. A hose connector, unchecked after installing 18 years earlier, had failed. Should have been replaced after 5 years!

What a mess that we are still recovering from today, with fans and dehumidifier and hang drying of things.

(maybe something 'in the air' causing weak-point failures yesterday for some of us).

[Yoda]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
"Fire Drills" is just a metaphor.


I have an earlier story like this to tell against myself, as well. Three years ago I bought a little generator in a Black Friday sale, which was 80% discounted. I was delighted, got it all wired up, and checked that it all worked fine.

And with no power outages, I just left it in my shed, sitting there all brand new for a year and a half.

Then I had the thought that maybe I should remind myself how to start it up and connect it, because quite a lot of time had passed. But I could not get it going at all. OMG!

I had to take it in to be serviced, though the thing was all shiny new. A valve had stuck in the carburetor, just because it'd never been run for 18 months.

I learned from that — and now, once a month as a little regular ritual, I start it up and run it for a few minutes. Now I know that it'll work if ever I have to rely on it.

I suggest putting fuel stabalizer, in a freshly refilled container. The fuel will go bad otherwise.

[mountain_jim]

I do keep 5 gallons of stabilized fuel, which would last for a while. Beyond that, what's left in the car should work in the Coleman. I admit that's not tested, but I am more likely to get gas than propane on short notice here.

[Ewan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

And there are simpler Fire Drills, too. If you live in a rural location, and all the power goes out one evening, and you're there in total pitch black darkness (and you could be anywhere in the house, not necessarily in bed) — can you feel your way, blind, to where you know there's a flashlight? And does that flashlight work?

Interesting thing about pitch blackness, and knowing where you are. Assuming you've lived in the same place for quite a few years your mind/body knows how to negotiate the place with your eyes shut. It comes down to a letting go of fear and replacing it with trust.

I used to try and imagine I was blind as an exercise, trying to understand what that might be like. That is how I discovered I could do this. The hardest thing is maintaining that level of trust that you do know where all the obstacles lie. You know you're failing when you slow right down and start to feel around with slow foot movements and arms waving around.

(Oh, and you will probably stub a toe at some point.)

Interestingly a similar thing in regards to typing at my keyboard, I usually watch the keys I'm hitting all the time and only checking what is on the page at the end of a sentence for instance. But now and again I am so focussed on what I'm saying I'm watching the text appear on the screen and realise I've typed the last few words without even glancing at the keyboard. Our fingers have done it so often they just know where all the keys are. Ask any touch typist.

[pyrangello]

Propane stays good forever , solar panels are pretty cheap and you can charge a car battery with them ( check out northern products ), for back up lighting keep a box of solar landscape lights stored, all you need to do is set them outside for the day and you have plenty of light for the evening.

[Brigantia]

I know that I am fully settled in a new home when I can walk around it in the dark without getting bruised from bumping into things. I'm a real skinflint when it comes to cutting down electricity usage.

Sometimes I'm so distracted and clumsy that I bump into furniture during daylight...

[Pam]

This is actually a very timely thread. I have had several power outages and a huge amount of snow and freezing weather that is very unusual for where I live. This was the first year year that I actually bought a cord of wood made multiple trips loading it in my car and stacking and covering the wood so it would be available. So not sitting around cold and no hunting for the small amount of wood that I previously had and the dogs and I were nice and warm.

This year I bought a coleman double burner that runs on propane and I have purchased multiple smaller propane containers. Maybe I should have bought one that uses regular gasoline. Bought a kind of pricey high tech flashlight that produces so much light that it is just amazing. I was pretty pleased with how well I handled it, but I have definitely noted areas where I can improve and organize a little bit better.

After this I have decided to splurge and get a solar generator. It can also be charged with AC and from a vehicle or with the solar panels. Easy to transport too. Apparently they are quite popular with the nomadic crowd that live in vans,RVs and such, so they are versatile. I considered the gasoline generator but they all seem to be so heavy that as a female living alone they seem to be out of my league to be really useful and for me to move around and transport. The problem with the solar generator is that it is pricey, but the good thing is they weigh from about 23 - 40 pounds which I can deal with easily. If anyone has any advice along these lines I would welcome feedback.

It really doesn't take that long to check out things and make sure they are in working order and in my case understand how to use them. Having to figure this kind of stuff out during a emergency just adds unwanted stress.

[Pam]

Posted by pyrangello (here)
Propane stays good forever , solar panels are pretty cheap and you can charge a car battery with them ( check out northern products ), for back up lighting keep a box of solar landscape lights stored, all you need to do is set them outside for the day and you have plenty of light for the evening.

This is some very practicable and doable advice. I love the idea about the solar landscape lights, they really have become quite reasonable in price. I see all sorts of potential for repurposing those lights.

[pyrangello]

Heres a list that may be very helpful, just cross off the stuff you don't need and go from there.

I thought I was well prepared for economic collapse or natural disasterr until I read
this list. Be preparedn because SUGGESS FAVORS THE PREPARED MIND!


This list is from a Sarajevo War Survivor: Experiencing honible things that can happen in a war - death of parents
and friends, hunger and malnutrition, endless freezingcold, fear, sniper attacks. Prior to its collapse into civil war
life in Saraievo was similar to life in a US rural state like Tennessee or Wyoming.
100 Items to Disappear First
1. Generators: Good solar ones are best. Gas ones have supplylstorage, risk, noisy, target of thieves, maintenance.
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Portable Toilets/showers
4. Seasoned Firewood. Wood takes about 6 - 12 months to become dried, for home uses.
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps (First Choice: Buy CLEAR oil. If scarce, stockpile ANY!)
6. Coleman Fuel. Impossible to stockpile too much.
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots.
8. Hand-can openers, & hand egg beaters, whisks.
9. Honey/Symps/white, brown sugar
10. Rice - Beans - Wheat
1 1. Vegetable Oil (for cooking) Without it food burns/must be boiled etc.,)
12. Charcoal, Lighter Fluid (Will become scarce suddenly)
13. Water Containers (Urgent Item to obtain.) Any size. Small: HARD CLEAR PLASTIC ONLY - note - food
grade if for drinking.
14. Mini Heater head (Propane) (Without this item, propane won't heat a room.)
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders (Urgent: Def,rnite shortages will occur.
17. Survival Guide Book.
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc. (Without this item,longer-term lighting is difficult.)
1 9. Baby Supplies: Diapers/formula. ointments/aspirin, etc.
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer (for Laundry)
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23.Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder (Urgent: Small canister use is dangerous without this item)
24. Feminine Hygiene/Haircare/Skin products.
25. Thermal underwear (Tops & Bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets, Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum Foil Reg. & Heavy Duty (Great Cooking and Barter Item)
28. Gasoline Containers (Plastic & Metal)
29. Garbage Bags (Impossible To Have Too Many).
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, Paper Towels
31. Milk - Powdered & Condensed (Shake Liquid every 3 to 4 months)
32. Garden Seeds Q.{on-Hybrid) (A MUST)
33. Clothes pins/linelhangers (A MUST)
34. Coleman's Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (in oil)
36. Fire Extinguishers (or..large box of Baking Soda in every room)
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries (all sizes...buy furthest-out for Expiration Dates)
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. Big Dogs (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42.Matches. {"Strike Anywhere" preferred.) Boxed, wooden matches will go first
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils, solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime.)
45. Workboots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHTSTICKS & torches, "No. 76 Dietz" Lanterns
47.loumals, Diaries & Scrapbooks (ot down ideas, feelings, experience; Historic Times)
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting - if with wheels)
49. Men's Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
5 1. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent, sprays/creams
53. Duct Tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine I nailshopelspikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry Detergent (liquid)
57. Backpacks, Duffel Bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain. NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Cawing supplies, (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicyc les.. . Tires/tube s/pumps/chains, etc
65. Sleeping Bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67.Board Games, Cards, Dice
68. d-con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils (stock up, folks)
Tl.Baby wipes, oils, waterless & Antibacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
T4.Handpumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soysauce, vinegar, bullions/gravylsoup base
76. Reading glasses
7 7 . Chocolatel Cocaa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. " Survival-in-a-Can"
79. Woolen clothing, scarve s/ear-muffs/mittens
80. Boy Scout Handbook, / also Leaders Catalog
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts (for transport to and from)
87. Cots & Inflatable mattress's
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws,, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors (for bribes, medicinal, etc,)
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers (for cooling/bathing)
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens
10 additional survival strategies.
1. Stockpiling helps. but you never no how long trouble will last, so locate
near renewable food sources.
2. Living near a well with a manual pump is like being in Eden.
3. After awhile, even gold can lose its luster. But there is no luxury in war
quite like toilet paper. Its surplus value is gteater than gold's.
4. If you had to go without one utility, lose electricity - it's the easiest to
do without (unless you're in a very nice climate with no need for heat.)
5. Canned foods are awesome, especially if their contents are tasty without
heating. One of the best things to stockpile is canned gravy - it makes a lot of
the dry unappetizing things you find to eat in war somewhat edible. Only needs
enough heat to "warm", not to cook. It's cheap too, especially if you buy it in
bulk.
6. Bring some books - escapist ones like romance or mysteries become more
valuable as the war continues. Sure, it's great to have a lot of survival
guides, but you'll figure most of that out on your own anlrway - trust me, you'll
have a lot of time on your hands.
7.The feeling that you're human can fade pretty fast. I can't tell you how many
people I knew who would have traded a much needed meal for just a little bit of
toothpaste, rouge, soap or cologne. Not much point in fighting if you have to
lose your humanity. These things are morale-builders like nothing else.
8. Slow buming candles and matches, matches, matches.
9. Have a little bit of cash hidden in your house in small denominations.
10. Have as much silver and gold for barter hidden in your house as you can stand holding because its99yo certain
that is the ONLY money people will trade you goods for no matter what.

[WhiteFeather]

Good to here you got it done Bill, thanks for sharing. We can learn a lot from this thread I'm sure.
I just recently bought a nice minty 1993 Ford Ranger 4x4 XLT. So When I got her home, I couldn't find the jack, the spare was affixed under the truck and was really rusted in tight. I eventually found the jack, but the spare underneath needed a good spraying of WD-40 to the bracket assembly etc, that was holding it in place. Preventive maintenance my oldest 1st Cousin always told me. I should try it and see if it's easy to come off now, LOL. Or I may run into the same situation as yourself Bill.

And yes we do need a back up plan also, and with respect to home needs etc, I totally agree.

[Ernie Nemeth]

Petroleum jelly works well to insulate exposed parts from seizing. Or lithium grease.

After turning all those rusty nuts and bolts, protect the new ones with a dollop of grease, liberally applied.

[WhiteFeather]

Posted by Ernie Nemeth (here)
Petroleum jelly works well to insulate exposed parts from seizing. Or lithium grease.

After turning all those rusty nuts and bolts, protect the new ones with a dollop of grease, liberally applied.

Thanks for that Ernie.

[Sunny-side-up]

Glad you got it sorted there Bill.

Another good name for Fire Drill is "Test Run"

Not wanting to be a downer but, remember being setup and ready (Prepped) is great but, the main threat comes from them Humans who aren't ready.

[Ernie Nemeth]

It was during a big power outage a while back that I realized we needed a heater and a means to boil water. First I tried making a fire as near our apartment window as possible, but that didn't work well at all.

So I gathered some materials, that I always have near to hand, and began building a candle heater, that I have shown here on another thread. It took me exactly the duration of the power outage to construct. It would have been smart to build it beforehand...

But now it's built and has been used a few times since.


Prepping and a test run is a great idea, very important.

[Tigger]

Hmmm, when I joined the “Scouts”, their motto was “Be prepared”. We kids didn’t really understand the implications of such a motto at first. After all, It was only two simple words. And we were too preoccupied with playing games, etc. That (for me) was back in the early 1980’s.

As surprising as this may sound to some, when I was a youthful youth (i.e. in my twenties), me and some friends decided that it would be a good idea to plan for a nuclear disaster. We decided that the best way to ensure our survival was to bury equipment at strategic ’drop points’ around the perimeter of the city we were living in. The theory was, that if we needed to leave the city and there was no other means of transport other than ‘foot’, we’d be okay, because there was a supply line mapped out.

Now, I have to put this into context: When we cooked up this plan, we were a bunch of very nåive young adults. We thought that we were invincible, and we thought way too much more than we practiced. Of course, we never took into account that a nuclear explosion would be probably very bad for anyone trekking over the surface of the land, and we, being invincible 20-year-olds, did not need to consider that important point.

So when we decided to put our ‘plan’ to the test, we realised that it was easy to trek over terrain and find the buried supplies, but we hadn’t counted on bringing the shovel with us. Needless to say, it was an embarrassment for us all, and one I very reluctantly admit to, even to this day.

The motto? Always test and re-test your plans and contingencies. Do a ‘dry-run’ and make sure that whatever systems you have in place will actually WORK when you need it to. Test, test, and re-test your scenario / systems.

Here’s an example for you: Every six months we do a controlled test of our backup power systems on our property. I’ll go to the street (it’s quite a long hike) and physically cut the main power to the property. We ensure that the UPS will kick in and hold the power up until the generator auto-starts. [Yes, we also have solar power but we disable this when we run the test - we’re interested in the generator backup plan]. We then run on independent power for 72 hours to make sure (among other things) that our projected power usage matches our projected fuel consumption. Last year we knew from this data that we needed to install a second diesel tank in the ground to guarantee power for two years. That would have been a huge ‘miss’ had we not made a “dry-run” of the power systems during the ‘wet’ season.

It’s a similar story with water, food capacity, and just about every other system you can name - we ‘dry-run’ everything every 3-6 months, just to make sure we can rely on our backup systems in case s*** turns to mud.



**Note: Only a couple of years ago I was hopelessly dependent upon city living. I made the choice to liquidate holdings and move to a rural area. It’s different to city life, and I do not look back, not even for a second. But it does require you to do frequent “fire drills”, because if your primary systems fail and your backup systems can’t take over, you’re done. That goes for food, water, power, shelter, EM-pulse protection, alien invasion, or whatever.

[Anna70]

We haven't got a great deal of equipment, but for 'wild camping' purposes (pre-CFS) we did get a Drink-Safe Systems water bag and a canteen, each of which has a filter that should purify up to 1,600l of water before shutting down automatically. (They probably have newer products now.)
We also have a couple of different camping stoves (propane and methylated spirit, the former of which I've used indoors on occasion, when my gas meter wasn't working). Regarding gas canisters, they can get rusty if stored in damp conditions.

[Spiral]

Re the grease thing, copper grease is the best thing for lubing something you aren't likely to take apart for a long time, because the copper remains long after the grease has dried up or washed off & helps prevent the two surfaces of the threaded parts welding themselves together with corrosion.

[WhiteFeather]

Posted by Spiral (here)
Re the grease thing, copper grease is the best thing for lubing something you aren't likely to take apart for a long time, because the copper remains long after the grease has dried up or washed off & helps prevent the two surfaces of the threaded parts welding themselves together with corrosion.

Interesting, thanks for sharing, i have never heard of that type of grease, Question: Would wheel bearing grease be similar?