DPT--Garage Sale-ing

A friend of mine had a garage sale today so I stopped over to check it out. In the course of an hour or so, I came to the following conclusions:

• shopping at garage sales is much cheaper than shopping at the big box or department stores.
• there appears to be a group of people who shop garage sales professionally. They plan a route, get there early, quickly scope out the items, get what they came for, then move on.
• garage sales can be excellent places to pick up stuff for your preparedness stash. My friend was selling a couple of ALICE packs which went very quickly, some tools (ditto), and some spare cold weather gear which also went pretty fast.
• you never know what you will find. Antiques, collectors items, and useful things can be found in among the random mish mash of stuff at these sales.
• you never know who you will meet. Within an hour we had chatted with a Vietnam Vet, a mother of seven who home schools her kids, a young immigrant family, a group of elderly folks who go out together each summer weekend and hit as many garage sales as they can, and some neighbors who stopped by just to see what was going on.
• this isn't for everyone. I usually have better things to do with my time however for people with more time and less money, this is an excellent way to get the things they need.

Conference Notes (Part 5 of 7) Evacuation

Another featured topic at the conference was evacuation. You would think evacuation would be a fairly simple idea...get out and get out now. However, when you are talking about evacuating large buildings or large amounts of people, there are many tips and tricks that you wouldn't think about until after you had experienced such an event. Here's some ideas:

• Pay attention to the local news for information and other local sources of information about evacuations in your community. Communications is key in being able to know the what, when, where, and how of evacuations.
• Set up your incident command center as soon as evacuation may be a possibility. Consider having an incident command center set up sheet so that anyone could set the center up if needed.
• You need duct tape, markers, and sign board. These items will be used to make signs either directing the evacuation or leaving a sign to tell the public where you have evacuated to.
• If you are evacuating a large building, have one (or more) out-only doors. It is difficult to have workers going in and out of the same doors that you are trying to get everyone out of. Ditto for evacuation routes for cars--one way traffic works better than cars going every which way.
• Can you lock your doors? Some facilities such as hospitals and casinos usually never close so some have found that when they do need to evacuate and lock down, they have no locks!
• Work with your local fire department and emergency management department. They may be able to help provide fire breaks around your facility (ie: in the event of a wild fire evacuation), help with evacuations if necessary (ie: helping to evacuate patients from hospitals or provide buses to transport large groups of people), and may even place a strike team at your facility depending an the amount of loss that could occur due to fire, flood, etc.
• Consider what else you need to evacuate besides people. Nursing homes may need to collect up patient records, hospitals may need to bring all of their medications from the pharmacy, offices may need to quickly back up records and bring them along, etc.
• Have maps on hand. If you are evacuating a hotel or other location where you have people who are unfamiliar with local roads, you may need to provide evacuation maps (ie: if there is a tsunami evacuation, you will need to highlight the route people will need to take to get to higher ground).
• Create department closure checklists. Depending on how much time you have to evacuate, you may want your staff to officially close down their department (ie: securing computers, securing money, securing files, etc).
• Review your business hazard insurance and business interruption insurance. Are the types of disasters most common to your area covered? Many organizations may find that they aren't covered for floods...after a flood has decimated their facility.
• Hold regular evacuation drills.
• Purchase temperature monitoring software for sensitive areas. If you have a major investment in food, pharmaceuticals, temperature sensitive equipment, etc. these items will need to be trashed if you can not prove that they were kept within an optimal temperature range.
• Create mutual aid agreements with similar organizations (you may be able to share supplies, employees, equipment, etc. if your facility is evacuated or destroyed).
• Prepare to be able to evacuate vulnerable populations. If you have ever tried to evacuate a hospital full of sick people, a casino full of elderly and infirm people, an apartment building of elderly people, or other vulnerable populations, you will realize that not everyone can simply evacuate themselves. Many of these people need lots of help to be able to evacuate.
• Do what you can to minimize damage based on the reason you are evacuating. If you are evacuating due to flooding, try to put your most expensive equipment on a higher floor. If you are evacuating due to a hurricane, try to put things in a secure area in the basement.
• Don't wait too long to evacuate. It can be a tough decision to know the exact moment you should begin an evacuation process but it is better to be too early than too late.
• Consider phased evacuations. If you are evacuating a huge building or a huge city, telling everyone to leave immediately will create a bottleneck. Consider phasing the evacuation process so that everyone can leave in an orderly fashion.
• There may be some social dynamics to consider when evacuating. If you empty an inner city neighborhood and send everyone to one shelter, there can be conflicts between members of different gangs. Something to consider anyway...
• Have a place to evacuate to. If you are sending people in your community to a shelter, make sure the shelter is #1 open, and #2 can handle the influx. Remember what happened when everyone in New Orleans were told to evacuate to the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina? The place you are evacuating to should have shelter, staffing, supplies, power, food, water, security, etc.
• Evacuation usually entails the need for fuel, food, water, maybe medical care, bathrooms (if the evacuation route is many miles long), etc. Are these items/services available along the evacuation route? What if the gas stations are closed, the population is too poor to be able to afford gas, there are no bathrooms along the route, etc?
• Consider how to get your people back after the evacuation is over. If you sent staff away, how will you tell them they can come back. If you sent customers to other locations, how do you let them know you have reopened for business? If you have transferred patients out, how to you get them back?
• What will you do about clean up after an evacuation. Whether you evacuated because of a flood, wildfire, tsunami, bomb threat, etc, if the reason you evacuated actually came to fruition, you will probably have a mess to clean up. Do you have contracts with companies that can do the clean up? Can you afford the clean up? Will you keep your employees on the payroll and have them help clean up?

10 Range Tips for New Shooters

This long three day weekend is turning out perfect. Perfect weather and a perfect opportunity to enjoy some of the first fun activities of the summer including camping, fishing, and my favorite, shooting. Here's some tips for those who are new to shooting and using a shooting range. I always recommend shooting at a range if possible; it's safer since ranges are engineered to contain projectiles and it's often supervised which increases safety for everyone. Decades ago many people could shoot out their back door but with growth taking over nearly everywhere, this is no longer possible in many areas.

1. Let people know you have arrived at the range. Usually you need to register or sign in, but even if it is a gravel pit with a padlock on the gate and you have the combo to get in, let others know you are there--at least when you go down range to change targets, they will keep an eye out for you.


2. If you are new to shooting, bring someone with you who is an experienced shooter. If you don't know anyone, arrange for shooting lessons (local shooting ranges and firearms dealers should be able to provide you this information). Even though people with zero shooting experience can go out and buy a gun, it is not as simple as it looks on TV--you need some safety tips and supervision when you get started so you don't hurt yourself or others.


3. Come by yourself first. I cringe when I see a father who has never handled a firearm before bring out his three kids and an armload of new weapons he has just purchased. Much like you wouldn't want your kids in the car when you are learning to drive, you don't want any distractions when you are learning to shoot. After you get some experience then bring out one kid at a time until each of your kids gets some experience. Again, it is hard enough to supervise one new shooter let alone three or four.


4. If you don't know something, ask. Yes it is the fate of men to enjoy figuring things out for themselves--and not wanting to look like a dork by asking dumb questions--but in this case, the information you glean could save your life. Where's the brass bucket is a common question to start out with. What are these lights for? Umm...you switch them on before you go down range so people won't start shooting in your direction before you get back. You get the idea.


5. When the range is cold, keep your paws off of your firearms. At most ranges you will be shooting with others. When it is mutually agreed that all fire will cease so people can go down range and change their targets, unload your firearm, open the action, lay it down on the bench, and don't touch it until the range is hot again. This is a good time to reload your magazines.


6. NEVER sweep anyone with your firearm. If I had a nickel for every time I've seen this done over the decades... It's a wonder I haven't gone into cardiac arrest because my heart about stops when I see this happen. Mostly this is a mistake new shooters make--they get excited or nervous, or just plain forget they have a deadly weapon in their hand and when they turn around, so does their firearm and it usually ends up pointing or sweeping past other people and it is very disconcerting to be on either end of this transaction. The only direction your firearms should ever point is straight down, straight up, or straight at your target. No where else.


7. Safety should always be paramount. You can tell who the really old shooters are--they can't hardly hear anything which means they started shooting before basic shooter safety precautions were common. Always wear hearing and eye protection anytime you are near the line. Never drink alcohol before or during shooting activity. Don't act like a fool--if it's something you've seen in a shoot 'em up action movie, it probably isn't something you want to do at the range.


8. Be social. Shooters are an overall great bunch of people. Most can provide lots of tips tricks, and helpful information if you pay attention. After you get to know them, they may even provide some reloaded ammo and the opportunity to use their cool firearms. Like any social group, people develop a reputation based on their actions and attitude--you want to be known as the good guy who is respectful, responsible, and helpful, not the "idiot guy who thinks he's Rambo".


9. Bring your own targets. You may want to call ahead first and ask about targets. Many ranges offer target stands but require shooters to bring (or buy at the range) their own targets. The range may also have requirements about what targets can be used. Paper--good. Glass--bad. Beer cans--well we used to shoot at them in the old days but at most ranges these don't qualify as targets anymore. Exotic targets can also be used at some ranges (these are the fun ones that move, jump, etc) but you usually need to get permission from the rangemaster first.


10. Clean up after yourself. It's a pet peeve of many shooters when other shooters leave their brass all over the ground for others to sweep up or they destroy targets and targetstands and leave them in the middle of the range. Gee thanks.

Conference Notes (Part 4 of 7) Staff

Staffing was, surprisingly, a big issue at the conference. When it comes right down to it, after a disaster if your staff doesn't show up, you are out of business. If you are a critical care provider (hospital, law enforcement, electric company, etc) and your staff doesn't show up, we are all out of business. Here's how to make sure your staff is ready for a disaster (and if you ARE the staff, you may want to make sure your employer has these bases covered):

• All staff need to have a "go bag"--one for the home and one for the office. Who knows, they may end up stranded for a couple of days at the office and if they are already self-contained, that is one less thing you as an employer need to worry about.
• All staff need to have family disaster plans in place. When the flu hit and schools were closed for a few days in our area, the biggest problem employers had was staff who could not come to work because their kids could not go to school. Everyone who is responsible for kids, pets, or the elderly should have a triple redundant plan for child care, animal care, and elderly care if for some reason they end up staying extra hours or days at work.
• All staff need to know the company disaster plan and drill it frequently. If you have 200 staff members, you don't want to be up to your elbows in a crisis and have every one of the 200 staffers calling you for instruction. They need to know what to do, who to contact, and how to help without going to the head of the company.
• Consider tele-commuting options and use them often--during "regular" times and during times of disaster--if possible.
• Have multiple ways to contact employees and for them to contact your company during a disaster. Many critical facilities have a half dozen ways to contact their employees (home phone, cell phone, email, Twitter, blast fax, HAM call sign, etc); some even have the employee's homes plotted on a map so in a crisis, someone can pick up the employee from home if necessary. On the flip side, your employees need to be able to get information from you during a disaster. It is a good idea to have a number of people who can update the company website or blog to provide disaster instruction, you may also want to have a 1-800 phone number staff can call for updates, signage at the office, etc.
• Have a good understanding of your employee's needs (ie: a single mom with five kids and a sick mom that she takes care of) so that you as the employer can look at alternatives if you need that employee (ie: if most of your employees have small children, you may want to set up on-site child care during a disaster).
• Also, know as much as you can about your employee's skills/hobbies/etc. If one of your senior guys is also a HAM radio aficionado, you definitely want to know that and include this person in your disaster plans both in their current position and in communications position that they can also help out with. Be sure to write this down as you may not be around during the disaster and your incident commander will definitely want to know this information.
• Jumble your staff around occasionally. Often times people get so locked into the rhythm of their normal job, that when a disaster strikes and they need to think on their feet and fill in at a different department, they either freeze or become quite useless. If this is just part of the normal job, the change doesn't come as such a surprise when they really do need to take on other job functions.
• Consider job action sheets. Each job should have a "job action sheet" in case someone from another facility, a volunteer, or a temp agency comes in to help. At least they can get the basics of the job done without needing too much help this way.
• You need a system for tracking hours and resources during a disaster in order to get reimbursed by FEMA or other programs afterwards.
• Some ways to get the staff you need after a disaster: perform only essential functions and reassign other staff members, call back personnel, add an "essential personnel" clause in staff contracts, and/or borrow staff from similar businesses that weren't impacted by the disaster.
• Consider credentialing if this is necessary for your organization. There are a number of high tech systems that have been developed for just this purpose. After a disaster, loonies tend to come out of the woodwork. People show up and say they are doctors or nurses and want to help however they aren't--this is bad. Others may show up and say they are law enforcement personnel who want to help, firefighters, the FBI--you name it and someone has probably tried to grab some glory without having the credentials. During a disaster, these people can sometimes slip through the cracks and cause more problems than you already have so institute a good credentialing system before you need it.
• Put everyone to work. Develop a way to manage volunteers prior to the disaster. It is a bit overwhelming when 100 people show up to help and you have never managed one volunteer before let alone a whole bunch of them. Traffic control, runners, scribes (if your computers are down and you need to write all of your records it's nice to have scribes), simple clean-up, etc. are all jobs that volunteers can do.
• Have a way for your staff to access your facility if it happens to be in lockdown when they arrive.
• Have provisions for the staff. If you have a kitchen in your facility, you are ahead of the game. If you have a simple office, consider storing some emergency food, water, blankets, flashlights, etc. for staff to use in an emergency.
• Create a staff disaster guide and provide it to staff annually. This guidebook will include everything--contact information, location of emergency provisions, security policies and procedures, etc.
• Work with your local Red Cross or Department of Emergency Management. These groups have lots of resources for staff training and disaster preparedness. Also check and see if there is an industry group in your area that focuses on disaster preparedness and join it.

Old Poll Results and a New Poll

When I say old poll, I mean it. I think this poll was posted over two weeks ago...
The question? What are you doing about swine flu?
The answers:

• Nothing. I don't see it as a threat. (11 people/16%)
• It's heightened my awareness but I am waiting to take any actions that may be needed. (51 people/75%)
• Cancelled a vacation, staying away from sick people, wearing a mask--taking difinitive action (2 people/2%)
• Isolating myself in my home until the threat is over. (4 people/5%)

Even though we are still in the throes of swine flu and there are still many cases being reported, it turns out that the threat wasn't as severe as originally thought. Make a note, however, that all of the infectious disease researchers at both the CDC and the WHO feel that this or a similar flu will come back in the fall but it will be much more lethal and contagious. That means prepping during this summer will be more important than ever.

Be sure to take our new poll...>>>>

If You See Something Odd, Report It

I was in an unusual situation today. I took the spouse to a suburban mall, and while waiting for the hairdresser to work her magic, I did what I usually do and walked around the entire mall a couple of times as a way to work in some exercise instead of being gassed by the fumes being emitted from the salon. As I walked by the main entrance to the mall, I noted three gentlemen come in. All where Arabic, all were wheeling suitcases, and all appeared like they had just got off the plane from the Middle East. Then they separated and each headed towards different areas of the mall. A bit farther along I saw two other gentlemen with backpacks walking towards me and they too were speaking Arabic.
After the conference last week, I was in a hyper state of alertness anyway so the little alarm bells were going off almost immediately. First, this was a very suburban mall, far away from the city and the international airport. Second, this area is almost entirely all white with a smattering of Asians, a few blacks, and even fewer Arabs. Third, of the Arab men I know, they don't go to the mall unless accompanying their families and this is almost always done on the weekend, not mid week.
So I quickly debated what to do. I didn't want to sound like a racist and report people just because they are Arab. Then I considered the odds of five men at this particular mall all speaking Arabic, carrying suitcases and backpacks, and having just come from the Middle East (I didn't know this for sure but when people come from that particular part of the world they are darker and have a particular smell about them. This isn't to say that we don't smell--friends who go to Asia from the States are almost immediately identified as "not locals" even though they are from those countries because they have a "lighter" look from being in the states and they have a different "smell".).
So I continued to debate the situation for a few more minutes, and the words of a Scotland Yard detective who spoke at the conference kept ringing in my ears..."if you see something, report it. After an incident people always report seeing unusual things prior to the incident but they didn't want to report it in case they were wrong...better to be wrong than dead." "One briefcase bomb can level a small house, suitcase bombs can level a small building, a van full of explosive can take out a large building--think Oklahoma City bombing." Then my imagination went on tilt and I imagined these people each placing their bags in strategic locations around this large mall, detonating them, and leveling the entire mall and surrounding buildings. Better to be wrong than dead.
I then found a security officer and told him that I wanted to bring something to his attention. I kind of felt like I should have been wearing my tin hat as I rambled on about the details that I had seen, but as soon as I quit rambling, he said that he had already contacted a couple of the men because they were smoking too close to the entryway doors. He said that he had spoken to them and they told him they had just arrived from Egypt and were in the area for a conference. They had taken a bus out to the suburbs and were going to meet their ride at the mall.
I guess the moral of this story is that it is better to feel like a dork for reporting something that turns out to be nothing than to not say anything and watch your community being blown up repeatedly on CNN a la the World Trade Center bombing.

Website Update

If you've visited the CNI website lately (www.codenameinsight.com) you have probably wondered what the Hell happened to it. Looks fairly atrocious, I know. After a hardware crash and a software issue, we settled for a quick cut and paste job so that we could at least keep the Daily INsight part updated regularly until the final site could be developed. Stay tuned...it should look better soon...

DPT--River Safety

You know how we can tell that it is late spring in our area? People drowning in local rivers becomes a daily event. As soon as the weather heats up, the rivers draw people to them like moths to a flame, often with tragic consequences. People--locals and tourists alike--head for the local rivers as soon as the temperatures reach the 70s in this area, however they don't realize the danger they are putting themselves in. It is very important that you know the water in your location, and for that matter, the water where you are vacationing. Here's some safety tips:

• Any time you are boating, canoeing, kayaking, or rafting, ALWAYS wear a life jacket no matter how good a swimmer you are or how short a distance you are going. Wearing a helmet is also a good idea.
• Realize that cold water will kill you no matter how good a swimmer you are or how hot the weather is. The rivers in our area average 40-50 degrees on a good day; this temperature causes hypothermia very quickly. Often so quickly that even good swimmers do not have time to get themselves out of the water before their limbs are rendered useless from the cold.
• Rivers are more dangerous than usual in the early spring to mid summer time period. From about late March to late June, the rivers here run high, fast, and cold because the water that flows into these rivers comes from snow run off in the mountains.
• If you are unfamiliar with a river, go with a guide. There is no shame in calling up a guide service to take you kayaking, fly fishing, or canoeing the first few times you go to a new river. Not only will this get you familiar with the river, but knowledgeable guides are worth their weight in gold--they provide tips and tricks that only long time locals know; this saves you the learning curve and can lead you to some stellar fishing spots!.
• Learn how to swim, for starters, then take a life guarding course. Even if you are an OK swimmer, if your kid falls into the river, your natural reaction will be to go in after him. The problem is that rescuing someone in the water takes different skills than just basic swimming skills (ie: you need to know how to rescue the person without allowing them to pull you under with them).
• Take a safe boating course. I know old timers will think this is a waste of time and others will wonder how hard can be to buy a boat at Costco and paddle it in a local river, however there are many things about boating that are worth learning in a course rather than from the school of hard knocks.
• Note that many of the dangers, especially in our local rivers, are from snags (old trees and debris) that have flowed down the river over the winter. People get their kayaks stuck in these old trees that you can't see but which may be sitting less than a foot from the surface of the water. Snags are also a huge drowning risk--once you get caught against a snag it is hard to get yourself away from it because the rushing current keeps you pushed up against it. Holes, walls, undercuts, and rock sieves can also be dangerous.
• Know the river you will be on. Where are the dams? The waterfalls? How does changing weather affect the river you will be on? Flash floods are common in the southwest and heavy rains in the mountains can mean rivers that suddenly flow higher and faster than usual.
• Watch where you're going. Overhanging trees can knock you right out of your boat.
• Learn CPR and first aid. You're going to need these skills after you pull someone out of the water.
• Don't boat or fish alone. It's always fun to go with a friend and it's much safer too.
• Leave an itinerary with a responsible friend. At least they will now where to start looking for you if you don't return.
• Don't be afraid to portage if you are unsure of a safe route through a difficult stretch of water or if the particular area is beyond your skill level.
• Take some extra safety gear with you, including: a first aid kit, a cell phone or radio that will work in your location, a spare paddle, etc.
• When you are on vacation, ask the locals about river/lake/sea conditions. People who live in landlocked areas may have no idea that when they get off of a cruise ship at a tropical island that the water risks are different. Rip tides, jelly fish, tsunamis, water snakes, and high surf are all things to know about BEFORE you hop into the water.

Conference Notes (Part 3 of 7) Hardening Soft Targets

A soft target, by definition, is a person or thing that is relatively unprotected or vulnerable, especially to military or terrorist attack. The speaker on this topic focused mainly on commercial soft targets such as malls, hospitals, schools, community events, businesses, etc. Years ago, there were a whole lot more soft targets such as stadiums, court houses, and many other businesses who at the time were not the focus of international or domestic terrorist attacks. Fast forward to now when government, businesses, and schools have been subject to numerous terrorist (and other random shooter) attacks around the globe. Security has been heightened, planning and preparedness is now its own department in many of these institutions, and everyone down to the newest staff members have been educated on safety and security topics. Here's some random notes from the seminar on this topic:

• You need to know who you are dealing with. There are very clear (and very different) definitions of your average criminal and your average terrorist. Criminals are often opportunistic, untrained, and escape oriented whereas terrorists are focused, trained, attack oriented, and patient.
• Al Qaeda actually has a terrorist manual. Check it out here.
• Methods of terrorist attacks on soft targets include IEDs, suicide bombers, and guns whereas criminal attacks usually involve theft, robbery, and violence (ie: firearms, knives, etc).
• Terrorist attacks are often synchronized, rehearsed, sophisticated, and use military tactics. Criminal attacks may be random (ie: an opportunistic robbery or random shooting) or targeted (such as a bank robbery or a domestic violence shooting).
• Pre-incident indicators of a terrorist attack include: people parking, loitering, or standing in the same areas over multiple days. Video cameras, night visions, and high magnification lenses may be used for surveillance. Maps, photos, diagrams, sketches, and blueprints are often used. There may be "accidental" intrusions into secure areas (the speaker was particularly clear that these incidents should be well documented, reported, and not overlooked...as he said, how many adults will miss a "SECURE AREA DO NOT ENTER sign?). There may be reported thefts of staff ID cards, uniforms, keys, or license plates. There may be a pattern or series of false alarms requiring law enforcement and/or emergency response so that they can see what kind of response to expect.
• Collection of electronic surveillance data is easier than ever now thanks to the internet, newspapers, and published maps, schedules, and facility information.
• What you can do: develop security, safety, emergency operations, and contingency plans. Define your risks, threats, and vulnerabilities so you will have a basis for planning and preparing. Play the terrorist against your own facility once plans are in place. What weaknesses and vulnerabilities do you find? Conduct training and exercises with your staff regularly. Develop relationships with local law enforcement, FBI, and your counterparts at other similar facilities. Practice "good housekeeping"--keep things neat, tidy, orderly, and minimal which makes it easier to see if something is out of place.
• Don't be lulled into a false sense of security because "nothing ever happens" in your town/facility, or to others in your industry. Heavy duty planning and preparedness may seem like "overkill" at the time but it will be worth its weight in gold should the worst happen.

DPT--Get a Food Saver/Seal a Meal

A very useful product for outdoors folks, survivalist, et al. is a Food Saver/Seal a Meal device. I was at a friend's house today and watched him seal just about anything that wouldn't walk away from him. Among the things he used this device for:

• Dehydrated soup mix for the emergency food box. He put rice, lentils, dried onions, powdered chicken broth, and spices together in a pouch and made a number of these "instant" soup mixes which can be opened and used in an emergency.
• Emergency kits for his kids. These small, flat pouches included four quarters, a $20 bill, a pre-paid phone card, and a list of emergency phone numbers. Obviously breaking into these packets means there was a true emergency, not an emergency trip to the mall.
• Fishing kit for his BOB. My fishing kit is wound up in a piece of tin foil. His looks much more neater and the stuff won't fall out because it is sealed in a plastic bag.
• Toilet paper. He does have priorities and the toilet paper in his BOB is one of them. He took out the cardboard in the middle of the roll, flattened it down, put it in the bag, sucked out the air, and sealed the thing. Interesting idea.
• Meat. His wife buys meat in the huge packages then they separate the meat into dinner-sized portions and seal them up with the machine. Ditto for the beef jerky that he makes each season.

I'm sure there are dozens of other uses for this machine. Ideas?

Conference Notes (Part 2 of 7) Bombs

A bomb expert gave a very interesting presentation at the conference. Here's some of the highlights:

• The most common type of bomb is the IED (improvised explosive device). The reason? The components can be easily purchased at your local store and recipes and/or instructions for manufacture are easily available online.
• Explosive devices include "pipe bombs", illegal fireworks, flash powder devices, modified grenades, and chemical explosives.
• Manufacturing and/or using an illegal explosive device is a class A felony.
• Bomb squad members absolutely hate it when people pick up what they think may be a bomb, put it in their car, drive it to the police station, and set it on the counter. Don't do this. If you run across what you think may be an explosive device, don't touch it. Clear the area, call 911, and wait for the bomb squad to do their thing.
• This expert warned against using a "Bomb blanket" a device that can be put over a suspected IED in order to help contain the blast. First, the person who chooses to do this is putting themselves at risk, and second, it makes it harder for the bomb squad to evaluate the device.
• When a bomb goes off in a crowded area, it will most likely start raining body parts. Unless you are actively saving a life, leave the bodies and body parts alone until an investigation can be completed.
• Anyone (and all bodies) impacted at a bomb scene should be x rayed.
• Beware of scenes where a bombing has taken place--multiple devices may be detonated to add to the carnage and confusion.
• At a suspected bomb scene, all radios, cell phones, and other electronic devices need to be turned off to avoid inadvertently detonating the device.
• Unless you are an expert, don't try to diffuse a bomb yourself. That's just plain dumb.
• Pay attention to what your kids and others in your household are doing. Many a bomb maker has created these devices in their own homes (stupid and definitely not safe) while everyone else was completely unaware of what they were doing.
• Some things that may suggest you are receiving a letter bomb or anthrax letter: unexpected letter or parcel, missing or incomplete return address, misspellings, excessive amount of postage, inability to contact the person who sent the package/letter to you, unusual smell, staining, or grease/wetness on package, return address and postal cancellation stamp don't match.
• Pay attention to your surroundings. IEDs are often camouflaged to blend into their surroundings. On the other hand, many IEDs are left in the potential bombing area and they clearly "don't look right." Who would leave a briefcase in the middle of the road? Why would a shopping bag be left in an industrial area?
• You don't want yourself or your staff to wonder about what to do should a bomb threat be called in. Have a bomb threat checklist kept by all phones and also have a bomb threat policy in place.

Some excellent resources:

• IED Info complements of the Army
• Bomb Threats and Physical Security Planning

Conference Notes (Part 1 of 7) The Go Bag

I just got back from an anti-terrorism conference. Lots of good information was presented and I have a stack of notes to go through but I figured if I cover one topic each day for the next week, that should get me organized, get my notes transposed, and allow me to share a bit of what was learned. Some of the information is more government/industry/CEO oriented but much of the information is applicable to everyone. First topic--the Go Bag:

• When the speaker had everyone list the contents of their Go Bag, it was just as he said it would be--no two bags had the same contents.
• Your Go Bag needs to be specifically tailored to YOUR needs, not based off of a list for anyone else (ie: medical people included scrubs and medical equipment that they would use for work, those who would be out and about during an incident were very specific about the firearms/ammo they would need, CEOs considered a portable hard drive with all of their corporate info backed up on it essential, etc).
• Your Go Bag should allow you to take care of ALL of your needs for 48-96 hours. Many people grab their Go Bag during a disaster and then they are off to help others. You cannot help others who are lacking food/water/medicines/shelter/etc. if you don't have enough food, water, medicine, or shelter to take care of yourself. If you don't have these items, you will be in the same situation as the people you are there to help.
• Your Go Bag should be tailored to the place/region you will be in.
• It is common practice to dump out, revise, and repack your Go Bag each season and/or before a deployment to various parts of the world.
• Everyone had more than one Go Bag; one for the car, one for the home, and one for the office. Be sure to keep your home Go Bag in an outside shed or near the door of your home/garage. Should the building be destroyed, you won't have to dig too deep into the structure to find your bag.
• Keep a written checklist of the contents of your Go Bag. This is good for quick packing and to ensure that you don't forget anything. Be sure to revise your checklist regularly.
• Be sure to add to your bag: a spare set of keys, a handwritten contact list, a power inverter which you can plug into any car lighter to charge your cell/radio/etc, copies of all of your important documents (passport, insurance, birth certificate), etc.
• PPEs are becoming more and more necessary: rubber gloves, masks, and eye protection are the basics.
• On a side note, we got into chatting about home preparedness and while I have the requisite 5 gallon bucket with plastic bags and a tight lid to use for a latrine if needed, one guy suggested adding cat litter to the set up--it allows you to use the bucket longer between bag changes and reduces the smell (just shake the contents a bit).

DPT: Banking--Spread Your Money Around

I have six bank accounts in four different banks--two in a local bank, two in a local credit union, one in a large regional bank, and one in an international bank. Generally this works out pretty well. Keeping all of these accounts separate is less confusing, for one, and when I travel I have four Visa/Debit cards so if one won't work in a foreign ATM, another usually will. Over the past six months, however, two of these banks have been suddenly seized by the feds. Of course they have been reopened and the money has not been lost but this has given me cause for concern. The FDIC assures the public that their money is safe and will be guaranteed up to $250,000 which is somewhat comforting, but I feel that it is more important than ever to keep your money spread out at a variety of banks. After all, one bank may be in the middle of being seized when you most need to get at your money. It's always good to have a back up plan, and a back up bank, to see you through such an event.

DPT--Putting Food By

Now is an excellent time to dust off your food preservation skills. There are plenty of early season fruits and vegetables being harvested now that with a little work, will be around next fall to tide you through the winter. Case in point, strawberries are flooding market which means lower prices for larger quantities. What can you do with strawberries? Clean then freeze them whole, make fruit leather out of them, and make jams and jellies out of them.
About six months ago I was at the store with a friend and I saw a box of old bananas for 50 cents. I thought the prices was 50 cents a pound but when I got to the register, the cashier said it was 50 cents for the whole box--about 20 pounds (!) of bananas. Before the cashier could finish with her spiel, my friend had ran back and scooped up the box. We brought them home and the half dozen friends who were staying for the weekend had a banana peeling party. We are still using up those frozen bananas which even though they are brown, are great in smoothies and banana bread.
Next time you are in the store, look for the cheapest fruit and vegies you can find then figure out how to preserve them. There are two benefits here, first, you will be able to experiment on cheap items instead of more expensive items, and two, when you open the pantry next fall, you will be able to pull out the preserved items you had the forethought to purchase and preserve back when they were cheap and in season--an excellent way to weather the current economic crisis.

Simple Preparedness Tips for Upcoming Events

There are some things coming up that have prompted me to do a bit of preparing:

• The price of stamps will increase on May 11th. I bought 100 "forever" stamps today as a way to save a few pennies. Also, while I pay some bills online, next month I need to make an effort to pay as many bills as possible online or in person (if it is convenient). This isn't a huge preparedness task but it is always a convenience to have stamps on hand and by planning ahead and buying stamps now before the price goes up, I will save a little money.
• The TV transition which was supposed to happen last February is now slated for June. Currently we have cable so don't need to worry about this but I have read a few articles about people who have cut the cable, got an antenna and converter box, and set up their computer to stream free TV and movies through Hulu and other websites. This is definitely somethings I am considering.
• Wildfire season is coming up as evidenced by the huge wildfires in California that have been all over the news today. While it isn't quite wildfire season here up north yet, now is an excellent time to clear out the brush, take down dead trees, and otherwise get our property cleaned up so that it won't fuel fires should they hit our area this summer.
• I'm preparing now for fall flu season. The spouse had a quick bout of the flu this past weekend. Fortunately it wasn't swine flu and it passed quickly, but this, along with the recent outbreak of swine flu, reminded me that it is always important to be prepared for illness even it is not "the season" for it. On the agenda: dump out my home first aid kit, restock any outdated or missing supplies, toss in some prescription meds (Tamiflu for example), and get some extra boxes of Kleenex/boxes of TheraFlu/masks/etc. that will be in high demand when the next round of flu breaks out.
• I haven't bought chicks yet, however according to the morning news, they are all the rage right now. People, even city dwellers, are buying chickens in order to have homegrown eggs and meat. It's a good idea but a lot of work and since we travel so much, probably not practical for us, but an interesting idea overall and nothing beats fresh eggs for breakfast.

Link Roundup

Here's some interesting and/or useful links:

• Swine flu news without the media hype.
• Cool office.
• Some of the best things in life are free.
• My kind of vacation!
• Data Encryption: This may be useful.
• And some thoughts on your freezer.

Ammo Shortages

If you are a regular shooter (at least in the US), you have probably noticed ammo shortages are pretty much the norm lately. While I don't usually encourage people to buy things when everyone else is buying said item in a panic (thus lowering supply and increasing demand/price), having plenty of ammo on hand is fairly important. Here's some ideas:

• Learn how to reload your own ammo.
• Find out when you local ammo outlets (WalMart, sporting good stores) get their regular shipment (ie: Wednesdays) and make it a habit to stop by the store each week on your way to work or on your lunch break.
• Purchase a firearm or two that use unusual (and thus less in demand) ammo.
• Make friends with your local ammo outlet owner or manager (a more realistic possibility when dealing with smaller shop owners) and have them put some ammo aside for you when new shipments come in (note that everyone is probably doing this so whether or not this tip works is not guaranteed).
• Take what ammo you can get. Even if you don't own a .380, if you go to the store and they don't have the caliber ammo you are looking for but have a stack of another type of common ammo (ie .380), pick some up to use for barter.
• Take what ammo you can get part 2. While you may be looking for a specific hollow-point, high grain ammo for protection, if they only have low grain, jacketed ammo that you would usually use for practice, grab it anyway. Some ammo is better than no ammo.
• Buy ammo when you travel to a foreign country and bring it home with you (legally).
• Purchase ammo from a foreign country and import it (legally).
• Wait until the shortages subside and then buy your ammo.

More on My 'Don't Panic' Theory

In the course of the year and a half or so that I have been writing this blog, one of my main messages has been not to panic. No matter what is happening, adding panic to the mix does not help. Here you will find an article which once again shows how panic has created more problems than the actual problem itself (ie: the swine flu). Financial crisis? People panic. Rice crisis? People panic. Panicking and behaving irrationally doesn't fix the original problem. What's worse, the media feeds off of people panicking which is great for video and sound bites, quite sad for the people who are reacting poorly.
Here's an idea. When you come across a problem which would send the general public into a panic and bring the media out of the woodwork to report on the general population panicking and behaving irrationally, take these steps:

• Identify the core problem
• Get educated about the problem (read about the entire issue from knowledgeable sources; include background information, best possible out come, worst possible outcome, mitigation possibilities, etc)
• Observe how the media and the general population are reacting to the problem (you probably won't want to react this way)
• Create your own plan to address the issue (do this by looking at all of your options and thinking of ways to address the problem--you get extra points for "thinking outside the box")
• React, on your own terms. By all means try some avoidance tactics (switch to potatoes if there is a rice shortage, build up your emergency fund even more if a financial crisis is looming, isolate yourself for a period of time until the flu passes by, etc). Avoidance of a problem is often the most efficient and effective reaction rather than hitting a problem head on. Also remember to be flexible. Just because things should go a certain way, doesn't mean that they will, so react in a flexible manner--fluidly like water rather than solidly like a rock.

10 Things to Do This Spring

Even though we are heading towards summer, the weather has been pretty crummy so I am considering the first week of May to be spring. Here's my spring "to do" list:

1. Plant some vegies. Whether you plant a multi-acre garden or a window box full of greens, growing your own food is a great skill to have and it will save you money as well.
2. Do some home maintenance. The roof needs cleaned, the gutters need cleaned, the yard needs a complete makeover...my home maintenance list is fairly lengthy.
3. Get outside and exercise. Every day. Being cooped up at home on the treadmill or at the gym gets old, especially after a number of months so now is an excellent time to get some fresh air and some exercise.
4. Dump out, analyze, restock, and repack the BOB. I do this about every six months as a habit.
5. Double my emergency fund. Actually since I don't have much in the way of travel or purchases planned until the fall, I figured that this would be a worthy (and possibly quite necessary) goal.
6. Attempt to stay home for an entire week. This simply never happens but the idea of a massive isolation and quarantine effort because of the pandemic flu got me to thinking. What would happen if we stayed home for an entire week? Would we have enough food to keep us amused and away from Starbucks/restaurants/carry out? Could we stand each other for a 24/7 stint with no other social contact? Would we save lots of money that we would otherwise spend on gas, impulse purchases, and my weekly run to the sporting good store? Would I be super productive work-wise? Should be an interesting experiment...
7. Go camping or backpacking. I haven't been out at all this winter and need a bit of nature.
8. Learn a new skill. I'm not sure which one but there are always a range of interesting courses available and I am always in a continual learning mode...you never know what skill will come in handy during a disaster.
9. Beef up my home medical kit. A simple flu has practically overwhelmed our local hospitals, not by those with the actual swine flu, but with people who have a sniffle and are panicked that they caught the real thing. Now during an actual, full blown medical emergency, hospitals will be truly overwhelmed. The more medical supplies I have available, the better.
10. Improve my health. Good health is one of the most important things that you can have during a disaster (or on a daily basis for that matter). I've been slacking a bit lately and need to get back on track.