Fire, EMS and Police "A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY".

The purpose of this post is to illustrate the false sense of security that exists in our communities.
Below, I have listed the census numbers that reflect the populations of the community that I live in and the other communities, which I assist as a Firefighter. A large duty of a Firefighter is to educate the public in an attempt to mitigate future problems. It is not good for job security, but it is necessary for life safety.

You will notice that the combined numbers of residents who reside in the 3 communities within my fire district, totaled well over 30,000 people. By and large, the communities and its residents enjoy fast emergency response, with well trained personnel. This is in large part, because of the strategic locations of stations, and a full/part time staff who are available at almost any time.

For most, this service is sufficient and barring multiple, simultaneous call outs, will provide the citizens with adequate emergency care, but emergencies are rarely planned and rarely prepared for. I believe this is in part, because of the great job of most emergency responders. Do not get caught in a false sense of security zone.

At any given time within our district, 8 Firefighter, EMT/Paramedics will be working. Typically this is more than adequate coverage, however, if a mass emergency befell these cities, 8 trained personnel will simply not be enough. They will be overwhelmed immediately.

What does this mean?

It means that you will have to fend for yourself.

The Fire EMS system and departments will become triage centers. If you can get to them, the likelihood of their having supplies to treat you will be slim. The stock of emergency equipment would be exhausted within the first hour of triage.

What does this mean?

It means you will have to fend for yourself.

You will not be able to look to your 72 hour kit for help when dealing with a medical issue. You will not be able to go to the food storage shelves to find the necessary equipment you will need.
You will not likely have access to the neighborhood Physician. This WILL be a STRESSFUL time. ARE YOU PREPARED FOR THIS? Do you have more than a 5 dollar first aid kit? Have you had basic medical training? Do you know CPR? Can you control Bleeding? Do you have to tools to perform these functions if you know them? If you answered no to any of these, YOU ARE NOT PREPARED!

Do you rely on your spouse to know and be trained in these areas? Most of the time, the mother is with the children and the father is away. Moms, are you prepared? Can you give your child the Heimlich properly if he/she is choking? Parents, do your children know where to meet in case of an emergency, has a plan been established? Do you have a fire evacuation plan?

• WE MUST BEGIN NOW TO PREPARE FOR AND MITIGATE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

72 hour kits represent the need to be self sufficient for 72 hours. Could you assist an injured friend or relative if it took that long for professional help to get to them?

In this worse case scenario, we will have to be self reliant. We will need more than a box of bandaids. We will need to know how to treat a variety of issues that we may be faced with. We will need the tools. Knowing how to eat does nothing for us if we lack the food.

Not long ago, we went on a call of a man who was in cardiac arrest. When we arrived, we found that the man's son was and Emergency Room Physician. After many failed attempts at reviving the man, his son ultimately had to call time of death. Could this have been different? He had the knowledge and training, but he lacked his tools. By the time our tools arrived it was simply too late. He expired on scene.

We must gather and train now. We must not feel safe because some imaginary, public service box has been checked. Fireman will risk their lives to save others, but there are simply not enough of them.

Please seek out local resources for first aid training. The Red Cross and American Heart Association conduct regular CPR/AED trainings. This blog has many resources that should help you. Please prepare for your familie's sake.

-Jonathan
http://prepare4emergencies.blogspot.com/2008/10/cpr-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation.html


http://prepare4emergencies.blogspot.com/2008/10/building-proper-first-aid-kit.html

Many other first aid resources can be found under the October section of the blog.


Population in July 2007: 9,583. Population change since 2000: +29.9%


Population in July 2007: 14,591. Population change since 2000: +72.4%


Population in July 2007: 8,957. Population change since 2000: +175.7%

Light and Heat

“Let There Be Light (and Heat)”

November 10, 2008

Lighting

During our long winter nights, that are 12 to 15 hours long, you need some type of alternate lighting resource. Every family has different needs, so the decision of what to use is quite personal. Experts recommend that each family have several types of lighting options available. There are kerosene lanterns, propane lanterns, hand crank flashlights, candles, flashlights, and many more things to use. You can check out the discount stores and sports stores to find a variety of choices.


Candles
Candles are a very reliable source because they need no other fuel and you can make them if in dire need. You also need to store matches to light candles and lanterns. When you get a lantern, you will need to purchase the fuel supply.

Candle Lighting	Burn Time Per Inch	Inches Burn Per Hour
½"	20 minutes	3"
3/4	45 minutes	1 1/3 "
7/8"	1 hour	1"
1"	1 hour/10 minutes	8/10"

A few notes:
Taller candles seem to give more light than shorter ones.
Make sure you have adequate candle holders so they don’t tip or create a fire hazard.
Make sure you have fire extinguisher for any open flame you use.
For 3 hours of light every day you would need:

Diameter	1 day	1 month (30 days)	1 year
½ " x 4 "	1 1/4 candle	37 ½ candles	447
3/4"x 4"	1 candle	30 candles	360
7/8" x 4"	3/4 candle	22 ½ candles	270
1" x 4"	2/3 candle	20 candles	240

Tallow Candles

½ " diameter	6 " high	3 hours burn time	3hrs@day=30 candles/mo
1 " diameter	6 " high	8 hours burn time	3hrs@day=11 candles/mo
2 " diameter	9 " high	48 hours burn time	3hrs@day=2 candle/mo

Trench Candles

One of the easiest and cheapest versions of an emergency candle is the trench candle. It can be used to cook as well as give light. (This is a great FHE activity)
1- Place a narrow strip of cloth or twisted string (for a wick) on edge of 6-10 layers newspapers.
2- Roll the newspaper tightly, leaving about 1 inch of wick extending at each end
3- Tie the roll firmly with string or wire at 2-4 inch intervals.
4- With small knife or saw, cut 1" above every tied place and pull the end sections into cones
5- Melt paraffin in large can or saucepan. Soak candle for about 2 minutes.
6- Place on newspaper to dry. Store in cool place until ready to use.
Flashlights
Flashlights are a great directional light. They don't light up a room very well. The batteries can be expensive to store, unless you can get solar rechargeable ones with a solar re-charger. You can also get hand crank/ solar recharge flashlights that work quite well.
One of the advances in preparedness is the LED (light emitting diode) bulb. These bulbs use space-age technology that allow an incredible life span of thousands of hours and emit a bright light. They do not have a sensitive filament to break and withstand much abuse. Re-chargeable batteries can be recharged with a small solar panel, or from your car 12 volt power supply.
Lanterns
A tip from my many years living without electricity: Kerosene lanterns offer the least expensive, longest lived source of light. They are safer than candles and give off more light, but do need to be watched so as not to knock them over. They do have a bit of a smell, and can smoke if turned too high. Of course you need to store fuel.

Kerosene lantern

3/4 cup/day

6 quarts/per month

18 gallons/per year

Propane lanterns are the brightest and cleanest but are more expensive to operate. Good for short term, but may not be as good in the long run. Propane lights work great as long as you can get or afford propane.
Battery powered lanterns can be charged with rechargeable batteries, hand crank generator, or solar panel.
We are setting up a combination of solar, wind power at our cabin to provide on demand power for lights, small refrigerator, and TV/DVD. (The essentials of life)

Emergency Heat

The other challenge during power outages is keeping warm. Examples of emergency heating include wood stove, propane heater approved for indoor use i.e. Mr. Buddy, generator and portable electric heater, gas fireplace, etc. Blankets and sleeping bags do wonders in an emergency. Make sure you have a plan in place and get the supplies needed.
Thanks again to
Marcia Lind