Guest Post: THE UN-THOUGHT OF……….Part Two

THE UN-THOUGHT OF:  PART 2

by D.

 

O.K. I no sooner finished part one than I started remembering other things from my group “reports”. So here is a condensed collection covering many areas of prepping.

FOOD:

I won’t go into the buy lists as these have been done to death. Look online for them. Here are some nice ideas. Make a list to add to your weekly shopping. If you don’t shop, go do it and learn how. Buy extra of what you use and date it for storage.

 

Don’t forget the related items. Pot scrubbers, dish soap, long handled tools to cook over open fires, oven mitts. Storage bags and containers, when you start breaking open those large buckets you will have to store the smaller portions and make other use of those buckets (toilets, water carriers, chairs, etc.) Buy a bread pan every month or so (what else are you gonna do with all that flour and yeast). Tobasco sauce and packets of dry gravies to liven up that freeze dried stuff. Booze, if you buy high proof vodka it can cover many uses, as well as being a hot trade item. If you are in an area with an abundance of corn, grain or sugar cane you might want to think of putting up the material to make a still and get one of the many books on moonshining (Foxfire has an excellent chapter on shine).

Most important; get a large pressure cooker and tools and learn to CAN. In most areas meat will be one of the most hard to find food stuffs. Vegetables can be grown, milk gotten from goats, but you can’t grow a cow, unless you are going to keep livestock (which will just quantum your storage and buy list) Canning can provide for normal nutritious entrees for at least a year. I have canned: beef and pork roast, chicken, rib eye, pork chops, country style ribs, meat loaf, stuffed cabbage, corned beef, and pork loin. These were all cold packed and cooked in the jar, so all they need is to be warmed up to provide a great meal. Shoot for at least 3 months of meat storage and you will be way ahead of everyone else. This is the smartest food idea that I have come across. When I presented it to the group for purchase I said “I think this is a good idea” and they replied “No, it’s a GREAT idea!” If you can’t afford a large meat purchase, go in with others and have a “canning day”, social functions are also important in prepping and will let you all see how you work together.

When the SHTF you want to be in the best shape as possible as the predators are starting to degrade. This storage will help keep you there. Don’t forget multi-vitamins! When canning, focus on the foods that are NOT in your immediate area and readily available for the picking.

WATER

Have everyone in your group purchase their own individual water filters, as well as making a group buy on a large community filter ( Big Berkey). Clean water should be a personal responsibility. Do not forget all of your water uses: drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning. Give careful thought to all of these uses and provide for the materials to accomplish all of those varied jobs. (scrub boards, buckets, pull chain shower heads, water barrels and manual pumps).

FINANCES

Skipping the usual gold and silver buys here are some other thoughts.

CASH:

Try to keep at least $1000 cash on hand per person. (Do not spend this, as this may buy you out of a bad situation when nothing else will)

If practical keep your savings in gold and silver (hold it in your safe, the banks pay spit for interest and metal prices are rising) or in a foreign depository only.

Keep your checking account balance at the minimum to pay your monthly bills. If you see the signs of a collapse: remove this in cash and turn it immediately into: as much meat that you can keep frozen, toilet paper, condoms, salt, .22 bullets, quality jeans, shoes, anything non-renewable. DO IT FAST, you get the idea!

LONG TERM:

You are trying to turn your wealth VERY liquid. You are going to have to abandon much of what you have worked your life for. Use these guidelines to insure that you can carry as much of your wealth with you (through bad times) as you can.  Your prior food buys, trade items, and equipment investment and your metals buying plan is now your total net worth.  IT IS YOU WHO ARE NOW COMPLETELY IN CONTROL OF IT! DOESN’T THAT MAKE YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE?

 

DO NOT RELY ON YOUR BANK ACCOUNTS, CDs, STOCKS, BONDS, HOME EQUITY or ANY OTHER INSTRUMENT OF WEALTH THAT BUSINESS OR GOVERNMENT HAVE ACCESS TO! If you haven’t made plans to convert it or quickly change it into the above wealth, it is GONE!!!

You will always use the food you have bought and the items for trade. (And you have bought them at a price they will never be at again) Your metals will always gain in value in the long term. Have garage sales; turn the stuff you haven’t used in years into the above wealth items, buy tools or more food, or more metals.

MEDICAL

SUGGESTED TRAMA TRAINING

Immediate response:

Gunshot wound

Extremities

Body core

Head

Puncture/knife wound

Fracture-simple and compound

Dislocations

Shock

Concussion/Unconsciousness

Resuscitation/CPR

Preparing for transport

 

Secondary/secure area care

Follow up to all of the above

Food poisoning/nausea- use of meds/activated charcoal

Diarrhea/dehydration

Common wounds

Burns

Infection-wound debridement/irrigation/use of antibiotics

Dental problems

Eye/ear/nose wounds

Insect bites-Fleas/ticks/leaches/snake bite

Labor/birth

Exposure/dehydration/heat stroke

 

EMT AND SURGICAL PROCEDURES

 

Application of tourniquet

Application of Quick-clot and combat dressing

Hemostat closure of bleeders

Debridement/irrigation/suction of wounds-use of suction pump

Installation of saline IV-drip setting and bag changing

Packing or suturing of wounds

Application of local anesthetics

Administration/documentation of pain meds

Resuscitation and CPR/use of breather bag and oxygen

Sterile procedure and work space

Blood pressure/pulse/respiration-monitoring, use of BP cuff and stethoscope

Use of Laryngoscope and intubation

Medical checklist and records

Use of snakebite kit

Use of oxygen

Use of nitrous oxide for anesthesia

Assignment of first responder and surgical team members-who will do what.

Responsibilities

Equipment

Training

 

MEDICATIONS TO BE COVERED

Amoxicillin

Ampicillin

Ceptra

Cipro

Doxycycline

Flagyl

Keflex

Tetracycline

Sulfa

 

Lidocaine

Xylocaine

Oxycodone

Morphine

Heroin (WROL situation)

Oxygen

Nitrous Oxide

 

All of the above drugs can be found (sometimes under different names) if you diligently search pet medication sources, other than the local anesthetics and opiates. If you are very resourceful you may be able to also acquire them. (OPSEC NOTE: keep these purchases under the radar, as some of these can earn you a long stretch in the crossbar hotel.  Info is for WROL scenarios only!)

This is a general outline. Should you choose to take on the responsibility of being part of your med team, you should make a point of gathering and understanding all of the items you use, their safe usage, and begin to train another in all that you know. Many medical personnel will be glad to give you training if you go about asking in the right way. (When I was a range officer with IPSC, a neighbor ER nurse gave me quite an education in dealing with sucking chest wounds for the asking after I explained my concern about range accidents).

You may not be able to acquire all of this training from one source, but attempt to check off all of the above skills ASAP.

TACTICAL, WEAPONS, MAPS, DEFENSE IN PART 3

Think beyond the obvious. D.

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