Ordering Bulk Food Storage

 

First, an explanation:  Why would you want to go through the mass project of putting in your own grain order?  For those of you who live far from heavily LDS populated areas, you probably understand.  If you live in the middle of Salt Lake City what use could this be to you?  I grew up in Mesa, Arizona and sometimes it was more economical to get items straight from their source.  These instructions should make the ordering process less stressful.  Sometimes great deals can be found in bulk orders.  Adapt any portion of these instructions to your particular area or order and we’re confident you’ll be successful!

1. Find Interest

Distribute a survey.  Here is a sample:

“We are considering doing a bulk food storage order.  If you’d be interested in participating in this order, please check the box below and return to the representative you received this form from.

The more people involved, the better prices we will receive.  This is a good opportunity to start or enhance your food storage program.             

Would you be interested?              Yes   No”

Additionally, there are many organizations and non-members who would be interested.  Homeschool groups are a good source.  Often, those who participate the most may be non-members.  You may make this as large as you’d like, but remember, the bigger the order, the bigger place you’ll need for a drop off or storage place.  If your response is great, consider a Ward project rather than a Stake one.  Remember to protect the Church’s non-profit status by not using Church property unless authorized.  Keep business names off of flyers, price lists, etc. distributed on Church property, and not fund raising for your orders.  Stay in close contact with unit leaders (Bishops and Stake Presidents) and keep them informed.  They can give counsel concerning the above restrictions.

2. Find a Distributor  

There are many companies out there that sell food storage and preparedness items.  Find one that carries bulk grain and either freeze dried, dry packed food or MRE’s (military “meals ready to eat”).  It would be nice if the company you choose sells other preparedness items as well.  The company we’ve used for over 20 years is Rainy Day Foods formerly Walton Feed in Montpelier, Idaho .  We mention them specifically only because they carry all the items you’ll need, and because they have served us so well for so long.  Choose which ever company that will serve you best. Talk with the owner if possible.  Tell them what you’re doing and ask for their help or suggestions.  A good relationship with your distributor will make a great difference in service and the status of your current order.  Knowing your distributor will help work shipping and discounts.

3. Policies                                                                   

We established many different policies to help things to run smoothly over the years.  Some have worked well and others we dropped.  Each area will need different policies adapted individually and according to whoever is running the order.  Here are a few we use and feel are universal:                                                                         

Orders must be accompanied by payment.  Don’t wait until the order arrives or is distributed.  You may want to open a separate savings account for this money or keep it in a safe place.  You’ll need to pay the bill!

Orders must be in writing and on “official” order forms.  Make a simple order form on a computer.  This makes life easier for you when everything is uniform.  Make sure there is plenty of room on your form.                                                                        

We charge an unloading fee to all and then return it to those who help unload and inventory an order.  We’re reasonable though.  If someone will be out of town, or can’t help physically, we waive the fee.  Make the fee enough of an amount that people will make an effort to be there to help unload. This fee should be at least $20.00 or more to achieve this.  People will show up if they know they are saving money.

If returns are possible, make sure you give a deadline.  If there are mistakes in distribution, also give a deadline on switches.  This is work for you to figure out who has what and many times people procrastinate letting you know.  It’s harder to figure out what happened a month ago.

4. Drop-off Point

Usually this can be the home of someone participating in the order or your home.  Be sure there’s room (large driveway) and room for a tractor-trailer to maneuver.  It’s a good idea to have a covered carport or garage if some items need to be stored.  If someone involved has access to, or owns, a warehouse this would work well.  Be sure not to take advantage of someone concerning their employment or business.  Make sure they are comfortable with the use of their business.  Remember consideration if places of business are offered.

5. Advertising   

Remember the importance of not being a “for profit” venture.  Advertise as the “annual” or “bi-annual grain order”.  Flyers, posters, announcements, even local public cable access are good ideas if you’d like to include the community. We would recommend including the community if possible. 

6. Print and Distribute Price Lists

You can print your price lists and flyers yourself or ask someone to donate their copier if you supply the paper.  They should be able to write off any donation they give you so be ready with a receipt.  Your Ward or Stake may be willing to this, but be sure the unit leader is aware and has approved such an action.  Distribution can be mostly by hand, but you may have to mail a list to non-local participants.

7. Unloading and Storing

This is not a problem if delivery is in the evening.  Many carriers will be a little flexible with the time, but some need to move on to another delivery.  During the evening most people with orders can help unload.  If during the day, it may be more difficult to find help.  Most drivers can’t help because of company policies but can be paid to help unload.  We’ve had missionaries help from time-to-time but don’t do this too often.  That’s not their job, although they do need service hours each week.  Try to make other arrangements. 

Storing is not a problem with the right drop off point.  We have everyone pick up their orders after we inventory it and divide the items into orders.  This way there’s very little to store.

8. Inventory and Distribution

The order should come with an invoice.  As you unload, try to put similar items together (i.e. bags of wheat, buckets of wheat, etc.).  Then go through the invoice checking each item off.  Separate everything by orders after you inventory marking each with customers name on tape.  We try to fill the orders of those who are helping first.  Inventory and filling orders are easy if you have help.  If you need to refund money because certain items didn’t get shipped, do this at a later time.  Not during unloading and inventory.  Items you’ll need for inventory: scissors, knife, markers, masking and packing tape, and Sharpie-like pens.

9. Paying the Bill

If there are discrepancies with what actually came on the order and what the bill says, work this out quickly with the distributor.  Pay the bill as promptly as possible.  This promotes good will with your distributor and finalizes the order.

10. Prepare for the next order

Keep names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for contacts on the next order.  We have those who order fill out the order form’s information section completely for this reason.  It’s also a good idea to critique the order to see what can be improved for the next order.

We originally started our local grain order because we wanted our own food storage and wanted to cut costs.  Our order has fluctuated from about 5,000 pounds to 30,000 pounds. We’ve spread to other parts of our area but have helped others in other states.  We want to help as many as want or need the help.  We hope this will give y’all out there a good start.   

Prepare now!

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn.

A Story of Preparedness and Not Drawing

 I think I've told this story before, but it bears repeating.

 Very early in the morning while stopping at a gas station to put air in my tire, I was approached by a stranger. The first words out of his mouth were to ask if I was from around here, immediately sending me into condition orange.

It’s interesting to note that this happened just a day after I got into a good discussion about mugging, vehicle thefts and how you’d react during those situations.

We all have our preconceived notions of how we’d react in a violent encounter, but the truth is that we’ll never truly know until we’re put in that exact situation.

3/4/14 threat Cons and Training

I’d like to explain my statement earlier about condition orange and provide a brief example of the Cooper Color Code here for reference.  Colonel Jeff Cooper is known for advocating a color code to describe a person’s state of mind. Not so much in regard to a level of alertness, but purely the mental state.

The following comes from his book, Principles of Personal Defense:

Condition White - You are unprepared and unready to take lethal action. If you are attacked in White, you will probably die unless your adversary is totally inept.

Condition Yellow - You bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and that you may have to do something about it.

Condition Orange - You have determined upon a specific adversary and are prepared to take action which may result in his death, but you are not in a lethal mode.

Condition Red - You are in a lethal mode and will shoot if circumstances warrant.

Condition Orange is what my body kicked into when presented with this stranger that approached me in the parking lot of the gas station. I’d like to explain one more principle of what occurred to me though, before going into the rest of the story.

Body Alarm Response

The body alarm response is what naturally happens to your body during an elevated state of awareness and the adrenaline dump that comes along with it. This is typically referred to as “fight or flight,” but more appropriately described as BAR.

During a body alarm response, the characteristics exhibited are rapid heartbeat and its counterpart, rapid breathing; tingling of the extremities, degradation in fine motor skills, tunnel vision and that sinking sensation in your stomach. You should embrace these characteristics as your body’s early warning system and be glad, they’re working, not let them control you and succumb to the “fear” you might think this means.

As blood is drawn into your core from your extremities (that tingling sensation and possibly numbness), you may recall the smallest of details during this heightened level of awareness. Blood being drawn away is also what can cause loss of fine motor skills, which aren’t as “fine” as you might expect. 

There are ways to control body alarm response though, meaning that through training and preparing yourself, you can mitigate its effects.

Now back to my story. What happened is, as I was walking inside to get change for the air pump at the gas station, I was approached by a cleanly-dressed stranger. He had come from the direction of a nicer vehicle that was parked alongside the convenience store building of the gas station. I immediately assumed that it was his vehicle, but I quickly flipped through a memory of just a few seconds ago where I’d noticed him floating around a gas pump.

As he approached my path to the convenience store entrance, my plan was to ignore him and keep walking inside. This plan quickly went out the window, as he encroached rapidly while asking the question, “Are you from around here?” That particular question, along with the quick approach into my personal space, immediately sent me into condition orange.

My first reaction, even before answering him, was to look at his hands and start walking backwards. I’m actually really proud of myself, as this is what I’ve been over repeatedly with in my head, “watch their hands, watch their hands.” I’ll ding myself on walking backwards rather than stopping prior to when I did, but I think a lot of that is how we realistically encounter people every day.

In a perfect world, I’d like to say that I follow the 21 ft. rule.   It states that a healthy adult male can cover the distance of 7 yards (about 21 ft.) in 1.5 seconds. Coincidently, that’s also about how many seconds it takes to draw a sidearm and put two rounds center mass on a human-size target at 7 yards.

You make that quickly approaching adult male an armed attacker and you can see why it’s called the 21 ft. rule. Realistically, we allow people within this 21 ft. perimeter each and every day; for me this day was no exception.

Putting distance between myself and this stranger was also something I was proud of, although moving backwards is never a good thing. “If you’re moving in reverse, things come from behind.”

As I put distance between myself and the stranger I answered yes to his question. At this point he continued to approach with his hands down by his side, while stating “Do you know if there’s a Walmart around”, I cut into his statement, putting up my left hand and saying, “Just wait right there and I’ll answer your question.” My right hand also moved backwards towards my gun. I never placed my hand on it, or gave away its position, I was just cognizant of where I was moving my hand to.

His immediate response was to put both his hands up and say “Ok, I was just trying to find the Walmart, I found the HEB, I just can’t find the Walmart.” By now I think he realized that I didn’t like him invading my personal space and he finally seemed aware of me putting distance between us.

I gave him some simple directions to Walmart, but was very short with him, continuing to watch his body position. After he said thanks for the directions, he turned around and walked off as I walked closer to the building’s door. I noticed him walk right past the car I had assumed belonged to him and round the corner behind the building. After paying for my gas, I exited the building.

Ensuring to keep my head on a swivel all the way back to my vehicle I didn’t see the stranger again. I brushed off the encounter until I was back in my vehicle and on the road. It was then that I really took stock of what happened and the indicators that warranted my elevated condition. I truly feel that my actions prevented me from becoming a victim or at least made me appear to be a hard target. I think this was an innocent event.  I think he honestly needed directions.

I wanted to share my story with you, because I think it helps to reinforce how important it is to listen to the Spirit, what some call your gut feeling, and an example of how your conditioning can take over, even when you don’t plan for it. I think that If I hadn’t mentally rehearsed this scenario thousands of times in my head and been exposed to it during my training, the outcome would have been dramatically different.

 

Carrying a gun is a big responsibility.  Knowing when to draw, and when not to draw your weapon is sometimes tricky.  You must make the correct decision.  Use wisdom and do not react to emotion.  Act, don’t react. Train well and work scenarios out in your head.

 

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Beirut and Remembrances

 

Remember the Beirut bombing! On the 23rd of October 1983, 305 servicemen of the U.S. and France, and civilians, were killed when a vehicle with a 21,000-pound TNT bomb ran into their barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
We need to remember these cowardly acts and the brave men and women who defend us!

This incident has been used to train and secure U.S. military and civilian members for years. At least their senseless sacrifice was not in vain.

Pray for the families of those who lost loved ones and for our current military members and first responders in harm's way! They need our support and prayers.

I know that I am biased from my own experiences, but I felt this way about the military ever since I was a little boy.  My grandfather was in the Navy reserves building ships for the Navy during WWI.  He was in his 40's and had a family.  My Father served in the Navy during WWII in the pacific.  He told me he got his draft notice for the Army infantry 2 days after he enlisted.  I served several years in the military and have worked on military bases for 40+ years.  I should be retiring soon. 

So, my respect of those who serve is highly regarded.  My wife worked in a hospital when I married her, and I have a son who is an EMT and a son-in-law who works in mental health. My regard of first responders is equally as high.

Please remember their sacrifices. 

Godspeed brothers and sisters!

Secure Schools Need To Take Note, It's Not Enough!

 

Again another school shooting.  This time in Bend, Oregon.  Oregon’s laws also make it a crime for the citizen who stopped the killer.  As of today nothing is known about whether this will affect the citizen who saved lives in spite of the law that told him he couldn’t.  Law makers just don’t get it.  I don’t know why they think laws stop criminals.  I mean, the definition of a criminal is someone who breaks laws.  So these laws they have made to keep bad guys with guns away from schools seem to do the opposite.  Like any thinking person would knows, laws don’t stop the lawless. 

Also, this begs to make school boards get serious about school security.  I have many children.  But all of those children are no longer school age.  I have two who are finishing their higher scholastic degrees.  But my experience with public school is the same I had with the military.  When I left the military I could see it changing.  I knew that I could not deal with those changes.  It’s similar to public schools.  When our oldest was in kindergarten my wife FLAG and I could see the writing on the wall for public schools of which we both experienced as kids in two different states.  We wanted our children to have something different so we started home schooling.  This was when home schooling had a stigma of being substandard.  It is not.  Never has been.  Now since COVID educating online and at home has become the norm for many families.  When I was in high school, I had some friends who drove pickups with rifle racks in them.  Those racks had loaded rifles and shotguns in them.  No one cared and it wasn’t an issue.  Now with kids that are not being raised to be resilient, who can’t seem to handle life, shooting up a school is sadly common.  Yet the schools don’t understand the seriousness of this and are a little light on security.  They say they don’t want schools to resemble prisons.  In Oregon this kid shot his way through their security and started to kill.  If it wasn’t for a guy serious about his own security, then more kids and staff would have been killed, I’m sure.  The police were on site in 3 minutes.  3 Minutes!  3 Children and 1 teacher were killed, others were injured.  And the police were there in 3 minutes!  Think of that.  One nut case with a shotgun, not an assault weapon, went through security doors and started to kill.  A father with 2 kids at the school shot and killed the killer.  He broke the law to do it.  What’s wrong with that picture?  The police had just been through active killer training.  They just trained for what they were called to.  The father was not trained in active killer tactics.  He was right behind the killer yet 3 kids, 1 teacher, and at least 2 others were shot in that short time.  School Districts take note.

Watch this Colion Noir video:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RBKoms2T9o  Colion lays it out quite nicely.

If you want to know how to protect schools learn from Israel.  They have immense experience!

 Israeli law currently requires a guard in schools of 100 or more students. These guards are generally employed by private security companies, while the Israel Police (the country's civilian police force) have overall responsibility for guidance, oversight, and control for the entire security system of educational institutions, from kindergartens through universities. The law permits certain individuals to carry firearms in schools.

By law, the guard must check the school site 30 minutes before school starts. He or she then checks people and vehicles entering the school and can permit or refuse entry to unauthorized people. The guard is generally stationed at the school entrance and is responsible for security outside the school (but not internal security issues, like fights between students). In the event of actual hostile activity (essentially terrorist in nature), the guard must engage with the attacker or attackers.

Many Americans think everyone is a gun owner in Israel.  This not true.  In fact it’s easier to get and carry a gun in the U.S. than Israel.  But their schools are secure.  They are serious about the safety of their schools.  And it shows in the amount of attacks they have experienced.  There have been attacks but rarely and rarely are these few attacks successful. 

I want U.S. children to have a good experience in school.  My opinion of public schools is not that great.  Some have become a babysitting system that lasts 13 or 14 years long.  Extra curricular activities I think are out of hand including sports.  Public schools need to teach more and play less.  Schools need to teach and stop including politics and stupid social commentary.  Part of the problem in parenting is that the schools do too much of it.  Parents need to cowboy up and parent!  Stop coddling your little “babies” and teach them to be good citizens and good students.  Many will dump on me and call me sexist but I don’t really care.  I know times are difficult but Mother’s come home.  Two incomes are not necessary if you plan, sacrifice, and learn to live within your means.  Stay out of debt!  It can be done and should be.  Mothers need to nurture their kids and Fathers need to provide.  I realize there are some who think this can’t be done.  But I think it can.  Anyway, if some families would stop giving into society and what society thinks, we’d have stronger families.  I know that home schooling is not easy.  It costs more and requires more time and effort.  My wife taught our children for 36 years!  Sorry about that gigantic opinion fest I just experienced.

Public schools need to be serious about their security.  Law makers need to actually make laws that help that security.  I think my church also needs to take our security seriously too but that’s another article.

My heart goes out to those families that were affected by this killing.  I hope they can be comforted and strengthened.  My heart also goes out the brave guy who killed this killer.  He will have to deal with having killed another human regardless of the need.  I’ve experienced this difficulty.  I hope he too is comforted and strengthened.

I hope U.S. school systems, including institutions of higher learning, will change their weak position on security and decide to protect our kids.  I also hope law makers will stop this crazy fight between left and right concerning guns.  Our country and its freedoms were conceived and maintained by guns and righteous force.  Let’s stop fighting and be realistic in making laws.  No other country has a God given right of its citizens written into its laws. It’s there for a reason.  Let’s stop trying to undermine the document that grants us the freedom to do so.  Let’s strengthen ourselves and learn to live with defense and to grant others that same right.   

I’ve written about this before in 2018 and 2022.

Check out: Reprint From 2018:  Do We Want Our Schools Secure, Or Not? 5/27/22

Do We Want Our Schools Secure, Or Not?  5/22/18

Sorry this was a bit of a rant...

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Train Like You Mean It!

 Train like you mean it! What does this mean? I’ve heard it said many times that you Fight like you train and train like you fight. What this means dear gun brothers and sisters is that we need to rethink the reason for our training. If you are competing your training is different from defense. Some things will cross over such as grip, aim, control. But this is where competition stops being beneficial.

Many years ago I was a small arms instructor in the military. I’d get all kinds of experienced military members. I remember a particular young guy who could shoot more accurately than I’ve ever seen anyone shoot. I saw him put 10 rounds of 5.56 into one hole in a target. I was skeptical until I asked him to do it while I was watching 50 yards away through a spotting scope. He did it two more times while I was watching! He learned as a boy in Tennessee hunting with his father. He said he would spend hours shooting at cans in the forest. That’s what practice will get you! Anyway, I got hunters and competitors and those who thought they could shoot. It was more difficult for them once movement was introduced. Even if they moved and then stopped it was enough to throw them off. The closest competition I’ve seen that is good training for personal defense is 3 gun. This involves multiple targets from different distances and positions. This is realistic training. I used to go to the range and set up my training scenario. It involved shooting around barricades, over benches, and through tables. It also had a small jog between barricades. Increasing your heart rate, increasing the stress. It also involves transition to another weapon and magazines changes. What I really like is a shoot house but most of us don’t have access to one of those. Don’t misunderstand me. I learned and taught standing on a range and shooting at a static paper target. This type of bull’s eye shooting is enjoyable and desirable. There are many things that can be learned with this type of shooting, and I still do it when I want to shoot 50 rounds and get a 15-minute practice in. But for serious defense training a run and gun is the way to go. The term run and gun implies quite a bit less than what is actually required though. In professional competitive setups, shooters are required to run a short distance between target locations, engage multiple targets, shoot around “barricades,” drop to and shoot from the prone position, or go into kneeling, squatting, and prone positions to shoot through various sized openings in plywood partitions to hit targets. In some setups, competitors are also required to transition from a pistol to a rifle and to a shotgun; not necessarily in that order.
How is training in this manner beneficial? Physiologically; (1) the physical activity portion gets the heart and lungs pumping to create physical stress; a negative force that needs to be overcome when pressed to perform under duress. (2) Engaging multiple targets, (most being “shoot targets” but some designated as no-shoot “noncombatants”) plus mandatory mag changes while on the move, creates mental stress; another negative force encountered when under pressure. (3) It develops hand / eye coordination which creates muscle memory.
From a tactical standpoint, it helps instill the use of cover and the need to safely move; to either advance on or retreat away from the opposing threat.
There are some drills that may assist you with this training.
Reloading Drill:
Engage the target, fire six shots and while moving, go through the motions required to reload and prepare your weapon for continued use. Conclude the exercise by lowering your weapon to the low ready position; scan left and right for additional threats then secure your weapon.
The purpose of this drill is to acclimate you to the divided attention skills required to (1) reload your weapon and (2) make your weapon ready for use while on the move.
The desired results are; you will reflexively eject the magazine, (or spent brass in the case of revolvers) insert a fresh magazine (or load the revolver cylinder) and make the weapon ready to fire again while, quickly moving to change cover locations, retreat or advance on the threat.
Transition Drill:
This drill will require the use of either a rifle or shotgun (or both) with a sling. With the rifle or shotgun slung in the front muzzle down position, Draw your handgun and engage the target with six shots. Re-holster and transition to the long gun, while moving, to engage another target with four shots. At this point, if you have opted for a third long gun, un-sling the third weapon while moving back to the first target, engage and fire four shots.
Once you have become comfortable at performing this last exercise and the movements feel more reflexive, it’s time to return to the beginning, but with some changes.
Begin by drawing the handgun and engaging the target with six shots. While on the move reload, making the weapon ready then engage a second target with six shots. Holster the handgun, transition to the rifle while moving to a second target and engage that target with five shots. On the move, reload the rifle and engage a third target with five shots. If you’ve opted to lug around that third weapon, repeat the steps you just completed with the rifle. At the end of the exercise, holding the last weapon at a low ready position, scan the area for any additional threats then secure the weapon.
These are just two drills you can use to make your training more realistic. If you feel you will never need to transition, then just implement your handgun and magazine changes.
If possible (I know indoor ranges have limits on how you can train) put together a simple program for yourself. Keep track of what you do and how well you do it in a notebook to track your progress. Change up your drills and put variety in your training. You don’t need an elaborate range, but you do need some freedom of movement and multiple targets.
Being realistic in your training is something we should all maintain. It’s more serious and you train like you mean it!

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

Building Your Bug Out Bag Introduction from May 6, 2024

This is a repost from 5/6/2024.  This has been on my mind lately with wildfires being a reason you may have to evacuate.  But there are many other reasons.  

Go Bags AKA: GOOD get-out-of-Dodge bag, battle box, BOB bug-out-bag, PERK personal-emergency- relocation-kit, 72 hour kit, QRB quick-run-bag, Grab bag, Bail out bag, AA@ bag, which refers to a military series of bags that a member is deployed with, A, B, and C. The AA@ bag is individual equipment and clothing bag.  The one that would get you in the most trouble!

I just had a few hours to kill so I went to the first 50 sites (5 pages worth) of a Google search of “72 Hour Kits”. There were “About 89,700,000 results (0.31 seconds)!” WOW! I have been working on our personal preparedness for almost 30 years and I thought I could still learn something. I learned that if I was a complete novice at this I would be in trouble! Not only have we worked on a bug out bag for our family for many years, but I feel my experience in the military was a great plus to this preparedness. After looking at these sites I just want to throw in the towel! Sometimes going to the internet for information is like going into the jungle, I never know what’s going to happen and I’m real scared. There is too much and too many differing opinions out there and everyone, (including me!) wants to post their ideas or sell their product.

The first 10 or 15 sites were devoted to selling me “the most comprehensive 72 kit you could ever own.” That was actually a statement made about a kit I thought was pretty weak. Amazon has 771 pages under 72 hour kits. Now I understand the retail world. It’s about selling a product. I must admit, most of the kits I looked at were pretty good, not perfect for me, but pretty good. Most were very similar so if you’re looking to buy a readymade kit, find the ideal ingredients that the retail world can offer, and then find the price that fits that list. I would not be caught with a store bought kit. That would not work for me. They are way too generic and I don’t think I’ve seen one that addresses security. I understand the reason; I don’t think I’d want that kind of liability in my product either. But, I’ve yet to see a company back up their product and show the results of using that product. I did see some products that I felt had some quality items, not anything flimsy or cheap. That was refreshing. None of the over 100 kits I looked at approached the first aid kit with much more than a cursory effort. I believe there are very few commercial first aid kits that are worth very much. I know that the commercial world is not going to put in certain items because that would tell the customer that “You too can put in an IV at home!” The liability is horrible and I can imagine the lawsuits over an item as simple as a suture. But it would happen. So, I can understand the challenge of putting together a first aid kit or a 72 hour kit that will work, and also “not get us sued!” But how much of a disservice is it to give someone a kit that is called a “survival” type kit which actually won’t do much for you or others with a real injury? Four aspirin and 25 band-aids and a roll of gauze are hardly a first aid kit for anyone with even a limited training. The same goes for 72 hour kits that only assume you’re not only an idiot, but an untrained, uneducated idiot! I wish some company would put out a kit that would be better based in reality and would also advise where to seek training and give some real world advice on how to use their kit, and how to improve it. I don’t think that will happen business being what it is. Some companies have blogs and articles connected to their products that I see as an attempt to train and educate. But I know you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. Many Americans are spoiled and want to be prepared, but don’t want to pay the price for that preparedness. What might that price be? The price of both money and especially time.

“OK Burn, now that you’ve whined to us about the problems of the internet in buying a 72 hour kit or gaining information, what is your solution?” Well, dear reader, I’m glad you asked. Actually I go to the internet for information all the time. In fact, this blog is actually an attempt at some kind of sanity in the area of preparedness, though it too will probably fall short. But hopefully our ideas will spark some ideas of your own. In 1984 I was on a mobility team in the military. This was a team of 15 or so members that could be deployed at a moment’s notice to anywhere in the world to perform our particular operation. This meant always being prepared and practicing what to do if the deployment was “real world”. I had several bags that were inspected constantly and by regulation had to have certain items in them. If I was missing a specific item, I was advised that I may not deploy and could be reprimanded. The military liked to use fear to get you to act appropriately. After those specific items I could include almost anything I wanted short of some unauthorized items. I had being ready down to a science. Now, as a civilian I don’t have to worry about my “A” bag being inspected, I am my own inspector. That can be good and bad. Without a consequence, most humans tend to relax their standards. Unless discipline is employed, disaster can result. Once you get your go bag together, do not take anything out unless you have an emergency of course. Camping is not an emergency by the way. Whatever you may use from your kit while testing it must be replaced unless it is going to be removed permanently. You must be strict with yourself because your life may depend on it. As you start this go bag journey, do your homework. Look at several places you feel you can trust. Ask someone who is “5 by 5 and mission ready*”(someone who knows) and they can help you. Please don’t trust only one source. As I’ve emphasized before, find a list you can live with and customize it. Add to, or take away from it. Then practice with those items and test them. I’ve done this for years with camping equipment too. Sometimes you’re surprised at an item you thought was junk, but turned out to be great in the field. Camping is a good way to test your kit. If you don’t want to camp (some people don’t), then test it in your back yard. Your neighbors will love it!

Most of what I saw of lists was on government or school sites. These lack, in my opinion, a reality check. But some may be a good place to start. I think it’s amazing that the best lists I saw were on “zombie” sites. Zombie sites refer to a pop culture idea that somehow after a pandemic or other disaster zombies come out in droves to chase and attack non-zombies. I always wondered why they don’t feed on each other? Anyway, these zombies have created a culture of preppers that are quite grounded in “reality”, believe it or not. Aside from the fictional reason to be prepared (zombies), the preparedness that these sites and groups advocate is pretty reality based. Even a government agency (the Center for Disease Control) have adopted a “zombie” attitude. They use the zombie culture to try and get people better prepared. Please use common sense in this preparation. I’ve mentioned SWB (size, weight, bulk) in other blogs. To me it is very important. I can’t tell you the times as a Scoutmaster that I took my Troop on a backpacking trip and watched boys empty their backpacks on the trail to “pick it up on the way down.” They thought they could handle a 50 pound pack for 5 miles each day for 3 days. That was also the reason we had shorter hikes before the big one and encouraged the boys to pack the same thing they would take on the longer hike. This way you get some operational intell on what will work and what will not. Do not try a long hike with your go bag. Start small and work your way up. You will find yourself talking in terms of ounces when preparing your kit. Every ounce counts and will add up quickly. Don’t be fooled by what you “think” you can handle.

If you haven’t started a kit I challenge you to do it. Do it now! Get up from the computer and find a couple of items you think would be handy. Put them in a box or even a Wal-mart bag and put it in a place that you think you will eventually put a go bag. A closet near a door would be good. Do it now, we’ll wait.

I hope you actually did it and that you continue to do it on a monthly, weekly, or daily schedule until you think it’s ready for a test. Making a goal is important. A small budget is part of that plan. Training is part of that plan. This is a journey but you must take that first step to see any progress. You know I don’t like to gamble. But I sure would like to win the lottery. Think I could win without playing? Probably not. By the same token, you can’t become prepared without action. Set attainable goals and then put a plan on paper. A goal not written is only a wish. Always remember that skills trump gear every time. Get training.

After a goal and a commitment the only thing left is to work the plan. Being prepared is a lifelong pursuit. Being able to leave quickly is an important part of that preparedness.

 

Semper Paratus

Check 6

Burn

 

*Five by five and mission ready refers to an old military term. In voice procedure (the techniques used to facilitate spoken communication over two-way radios) a station may request a report on the quality and strength of signal they are broadcasting. In the military of the NATO countries, and other organizations, the signal quality is reported on two scales; the first is for signal strength, and the second for signal clarity. Both these scales range from one to five, where one is the worst and five is the best. The listening station reports these numbers separated with the word "by". Five by five therefore means a signal that has excellent strength and perfect clarity — the most understandable signal possible. Five by five by extension has come to mean "I understand you perfectly" in situations other than radio communication, the way Loud and Clear entered slang, post- WW2. “5 by 5” is the opposite of “broken and stupid”.