I Always Wanted to be Batman IF I Grew Up pt 1

As promised this is the first of a series of articles on emergency preparedness.

Right at the start I should point out that one of the most important things you will need to do is pick and choose from the skills options and “kits” I suggest. Survival in Canada’s far north (which believe it or not qualifies as a dessert due to getting less than 10 inches of rainfall a year) is far different from a hot dessert though knowing how to survive in one does give skills in the other.

I have a variety of emergency kits. Each aimed at a minimum of 72 hours (which here is the estimate it will take to get emergency teams up to full capacity) in reality I aim mine for at least a week with as much attention to renewing things as possible. For example while I have enough drinking water to last two days normally I have what I need to treat water to make it drinkable to last well over a month.

The kits are nice. You customize them for the number in your family where you likely are and what is likely to happen. I won’t start with them however. What I will start with is skills. Having skills to for example to make water drinkable is more useful then having a couple days of drinkable water. Also having the greatest First Aid kit in the world is of no use if you don’t have the training to use it. Also along with that is having the stomach to use it. I have been in situations where paramedics were vomiting and I had to start the First Aid while they got themselves under control. These were not everyday events but in each case where someone had attempted suicide by throwing themselves in front of a train. Don’t think I didn’t get sick myself. I did but later. Usually the following day.

So where does one start.

Deciding what skills and where and how to get them is a good place. Any good First Aid course is a must. Updating it as often as you have a chance is a good thing and if you can get one which includes what is called casualty simulation is a real bonus. Cas sim is where they make the wounds look real with special effects that rival Hollywood. So far I have only known the military and the fire department to have this kind of training as a common thing. As fire departments spend a lot of time on standby don’t be afraid to ask if it would be possible to have them teach you. Usually they are more than willing and also have a mindset that is ready for any kind of emergency. Also remember many skills transfer to areas you would not expect any skills to transfer too. For example I never expected being able to call in air strikes to have any use outside combat. Till my first forest fire. Only then instead of calling in a strike on an enemy you got to where the fire was worst and had the water bombers bomb you. It is like standing in a shower on full for maybe 30 or 45 seconds then being surrounded by steam. After that your troops put out any small fires which spring up. You are using picks shovels and backpack fire extinguishing water pumps. Not something everyone will have available.

Again where to start. This is the first suggestion. Books. First Aid manuals, what ever the local boy scout manual is for it will be full of things needed for wherever you are. Local books on survival. If you can get copies of your local Armed Forces manuals on survival these are rarely classified. Also similar skills. Knot tying for example. Books on local edible and poisonous plants.

Until this information is second nature to you when you are not looking it over they should be in the appropriate emergency pack. Mine are all in backpacks ( the kits ) the books are together in a section on my bookcases and there is room for them at the top of the packs. Acts of nature sometimes give warning sometimes do not.

However the first and most important tool for dealing with emergencies is appropriate skill sets. Learning these is step two, deciding what they are and how to go about learning is your first step.