As the saying goes “preventive medicine is the best medicine”, this can be said for many aspects in life. Why wait until something happens to fix it? Why not perform proper maintenance procedures so you don’t have to fix it? Frankly, before I became a prepper, I’ve always found this approach to be best. It can save you time, money, frustration. Even if something is going to break no matter what, with preventive procedures, you can sometimes see it coming, therefore fixing or changing a part. From a prepper’s perspective, preventive measures are a necessity. The U.S. military puts an emphasis on Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS). Throughout the rest of this essay, all preventative measures will be termed PMCS.
Preventive Maintenance
When it comes to machinery, PMCS must take place. The last thing you need when disaster strikes is to hop in your bug out vehicle and realize you’re low on fuel and the battery is dead. When it comes to vehicles, generators, freezers, or anything that is a complicated system, you need to perform PMCS and keep a record of it. When it comes to vehicles, whether tractors, cars, pickups or SUVs, you can keep the record book with the vehicle. For items such as generators or tools, keep them in a filing cabinet for easy tracking. Some items that should be checked include:s
Oils/lube, Fuels, Filters
Belts, Batteries, Fuses
Plugs (spark or glow), Tires/wheels, Specialty tools
Check your owner’s manual or with the original company to find out when you should perform PMCS, with what specific parts, and where to find all of the proper parts and tools. When it comes to tools, they also need PMCS. Visually inspect all parts for cracks, tears, bends, or partial pieces. Simple tools such as a hammer will not help you if the head is ready to break off of the handle. Remember to sharpen blades and teeth, oil moving parts, and always clean and dry your tools to prevent rust.
Preventive Medicine
Once the SHTF, making appointments to see you doctor are probably not going to happen. Even if you have a medical professional in your group, some supplies will not be available. Those supplies that are available will eventually run out.
Dentistry: I personally am one of the worst when it comes to taking care of my teeth and gums. I’ve also paid for it. Brushing your teeth is not enough. You should brush your teeth first thing in the morning, in the afternoon, and before bed. Flossing needs to be a part of your brushing routine. Full flossing of every space should be done in the evening, prior to brushing. After flossing, use a mouthwash so you don’t push anything back into spaces, and then brush. Throughout the day most people have snacks. After eating, use dental soft picks. These can be purchased fairly cheap and are found at many stores.
Lifestyle: TEOTWAWKI or not, a healthy lifestyle should be sought. You don’t have to be a gym junkie either. Sports are a great way to get some exercise. Some prefer hiking or bicycling. The point is to be active and flexible. However, bulking up like Arnold doesn’t do you much good if you’re eating steaks and burgers, then finish it off with a smoke. While the science of nutrition is difficult to understand, there are some basics that make it easy. Check out mypyramid.gov to help plan better meals. This shouldn’t need to be said, but I’ll say it anyway: drop your bad habits! Tobacco is the big one, but anything else that you can’t handle in moderation. This could be alcohol, caffeine, or sweets.
Medicine: Take care of any health concerns now. Lifestyle changes can change some of these issues. Diabetes type 2 and high cholesterol are a few of the conditions that could be managed better, or even resolved, by lifestyle changes. For medical concerns that can’t be resolved be lifestyle changes should be looked at before it’s too late. If you’ve been putting off a surgery, you just might have to live with your current condition if the SHTF today. Make sure that you are updated on all of your medications and have a stockpile. If you have any sort of condition that requires an apparatus such as canes or braces make sure that you have extras or extra pieces. Most of us will be doing quite a bit of work outside. Have a good supply of lip balm, sunscreen, insect repellant, and foot powder. If you’re sunburned or have blisters on your feet, this makes survival rough. These are simple steps that you can take.
Sanitation: This section is extremely important for people that bug out somewhere where there is no house. This could be out in the woods or on someone’s property. The first is on defecation. One simple idea is the cat hole. The cat hole is good for on the move or for one person for no more than one day. Dig a hole 12 inches in diameter and 6-7 inches deep. Do your business in hole and cover it with the dirt that was removed. This is also helpful for OPSEC being that if it was out in the open, you may give away your location. If you plan to stick around a spot for one to three days, use a straddle trench. Dig out a rectangular area 1 foot wide, 4 feet long, and 3 feet deep. After use, cover the excrement only. Once the trench is filled to 6 inches below the ground, cover the rest with the remaining dirt. One trench is good for up to 25 people. I wouldn’t recommend a burnout barrel latrine unless you are in a large camp with security. Basically, somewhere where everyone knows you are there anyway. This consists of a wooden bench with a hole in it over the top of a metal barrel cut in half. All openings must be covered so vermin cannot get in. Once the barrel is half way filled, drag it out from the enclosure and at least 10 feet away. Add 3 inches of a fuel mixture containing one part gas and four parts diesel. Set on fire and monitor. Once all of the waste is gone, clean and sanitize the barrel and return it to the enclosure. When it comes to urination, this needs to be put into the ground as well. For males, dig out an area 4 feet wide, 4 feet long and 4 feet deep. Place metal tubes 8 inches into the pit and fill with stones and gravel. Place funnels on the tops of these tubes to be used as urinals. For females, construct the same pit but instead of pipes, use a barrel. Place it 8 inches into the pit with gravel underneath and around it. Place a wooden seat on top of the barrel.
For other liquid wastes such as bath water and dishwater, dig out another area that is 4 feet wide, 4 feet long, and 4 feet deep. Place a barrel with a perforated bottom 6 inches into the pit. Then dig out four trenches from the pit starting at one foot deep and ending at 2 feet deep. They need to be 6 feet long and one foot wide. Fill all of this with gravel. When it comes to trash, I don’t like the idea of burning. It is an announcement to people of where you are and what you may have. I also imagine that many people will be recycling and reusing heavily thus reducing the amount of trash produced. Start off with a pit that is 8x8x8 feet. As you dump your trash in, make sure to cover it with at least 6 inches of dirt. This will cover smells and hopefully deter vermin. Always make sure that all of your areas are clearly marked for present and past areas. You do not want to dig in an area that is filled with trash or excrement. Guidelines for latrines are 50 feet away from living/sleeping areas, 100 feet from water sources, and 300 feet from food storage/preparation areas. For garbage areas they need to be 100 feet from food storage/preparation areas and water sources. Always make sure that these areas drain away from water sources, on level ground, and well above water tables.
Food: Getting food poisoning is no fun. I’ve had it a few times. Always be aware of what you are eating. Just because something looks like a food you know, it may not be. It may also be poisonous. Wash all fruits and vegetables before consumption. Even if you are going to cook them, there could be critters or dirt on them. They may have pesticides as well. When it comes to meats here are some guidelines on cooking temperatures: beef, lamb, and goat needs to be 170 degrees in the center or until uniformly brown. Pork needs to be cooked at 165 degrees and until no longer pink. Poultry should be cooked at 170 degrees or until juices run clear. Fish needs to be cooked until 140 degrees or until it is flakey. Rabbits and squirrels should be cooked at 180 degrees. Cats and dogs? I’m hoping I won’t ever have to find out.
Water: If you aren’t lucky enough to have a filtration system there are some basic techniques that will make your water safe to drink. First up is boiling. Pass the water through a filter or fabric in order to get rid of sediment. Bring the water to a roaring boil for one minute. Once cooled, it is safe to drink. You can also use bleach. Use 8 drops per gallon if the water is mostly clear. If the water is mostly cloudy, use 16 drops of bleach. Once again, make sure to pass it through some sort of material as a filter first. Also, look at where you are getting water. If you come across two ponds and one of them have algae, mosquitoes and other wildlife that is probably the safe one. It’s the water source that has no life that should raise a red flag.
Preventive Measures
Security: Don’t wait until the SHTF to come up with a security plan. Start one now. Find out where certain positions will be and what weapons are needed. Figure out how you are going to set up your schedules.
Land: Every year property owners cut back their grass and trees and bushes because fire season is coming. This is something that should always be taken care of. Fires can happen any time of year. Look at your land and figure out where you are going to situate things. If you are going to put in more gardens or a trash pit after the SHTF, figure out where those places need to be now. Go so far as clearing those areas.
Investments: The US could face an economic collapse tomorrow, or in ten years. No one knows when it is coming but we all know that it will come. There is a lot to be said for investing in tangibles and stocking up on food and fuel. For preppers that are younger and are not already financially secure, food and fuel isn’t enough if you’re renting an apartment with no BOL and TEOTWAWKI is still fifty years out. I would first recommend getting a college education and a secure job. Learn how to make investments. The stock market may not be the greatest place to invest, but talk around to others that are knowledgeable and ask for advice.
Family and Friends: I had talked to my wife about prepping and to no surprise she thought I was crazy…at first. I approached her slowly and gradually showed her all of the problems in the world and how they could pan out. Then I introduced her to the scary thought of the “bad men.” She is the one who keeps asking me when I’m going to take her out shooting again. She wanted a garden in this year so she could practice. She came around. Make sure that you get your immediate family on track. When everything is falling apart around you, you do not want this to be the time to start talking prepping. Get your kids involved in prepping activities such as fishing, hunting, gardening, canning, and sewing. Also be aware that there are some people that will think you are nuts no matter what. These same people could be a danger to you before and during TEOTWAWKI. Make mental notes of who these people are and make sure to not talk “prep” with them.
Preventive actions are much like prepping. You are preparing for the worst, but making the best of it right now.