Category: Fire Prevention/Fighting

Letter Re: Gas Masks, Fire, and Chlorine Gas

Jim, Thank you for your hard work on maintaining the SurvivalBlog. I was first introduced to survival ideas in the late 1990s when I read your novel “TEOTWAWKI” (I read it again when it was [expanded and] re-published as “Patriots”.) I truly appreciate the time and effort you spend promoting a self-reliant way of life. I am an Air Force NBC instructor (have been for about 8 years now) and I am concerned that recent posts on your web site will lead people to believe that military gas masks will protect them from industrial chemical releases. Military masks (M17, M40, …


Two Letters Re: Gas Masks, Fire, and Chlorine Gas

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Jim: Just something I would really like to beat to death, and that’s Chlorine, Fires and Gas masks. I just keep getting this really creepy feeling that there are a lot of folks out there that aren’t clued in on the limitations of gas masks and may kill themselves. First:, grass fires, forest fires and house fires. A gas mask will keep you from choking on the fumes and stop your eyes from watering but it will kill you! The mask will stop the particulate matter that irritates your eyes, throat and lungs but it will not make oxygen where …


Letter Re: The Apex, North Carolina Fire

A quick comment regarding the Apex fire story suggestions. In Northwest Florida many years ago several chlorine rail cars derailed and leaked in the middle of the night. Residents close to the derailment tried to escape the harmful fumes by getting in their cars and driving off. Unfortunately, the chlorine gas saturation level in the area was too high and most vehicles would not start. Many families perished in their cars. Gas masks are great idea if you have to walk out. Probably the next best thing is to have a ready response kit that will seal openings, doors and …


Stockpile Fire Safety Considerations, by AVL

Hazardous materials storage laws can affect your intended stockpile. The survival mantra is “Be Prepared!” to this end; it is often necessary to have stockpiles of materiel that may come in handy in case of an emergency. Most conversations about such stockpiles talk about food, water, clothing, and of course gasoline, ammunition, gunpowder, primers etc. While there are currently no limits as to what quantity of food, water, and shelter you can store, gasoline, ammunition and firearms are another story entirely. What is considered hazardous material? A hazardous material is anything that may adversely affect your safety or the safety …


Letter Re: David in Israel on Fire Suppression and Fire Fighting

Mr. Rawles, The Ben Meadows catalog is a great place for all kinds of outdoor equipment. The print catalog is a few hundred pages long, with everything from soil testers to firefighting gear and arborist supplies. I consider it recreational reading as well as a supply source. Their website has a “Wildland Fire Management” page: See: http://www.benmeadows.com/refinfo/wildlandfire.htm?cid=W51206  Regards, – TFA303


Letter Re: David in Israel on Fire Suppression and Fire Fighting

Greetings JWR, A few words about the article that David sent you on fire suppression: While I admit my wildland fire fighting experience is limited, as a member of private forest industry we do a lot for fire prevention. My associations with fire run deep. David recommended talking to state and Federal forest entities…look up your local private industry forester. Often these people are happy to give advice and know contacts of people with the equipment and knowledge to do the work at reasonable rates. First, do not wait to make a clearing around your house…make one around your property. …


David in Israel on Fire Suppression and Fire Fighting

For those with a real retreat in the forest or high desert a more pressing need than complete firearms battery is fire suppression. If you miss my point here, I believe that many survivalists confuse their gun hobby with serious survival preparations. If the massive combined fire suppression ever stops for even a year massive fires will rip across the United States. Fuel loading from over 70 years of fire suppression and no natural burn-off has made conditions ripe for fires never seen before in North America.  Even if your only survival concerns are foreign invasion or occupation expect fire …