Category: Fire Prevention/Fighting

Letter Re: Some Technologies for Retreat Security

Jim I’ve put together a few ideas on retreat security that I haven’t seen on your great site. I may have missed them but I think they would bear repeating. I presently live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but will soon be moving to my 280 acre ranch in central Nevada. What got me to write this was a realization during my semiannual chore of servicing the emergency generator. Changing out the gas (It is also set up to run it on propane) changing the oil, and testing the circuitry, I realized that what I thought was a good setup was actually …


Letter Re: A Useful Heated Steel Color Emission Chart

Dear James: I came across this table in a reference book and thought it may be useful to everyone. Note: This chart should not be used as a guide to combating fires. Remember all fires are dangerous, and you should call the fire department, if that is a possibility, when you see flames. All degrees are in Fahrenheit below. Yellow 450 degrees Fahrenheit Brown to Purple 550 degrees Fahrenheit Blue 600 degrees Fahrenheit Faint Red 900 degrees Fahrenheit Dark Cherry Red 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit Full Cherry Red 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit Salmon 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit Lemon 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. White 2,200 …


Letter Re: Advice for City Folks on a Budget?

Dear Mr. Rawles, I read the two letters that were posted on September 27, “Advice for City Folks on a Budget”. What struck me was how similar Mike H.’s situation is to mine. I too have a wife similar to the Mike H’s. At first my wife thought I was out of my tree when I began preparing years ago. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, she came to believe that what I was doing was prudent, but somewhat overkill. Now that we have entered this period in history, she’s starting to pay attention, and has become a participant. I …


Letter Re: Advice on Fuel Drums and Fuel Transfer Pumps?

Jim: Do you have any idea where I can get a 50 gallon fuel drum with a manual pump like the one that your previous writer discussed? – SF in Hawaii JWR Replies: You should first consult your local fire code, for capacity limits. This is generally not a problem outside of city limits, but laws vary widely. Needless to say, you should store any fuel cans or drums in a detached storage shed that is away from your house, not in an attached garage! In North America, the fuel drums that the reader mentioned are usually made in 55 …


Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Practical Preparedness — Things That Work

Jim: To follow-up on the last two e-mails that you posted from me, here are some random thoughts that I’d like to share on preparedness for when the Schumer Hits the Fan (WTSHTF): Use an eyeglasses “leash” (lanyard) to prevent the loss of glasses and reduce the risk of damage. Buy janitorial-size rolls os toilet paper, without perforations. Each roll is 1,000 feet long, and a box of 12 rolls measures about two feet square. These take up just a fraction of the room required to store the same length of toilet paper in standard household rolls. Use a kiddie-type …


Letter Re: A Recent Fire Evacuation Experience

James: Last weekend my town was threatened by a pretty big fire. Dozens of homes burned, thousands of citizens were evacuated. My neighborhood was among those ordered to flee the advancing flames. (Drama!) My family was prepared to leave ahead of time and evacuated safely in large part because of the advice and encouragement I have found at SurvivalBlog. Thank you. I did learn a few things. Theory flies out the window when panic is in the air. What is organized and prepared ahead of time actually works, what is thrown together at the last minute tends to fall apart. …


Letter Re: A Combustion Temperature Reference

Hello James: I came across these ignition temperatures in a reference book and thought they might be of use to others,. This may be useful for whatever folks may be doing with flammable materials or fuels at their retreat or at home. All ignition temperatures noted are in Fahrenheit: Cut Newspaper 446 degrees Cut filter paper 450 degrees Straw and sawdust 450 to 500 degrees Gasoline 536 to 800 degrees depending on octane rating Kerosene 480 degrees Natural Gas 1,000 to 1,200 degrees Propane 871 degrees Butane 806 degrees Paints and Lacquers (the flammable part isn’t the pigment, although the …


Letter Re: Nomex Flight Suits for Ground Troops in Iraq

Dear Mr Rawles, Just wanted to thank you for SurvivalBlog, and I especially like the useful tidbits from the troops overseas. I was a Navy Corpsman / combat advisor with a Marine [Corps] Police Transition Team (PTT) in Hadithah six months after the alleged massacre, interesting times for sure.We got in-country in August 2006, and the Nomex suits were just catching on [with Marines]. We managed to snag a set for each of our 10- man team. The only real reg[ulation]s were that at Al Asad or any large Garrison type Base they wanted you wearing camouflage [utilities], otherwise they …


Letter Re: EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection

Hi Mr. Rawles, I read your reply reharding “EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection”. Three years ago, a friend of mine and I shot a concrete wall until we made a nice size hole in it. This was just to see how much small arms fire it could take. [We used handguns.] Here is a web page I made about it with photos. Readers will get a idea what you meant about sand and and gravel being better at stopping small arms fire than even reinforced concrete. Take care, – Wes


Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog

Given that liquid fuel costs are climbing dramatically, and likely to continue rising, I would like to share some of the practices for fuel storage we employ. For our homestead, liquid fuel equates to four items, namely: Propane, diesel fuel, kerosene and last but not least gasoline. For each fuel, there are specific uses, distinct storage requirements and longevity considerations. Let me discuss each in order: The primary furnace in our house runs on propane. Currently, we use electricity for water heating and cooking. Our annual propane usage is between 500 to 800 gallons per year depending on the weather …


Time For Retreat Logistics Stage Two–The Soft Items

If you are a regular SurvivalBlog reader, the odds are that you already have the majority of your key logistics squared away, like food storage, tools, guns, communications gear. So now it is time to stock up on “soft” and perishable items. These include over the counter medications, vitamins, chemical light sticks, matches, paper products, cleansers, spices, liquid fuels, and so forth. You need to exercise caution when stockpiling soft items, for several reasons: 1.) Shelf Life and Deterioration. Some items like pharmaceuticals, batteries, and chemical light sticks are best stored in a refrigerator. Keep in mind that items like …


Two Letters Re: Homemade Alcohol Stoves

Mr. Rawles, The recent article on alcohol stoves made me think of these ultra-lightweight, portable alcohol stoves made out of soda cans, See this Wikipedia article. I have successfully built the original Pepsi-can version using epoxy glue, as well as the Heineken-can “penny” version. I have not tested them “in the field” but both work very well indoors, and they have impressive performance, boiling 2 cups of water in 5 minutes using only 2 tablespoons of alcohol. Those who have actually used them outdoors say they outperform other small stoves even in the most extreme of conditions. Even for indoor …


The Homemade Alcohol Stove and The Wonder Box, by LeAnne

In any situation, small electricity outage, or large-scale grid-down disaster, a simple homemade alcohol stove and a Wonder Box slow cooker can simplify your life and add the comfort of cooking and warmth. Why alcohol? Alcohol is the one fuel that can be burned indoors without any chimney or any objectionable fumes. The only byproduct is water. [JWR Adds: Keep in mind that for safety, even with an alcohol stove, some ventilation is needed, sine the combustion will consume available oxygen.] Isopropyl alcohol (70%) is cheap. A couple of quarts can be purchased for about $3.00 at Costco or Sam’s …


Letter Re: Choosing a State for Relocation

Dear Jim, I found this article on the safest states to live in, based on major crime rates. Compare that to this article from “Parents” magazine, who[‘s author] seems to rate states by the number of socialist laws they have. This is the [same] magazine whose solution to children fearing fire, after seeing the attacks of Sep 11 [2001], was “therapy.” I used the expedient of starting a small brush pile out back, dousing it with an extinguisher, and leaving a new extinguisher in their room. $30 is a lot cheaper and less stigmatizing than “therapy,” and had the practical …


Unconventional Bug-Out Transportation Methods, by A. Taylor

I read with interest the inquiry about, what I term a “Bug out Boat”. I made this recommendation several years ago, in numerous survival forums. Most readers seemed unable to process the potential for this kind of plan or it seemed to be impractical to them compared to hunkering down or egress by vehicle. I would advocate that the more eclectic methods of egress from chaos may hold greater potential for success than some mainstream ones. Traditional modes of travel in the modern age are easily controlled by the powers that be, accidents, infrastructure break down, computer problems, electricity (can …