Category: First Aid/Medical

A Personal Journey in Preparedness, by Mountain Man

I’m fairly new to SurvivalBlog but now it’s an every day read. I wanted to write and share my own journey of preparedness with you and your readers. After living with three and a half million people for about 22 years, a move to the country was long over due. I made the decision to get out of the city back in 1999, when I starting to take things a bit more seriously with all of the talk about Y2K. I was really hoping that something would have happened back then so I could test my skills at being prepared …


Letter Re: How to Stock up on FDA-Approved Prescription Medicines

Mr. Rawles: I have been a registered pharmacist for 34 years. Most drugstores and insurance companies allow you to get up to a 90-day supply of prescription medications at a time. The “Refill-Too-Soon” edit, which is what prevents you from getting a prescription right after getting another one for the same drug filled is usually set at 75% of the days supply. For example, if you are taking a high blood pressure medication once a day, then a 90-day supply is 90 pills. Seventy-five percent of ninety days is sixty-eight days. Therefore, if we use April 1, 2010 as the …


Four Letters Re: Building Your Kits for Survival

James, I read with great interest the piece by Jeff M. on building kits. I was kind of taken aback by his statement “I just won’t be one of those guys who carries a purse”. I guess in these days I need to understand what a purse is because I am a professional person who goes to meeting all over the state in a suit and tie and I always have what my family calls my purse with me. I carry an old trusted backpack that contains my laptop, but also carries all of my immediate survival needs (knife, first …


Letter Re: Observations from an Ice Storm Survivor

Mr. Rawles: I am writing a brief letter with a few points that may be helpful for your readers, who like myself, find your blog site a valuable resource, one well worth supporting financially. The value of your blog, and advice, is multiplied many times over by the extremely well informed readership you have. There are a few thoughts I could offer that others may find of use: 1. I lived through an ice storm that hit in the late nineties. As many have mentioned, when a calamity hits is not the time to start preparing. I was caught totally …


Letter Re: The Daylight Savings Time Home and Survival Checklist — Renew Your Preparedness Measures

Dear JWR, On March 14th at 2 a.m. it is the Daylight Saving Time change time in most of the US. So now is a very good time to check some things that you haven’t thought about in a while. I’m sure you heard the Public Service Announcements to change the batteries in your smoke alarm and to test them. That is certainly a good thing to do, but is that the only thing you should do this time of year? Grab a pen and paper and let’s look around your home. Batteries and Battery Powered Equipment Since you’re changing …


Home Childbirth from a Prepper’s Point of View, by Ranger Squirrel

I’ll discuss bringing someone into the world the old-fashioned way. I realize that as a man I may not be considered by some readers to be the most qualified person to write this post – but hear me out.  I have four kids, all four of which I’ve helped to deliver, the last two of which were done at home, three of which were assisted by midwives, and one of which was done without any assistance at all.  I’ve also had EMT training, including classes on emergency childbirth.  Nothing in this article, however, is medical advice.  If you need medical assistance, you …


Make it Modular and Make it Out!, by Ranger Squirrel

One of the skills that has served me best in life is my tendency to make everything modular.  I think I learned it in the Army, but regardless of where I picked it up, it has saved my rear end at home, at work, in emergencies, and even in my hobbies.  Let’s pick on Average Joe for a second.  Average Joe is exactly that.  He likes a beer now and again, listens to classic rock and some country, and works in a job that just barely pays the bills.  He has a commute of about 50 miles round-trip every day …


Three Letters Re: Some Comments and Some Personal Experiences in Haiti

Sir: I thought that you and your family might be encouraged by the following: There was an extraordinary occurrence in Haiti on February 17th. Here is a blog entry with a YouTube link about a nationally declared three days of fasting and prayer in Haiti. Amazing grace. The final sentence in the entry is the most sobering: “The only sadness that I feel today is for our nation. While a nation that has long been under Satan’s domination is turning to God with total commitment, our nation, founded on Godly values, has rejected God and is rapidly trying to forget …


Three Letters Re: The Art of Humping a Pack

Hi Jim, In Section 2 – Packing, Blake in Arkansas talks about using 1 gallon Zip-Loc bags for packing items. This is an excellent idea which I have used over the years in my sea-kayaking camping trips. However, another way of evacuating the air from these bags is to use a straw. Method: With bag ready for closure, insert a straw into the Zip-Loc bag. Zip the bag up to the straw. “Press” out as much air as possible (not smash). Then, use the straw to suck out the remaining air from the bag. Remove straw, and zip closed. Voila! …


Five Letters Re: The Art of Humping a Pack

Hello Mr. Rawles, Blake’s recent post on the fine art of “humping a pack” is much appreciated. I’m a bit of a backpacker, but have never been subjected to the rigors of “forced humping” for Uncle Sam. I’ve found that I rapidly become an unhappy camper when my pack weight exceeds 45 pounds. Thanks go to Blake for his service to our Country! The magic (but painful) blister remedy to which he referred is Tincture of Benzoin (sometimes abbreviated Tr. Benzoin). This mixture of specific tree resins in alcohol, and it’s cousin, Compound Tincture of Benzoin, are used in health …


The Art of Humping a Pack, by Blake in Arkansas

Walking with a loaded pack on your back is what the United States Marine Corps Infantryman refers to as “humping”.  And while it may not take a lot of brains to put a loaded pack on and walk, it has definitely become an art, science, or skill that is constantly honed by infantrymen of all types. With eight years as a Marine Corps Infantryman I have learned quite a lot about the art of humping myself.  There are several factors that come into play before you strap on your pack and take your first step. PHYSICAL FITNESS:  What is your …


Letter Re: An Overlooked Preparedness Item: The Magnifying Hand Mirror

Hi SurvivalBloggers, Have you have ever had a foreign object in your eye, and had a hassle finding and removing it,with or without help? I recommend that you get a big, powerful enlarging bathroom type mirror,the type you see on a swivel,usually with lights around it. These are about a foot square, and have a normal mirror on a swivel with an enlarged mirror on the reverse side. As a regular mirror gives you a half size image, examining your own eye for a tiny object can be difficult. With an enlarging mirror, its lots easier. I use a mirror …


Incremental Preparedness: The Good, Better, Best Approach, by Jeff B.

For many, the idea of preparedness seems like an impossible undertaking. The amount of equipment and supplies needed is staggering. When I first came to the realization that I was under prepared, the gap between what I had and where I needed to be was too much for my public servant’s paycheck to bear. I would spend a lot of time discussing preparedness with a group that I would go shooting with, and all of these meetings would always gravitate to “which weapon do you plan for X meters?” or “how many rounds do you think I need for X …


Preparing Your Church Congregation, by JSX in Virginia

My preparedness background started as a youth.  My father took us camping often and had an amazing gun collection; I’ve been able to teach my kids what he taught me – great memories both then and now!  In the 1970s, my mom and step-dad bought a little 2-acre farm in the middle of nowhere.  We kept a dozen or so chickens, had a few garden spots (that seemed to grow and multiply with each new season), homemade soap, homemade root beer (an acquired taste!) a “sewing room”, a small orchard, solar heating, our own 250-gallon fuel tank, and a year …


Barriers – Berries – and Bounty All Hidden in Plain Sight, by The Prudent Gardener

It seems a part of preparing for extremely hard times is acquiring knowledge and honing skills to maximize resources. SurvivalBlog has been tremendously helpful in developing exhaustive lists of needs, supplies, strategies and defenses. In addition, provision is made for faith, charity and quality of life to improve a healthy mental state. As a landscape contractor for 32 years, I am now seeing more potential for self-reliance that most property owners could develop with some planning and a better awareness of the resources they may already possess. This form of preparation could substantially improve our situation both short and long …