Lessons Leaned from a Wildfire Evacuation, by Daniel in Montana

It was a gorgeous Saturday night, Sept. in Montana’s mountains the weather was hanging onto summer’s 70 degree temperatures, warm and dry. Working all day at the hospital and finishing some of my home preparedness projects gave me a satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. Time to relax, I sat down, put my feet up and was sipping my week’s end treat, a cold beer. I phoned my friend, “Brett” to finalize our plans to butcher a few of his farm animals tomorrow. He was finishing a Bible reading with his boys and was putting them to bed, and would call me back in a few minutes.

It was quite strange, as soon as I hung up, the phone immediately rang. It wasn’t Brett, it was “Eric.” His voice had a tone and panic I’d never heard before. Through his hollering and shouting I gathered a forest fire had just erupted a mile from his home. He was pleading for me to get to his parents’ home and tell them he is being evacuated! He was about to loose his house, horses, tools, everything. His call ended any type of relaxing for this Saturday night.

Eric and I have been friends for years. We live about 30 miles from each other. His parents and I are only 5 miles apart. He was unable to phone them. They have discontinued their land line, living tucked away on the side of a hill, far in the country and far from cell service. We of like minds prefer it that way don’t we?

My job in the health center was to train staff to respond to emergencies. We prepared for heart attacks, missing children, chemical spills, the usual. I am also a martial art’s instructor and former fighter. Eric’s call had ignited my fight or flight response dumping adrenaline into my body. My mind was racing, hundreds of thoughts and ideas all at once. I had just let my guard down. It was my time to relax, but my friend needed help. His request, and my urgency was to notify his parents, get people to the scene!

“Should I ride my Harley”? It would be quicker than my truck, but the thought of being in a smoky fire on a motorcycle wasn’t appealing. I’d ridden it before during a bad fire season a few years ago, the memory of the smoke stinging my eyes and my lungs burning made my decision easy. I ran to my truck.

Oh adrenaline, how amazing you are..more thoughts flooded my mind, simultaneous, in a moment, “grab my boots, Carhartts, jacket, chain saw and Pulaski to fight the fire. I’ll need my cell phone and lights, No, don’t waste time get going! Hurry! I can always come back for my gear. It’s only a few miles. Got to get to his parents! The fire was at least 30 miles from my home. My two daughters were safe, my wife was out for the night, the animals were all in their pens, go now, go fast!”

I blasted off in my truck. My mission, my friend’s request was clear, notify his parents. I took off wearing a pair of worn out sneakers, blue jeans and a T-shirt, no wallet, no ID, no phone. I raced my pick up to Eric’s parents’ home. “I can come back for my gear” disappoints me to this day.

Completing my mission caused another families’ Saturday night to change quickly, crying, disbelief and shock. It took them an eternity to accept this, get dressed and get on the road to help Eric. I followed them at 80 mph for the next 30 miles. Of course, we got stopped for speeding but the considerate officer knew of the fire situation and let us go, no ticket. I hope he reads this. I’d like to thank him.

As the miles passed, the outline of the mountain tops were easily seen glowing a dull red. Smoke was now thick from the burning trees. I shut the truck’s air vents. As we turned off the main highway I was suddenly cut off by a frantic heard of deer, several horses and a few dogs. They were crisscrossing the old road running wild. The fire was spreading quickly. I wondered, what I was getting into? This isn’t safe. This really happening!” My friend needed help, there was no hesitation, only my commitment.

The country dirt roads were not made for the traffic created from fire and pumper trucks, pick ups and trailers. The dust from the vehicles choked any attempts at normal breathing. I wrapped a bandanna around my nose and mouth but they were already dry and burning. It was quite dark but the glow from the fire and headlights created an eerie radiance. Any form of light was now encased in an evil combination of smoke and dust. Nothing was seen clear. Nothing was for certain. My Saturday had changed so quickly I couldn’t keep up.

My thoughts drifted to how valuable my gear would have been. Great planning and preparedness on my part. I never drove back to gather my equipment. I even have it organized for this type of grab and go situation. Wondering if the extra time spent would have been worth it? Saving those few minutes and racing off could prove costly.

My instincts told me to drive my truck. My gas tank was rarely below ¾ full, and true to my nature, I’d even topped it off after work. I had a full tank, (no wallet). I always stocked my first aide bag, pistol, extra mags, leather work gloves, 120 ft. of rope, jumper cables and a spot light in my truck. I plugged in the spot light, holstered my pistol, put on my gloves, grabbed the first aid bag and rope and set them on the front seat. I lit up the spot light and in this smoky confusion of animals, firefighters, trucks, trailers and flashing lights, I found Eric. He was standing in a grass field, sweating, dirty and holding two of his five horses.

I jumped out. Eric was in shock, my friend and brother needed help and lots of it! I used my 120 foot rope and several of us banded together forming a human fence. We were able to coral two more frightened horses. It took several attempts and over an hour to trailer those two. We roped off others and tied them to the trailer Like us, they were scared. confused and running on adrenaline One horse, was cut and bleeding bad. Her chest and legs sliced open, looked like she tangled with barb wire. I released my right hand from the rope and rested it on my pistol, assessing her, wondering?

One lady was standing alone in the middle of the dirt road, trucks and trailers driving around her. I grabbed my first aide bag and went to her. She was stiff, didn’t speak, didn’t answer my questions. I checked her, no signs of injury, B/P and 02 sats were within normal limits, pulse was racing, whose wasn’t? No cuts or bruises, shock. I drove her down two miles to the small country town, Lakeside where others had gathered by the Red Cross station and were sharing information and horror stories.

I could hear conversations of those who needed to get gas at this time of night, without success. Most stations were closed and the one that was open was choked with long lines, and taking credit cards only. Beautiful 350 Turbo powered Cummings trucks sitting, going nowhere, without fuel. Frustrated drivers, swearing, pounding their fists on their hoods as the fire threatened their homes.

One lady was standing in shorts and a tank top, great for the warmth of the day but more than exposed to numerous dangers in this situation. Her home was directly in the fire’s path. She had called the police prior to attempting to go to her home. They told her not to worry she would not be evacuated. By the time she got home, the fire had changed directions and she was not permitted to go near her home.

Eric had made several phone calls and other friends arrived. Some were quite prepared, some not. With his friends there to help him, all Eric could do was stand in disbelief, mumbling, “I’ve lost everything. I’ve lost everything.” I held both his arms, looked him square in the face and reassured him he hadn’t lost everything. “There still is time. Look, your house is right here, the fire’s still up on the mountain top. What can we get out of it? What’s first?” He didn’t answer. He ran off to get a chain saw.

What are his priorities? What did he want out of his home? If his house did burn down what is important to him? We may only have this one chance. How can I help? What do I get for him? birth certificates, insurance papers, cash, guns? Where is all this?

Then amongst all the fear and shock, unexpectedly, an angel gently touched my arm. It was Eric’s mom. She was a calm in all this confusion. Her and Eric’s dad are older, not in the prime of health and took a little longer to find us. His dad, Charles may not be in his youth but he sure proved his efficiency on the front end loader. Charles took up his position on Eric’s loader and immediately started pushing over smaller trees and brush, dragging them away from the house and work shop. He was also building 10 ft high mounds of dirt around the house at the same time. He was amazing! Efficient, productive, we were making gains now! We were on the offensive! We rallied behind their calm wisdom and experience.

All too sudden, it was quite, very quiet. The front end loader stalled while dragging a tree and wouldn’t start. After several attempts to restart it, the battery died. At this moment I felt the weight of the Red Sea crash in on me. I felt the fatigue. I was exhausted. I couldn’t breath. My knees, ankles and feet were throbbing, the past few hours walking, running and tripping in unfamiliar fields and dirt roads had taken its toll. My boots were now worth millions.

“My boots, my gear, Wish I would have….wait! I always carry jumper cables in my truck! I hobbled to it and eased into the front seat. Shifting and pushing the clutch sent waves of pain through my battered ankles and legs. I drove through the field right up to the Bobcat and popped open my hood. Charles had been trying to restart it and grabbed my jumper cables. In a few short minutes, we had her running again! Guess I wasn’t that sore after all and Charles didn’t seem quite as old.

As I moved my truck out of Charles’ path, the headlights caught an outline of Eric at the base of a tree. He found his chainsaw and had started to cut down the larger trees close to his home and shop. Charles could push them away from the house once they were on the ground and the fire would not have any fuel. Great idea.

Eric was halfway through a 60 ft. Tamarack and found his chainsaw had no fuel either. He ran out of gas and had none stored. Vehicles, people and animals all racing in the glowing dark and now a 60 ft. pine tree ready to come down at any time. We had an experienced logger, a Stihl chain saw but no fuel. This was very dangerous and we created it.

Tired, thirsty and frustrated, I lit up the tree with my spot light and parked my truck sideways on the dirt road blocking any traffic from the North. Others stood on the South side and stopped any flow from their direction. Charles inched the Bobcat closer and closer and was able to push over the 60 ft. danger without incident. We all sighed in relief.

The whole night was filled with events like this, success mixed with failure. You never experienced any one emotion for more than a few minutes. The burning fire created a constant urgency in everything we did. The eerie backdrop of a mountain glowing red with an uncontrolled fire wouldn’t let us rest.

Time changed that night. It would slow and pause for a moment, then by the time you blinked the smoke out of your eyes and it sped up creating situations and forcing immediate decisions throughout the night. There were times when I was watching all this unfold, far away from the fire, danger and confusion. There were times I was in the middle of everything, eyes stinging, scared, tired, wanting to do more for my friend.

Lessons learned:
1) Take the next step, if you have been preparing, don’t let up.
2) Emergencies seem to happen when we let our guard down
3) Do not become drunk with wine or strong drink
4) Help your friends prepare.
5) When a situation occurs, it will probably be at night and dark, you’ll be hot or cold and definitely tired
6) You respond they way you practice/prepare
7) If you do not practice or prepare…………things will get ugly
8) Little things we do on a daily basis, our habits, make big differences in crisis situations
9) Have fuel

I’d like to thank Mr. Rawles and your blog page. I’ve been a regular for almost two years now. It has been very valuable to read it and your books. You have given sound advice and enhanced my sense of preparedness. Because of your mission people were better off in a Montana wild fire. I hope and pray similar situations never come again but I feel it is only a matter of time. When the next one occurs, I will be even better prepared and will react with more efficiency thanks to you and others like us.

Since I initially started writing this our weather has changed. In a 48 hour period it has gone from sunny and 70 to 4 inches of snow, icy roads cold, and minus 4 degrees at night.

God Bless us all. – Daniel in Montana

Two Letters Re: Long Term Food Storage Package Now Sold at COSTCO

Hi Jim,

You’ve probably already seen this storage food now sold by COSTCO but it was news to me. Is that a sign of the times or what? In Him, – Karen H.

Jim,

I just noticed that Shelf Reliance “Thrive” brand food is being sold at CostCo.com.

I love your site, – Robert C.

JWR Replies: With a few supplements, the Thrive food storage system would make a very good “core” food storage system for someone that puts a premium on their time. These are top quality products. You would of course want to add other foods for variety and to up the calorie count to compensate for the rigors of doing lots of physical work in a disaster situation. Don’t overlook having additional fats and oils, as these are often lacking in many of the commercial food storage systems. (Too many lean meats and not enough fat and other nutrients can induce Rabbit Starvation (aka protein poisoning) –where you can have plenty of protein-derived calories, but still starve to death.) Adding a good quality multi-vitamin supplement and/or a sprouting kit is also important. And, needless to say, if you store wheat, you will also need to buy a hand wheat grinder.

If you do your own CO2 packaging (as I describe in the “Rawles Gets You Ready” family preparedness course) then you can set aside a one year supply even less expensively, and tailor the choice of foods to match your own preferences. In the course I describe in detail how to shop for nearly all your storage food items at “Big Box” stores like Sam’s Club and COSTCO. By buying in bulk and re-packaging, you will end up with foods that are more palatable, and close to what you are already eat on a day-to-day basis.

Letter Re: Converting Precious Metals ETFs to Physical Metals

Jim,
I send this respectfully to those delusioned Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) investors. Just like the people of earth believing the world was flat, it will become common knowledge that ETFs are just a vehicle for investors and not for those who believe in the metal. It is proven in the ETF prospectus that most are backed with the same faith as our Federal Reserve Notes. Both are still good for trading for profit now but when TSHTF at least your dollars can be used as tinder. You will never be shipped a single ounce of precious metal from an ETF. Just like you would never be shipped a barrel of oil or given the keys to a house owning shares of their respective ETFs.

I don’t own shares of bulk food companies, I own bulk food. That is what will feed me and mine. If you believe in the metals and want to store your value for the long haul then buy the metal itself.

So the question now is as it should be, How do I get the most metal for my money? I am sure most who may be reading this do not trust the system as it is, so stop using it.

First, stop putting cash into it. A matching 401(k) is the only reason I still play along, for now, its free money.

Next take out what you don’t want others (gov) to have access to or know about.

Whatever you leave in the system (401(k), IRA, etc.), apply to ETFs and or mining stocks.

Based on your investing time line and plan for TEOTWAWKI, your metal will be far more valuable than any dollar amount in any account. It will be hard enough just to cash out your accounts when TSHTF.

The way I see it as a 31 year old, the Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Pension fund systems will not be available to me when the government let’s me “retire”. My company just this week told us that my age/time in service group will not be given health care benefits after retirement, so that just gives more credence to the impending need for self reliance.

I believe in precious metals as a store of wealth over time. I also believe precious metals are a great investment at this time. In the Fall of 2008, I took a 50% loan out against my 401k (the most I could take without closing my account). The day I got the check I went to the store and spent 100% on silver bullion. The remaining half of the account is in silver and gold mining companies. From that time until now, my stocks are up more than my bullion, both though are moving up.

Personally, I chose to keep my 401(k) account open and at a minimum as my company matches 5%. I continue to manage my account in “speculative” mining stocks.

Like I said, my time line fits. When my stocks go parabolic and the investment side of the precious metals opportunity expires, I will sell the remaining stocks, cash out my 401(k), pay the taxes which may tally up to 45%, and be out of the system. Yes I will give up almost half but you must remember that was my companies half. Yes I will be young and without a 401(k), but I will have everything I own paid off including home, vehicles, stored food, and other preparations. I will be out of the system and self reliant. I will still have my metal, I will have my health, I will have time, and I will have the option to work where I want, if I want, as I will owe nothing to anyone but charity and God. If that is not retirement then I don’t know what I’m working for in the first place.

There are many people out there who believe in precious metals for the right reasons. If you are involved in ETFs and your not a hedge fund manager, read your prospectus. If you don’t get out of them after that re-read it. Any penalty or tax that you pay to the system so that you can own the same thing in its natural form should be another eye opener to things going on around us all. Stay away from ETFs, buy physical metal and be prepared. God bless, – K.A. in Ohio

Economics and Investing:

GG suggested this commentary by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: China has now become the biggest risk to the world economy

Reader “Gravy” sent a link to an interesting animated map on changes in unemployment rates.

Mr. D. sent a link to a National Pravda Radio news story: Joshua Kosman, Predicting The Next Credit Crisis. And on a similar note, GG sent this from The New York Post: Book: Spike in PE-owned firm defaults ahead

Items from The Economatrix:

Irish Government to Pay Immigrants to Go Home

Have Prices Already Risen Too Much, Too Soon?

Karl Denninger: Better Late Than Never

Economists Fear Impact of “Dollar Carry Trade”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Ryan (not one of the one of the Ryans of TSLRF fame) sent this news item from a southern Idaho newspaper: Driggs boy shoots bear on family’s porch. Ryan’s comment: “This is great. Hope my daughter turns out like this”. Speaking of bears in Idaho, my old college roommate e-mailed me the link to this archived picture from the Colt Firearms collection.That was lucky shot. (Needless to say, .32 ACP is not a reliable stopper for predators of either the two-legged or four-legged varieties! Here at the ranch, we regularly carry .45 ACPs in the woods, and feel just barely sufficiently armed.)

   o o o

I heard from a reader that as of January 1st, in California and Washington it will be illegal to balance car and truck wheels with lead weights.This might present an opportunity for anyone in California or Washington to acquire some scrap lead for various post-TEOTWAWKI projects. Just ask your local tire shop what they plan to do with their bins of old weights, and offer them a nominal sum for what they have left. You might get a real bargain.

   o o o

K.L. in Alaska suggested this article from England: Organic GM alternative considered. K.L’s comment: “Apparently there’s a move afoot to re-brand genetically engineered seeds
as “organic” to make this monopolistic practice more palatable to the public.”

   o o o

Lawrence in West Virginia let me know that the mail order catalog/Internet company Sportsman’s Guide got another batch of pre-1899 Chilean contract Mausers, that they are selling sans papiere for $299. That is a fair price, these days.They have them in both 7×57 Mauser, and arsenal conversions to 7.62mm NATO. The latter are safe to shoot with standard 7.62mm NATO ball, but NOT with commercially loaded .308 Winchester soft nose, since it has substantially higher chamber pressure! If you want to shoot soft nose through these, then work up a mild hand load. Or, using a .30 caliber bullet puller collet and a reloading press, carefully pull the bullets from loaded standard 7.62mm NATO ball cartridges and re-seat soft nose 150 grain spitzer bullets. (This is how some high power rifle target shooters make “Mexican Match.”) By the way, for some details on the legalities of pre-1899 guns, read my Pre-1889 Cartridge Guns FAQ.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"It is a cruel thought that, when we feel ourselves standing on the firmest ground in every respect, the cursed arts of our secret enemies, combining with other causes, should effect, by depreciating our money, what the open arms of a powerful enemy could not." – Thomas Jefferson

Notes from JWR:

Update: There have been a large volume of orders received for the 33%-off sale for the “Rawles Gets You Ready” family preparedness course. I just heard from Jake Stafford of Arbogast Publishing, that they’ve already used up about half of their available supply of copies of “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. So order your course soon, if you want to get one of the free bonus books!

—

I noticed that we’ve surpassed 12 million unique visits, and we’re about to reach the milestone of 8,000 archived articles, letters, and quotes for SurvivalBlog. Please let your friends know about SurvivalBlog, especially that all of the archives are available free of charge. We don’t charge any fees, or have any “special member access areas”. Our Ten Cent Challenge subscriptions are entirely voluntary! A link to SurvivalBlog in your e-mail footer or in your web page would be greatly appreciated! Oh, and please mention that you read SurvivalBlog when you write your obligatory annual Christmas letter. Many Thanks!

Over-Planning: Get Thine Act Together!

I occasionally hear from consulting clients that get stuck in the rut of “over -planning”. They do so much planning for training, and planning for stocking up, that they never seem to get around to doing either! Lengthy “to do” lists are worthless if they never get implemented. This sometimes reaches absurd lengths, as illustrated by one of my clients that showed me a spreadsheet on his laptop PC, in which he not only compared prices from various vendors for ammunition, but also tracked the changes in their prices, over the course of two years. I asked him: “Well, when did you buy, and how much did you buy?” His reply: “Well, none yet, actually, but I’ve found the best sources, and I’ve logged their price increases, shown in dollar prices here, and in percentage terms, here. Look here: This company has increased it prices by 12% less than these others. Now look at this column: their prices are up an average of only 21% since this time last year.” So, while he was busy fiddling with his spreadsheets, the purchasing power of his money went down by more than 20%. He would have been ahead by at least 20+ percent, if he had just bought ammo a year earlier. But instead, he sat idly by and watched the value of his dollars melt. And these were dollars kept in a typical bank account, perhaps earning only 2% interest. (If he had invested precious metals, then he would have at least stayed ahead of the price increases on ammo.)

The foregoing instructs an important point: Avoid infinite planning cycles, and get started with some concrete steps at preparedness. Clip some coupons and go to you local discount grocery store or “Big Box ” store, and actually lay in some supplies, when prices are favorable, of course. If you are not sure exactly what you should buy, or about the shelf lives of various foods, or how to repackage them in oxygen-free sturdy containers, then get a copy of the “Rawles Gets You Ready” family preparedness course. The bottom line is that a good plan today beats a perfect plan, tomorrow. Or, as we often used to quote in the US Army: “Better is the enemy of good enough.”

From David in Israel: Off Grid Alternatives to Utility-Supplied Electricity

James
One of the most troubling things I see when speaking to people about going off grid is how badly they want to keep all of their electrical appliances and just spend many thousands of dollars on a battery bank more appropriate for a U-boat and solar cells or generators to keep them topped off. Having had a minor role in a micro-satellite system design proposal one thing you learn when confronted by limited power supply is to either economize or do without.

The appliances you own for on grid use are not efficient. They are built to be inexpensive or if you are better off durable, even the fancy electrical appliances out of Europe with the Energy Star are in reality a big waste of power once you are paying by the off grid watt for solar panels and battery banks. There is no reason a normal family shouldn’t consider an off grid option for their home. Even in a national emergency and societal breakdown it is very rare for supplies of diesel fuel, gasoline, kerosene, and LP gas to be unavailable for long periods at some price.

Dryer – Enemy number one especially in a large family, a solar clothes dryer is under $5 at nearly every hardware store, ask for a clothesline. Folding indoor drying racks are very popular in Israel. Even in winter indoor drying can be assisted by using a fan, it will also keep the air humidified. After trying the above and finding you just can’t make it there are LP gas heated clothes dryers, but these still need mains power for the drum motor.

Oven/Stovetop – There is no reason to use electrical power for cooking. Excellent caterer grade ovens and stoves are available at most appliance stores which run totally on gas. Some may use an electrical ignition or thermostat but nearly all can be retrofitted either with a piezoelectric (no battery needed) spark starter or can just be lit with a match avoiding the danger of the old style pilot light since they now are equipped with a thermal safety. Most people find they actually prefer gas once they are used to it as it is a more even heat. We have had good success using MSR camping kerosene burners when the gas to our home was unavailable for a few weeks.

Hot Water – Nearly any off grid home will benefit from the addition of a solar collector in addition to a well-insulated gas water heater. Think about turning down the thermostat or using a secondary gas instant heating system and low flow shower heads to stretch your hot water supply.

Heating – Most stores and contractors can provide a wide variety of wood, pellet, gas, kerosene, or oil-fueled stoves and furnaces and space heaters. Insulation is key to keeping your alternative heat system from breaking your bank account.

Power Tools – Some older large shop tools can be powered by a PTO shaft or belt system. The possibilities from a gas motor, to steam, to hydro and beyond are limited only by your imagination.

Water pressure – In many areas there is not enough wind for a windmill to keep a water tower full so an electrical or gas pump might work better once all factors are evaluated. If your retreat is located below the summit of the hill it would probably be much easier to install a pool or cistern on the summit to provide pressure for firefighting operations even if your pump is destroyed, for every foot of elevation .433 pounds of water pressure is required for filling your tower or cistern and this pressure is returned when water is used in your home or property. Anyone living in a wilderness area should have in addition to a gravity fed water system of at least 1,500 gallons and a 300 gpm capacity, and at least one portable reservoir. There are portable swimming pools that are the same as US Forest Service uses for firefighting, and a gas powered portable pump for emergency firefighting. Descending water can be run reverse through some pumps generating electricity making it a very effective and inexpensive way to store electrical power once your battery banks are full.

Refrigeration – Most readers if their inventory their refrigerator will find mostly leftovers or things which actually will last until consumption without refrigeration. There are high quality kerosene and LP gas powered absorption refrigerators, some with secondary mains power optional, available from a few suppliers even in the US.

For those with the skills required to build and test a system which can withstand 250 psi anhydrous ammonia, copying the old Crosley Icy-Ball chest refrigerator-freezer is a thrifty option. Since anti-drug manufacturing laws make obtaining anhydrous ammonia difficult, an icy-ball can be built with drains on the absorptive water side to self distill ammonia from cleaning solution. A warning: Ammonia is a dangerous respiratory irritant and any homemade system should be used with caution and kept and recharged outside in case of leakage. One DIY design includes a shutoff valve to keep the ammonia from reabsorbing until the valve is opened allowing it to be stored in a charged condition.

Before refrigeration people would buy eggs and milk fresh in the city or if they could have chickens and a cow or goat would produce their own. A chicken is easily consumed by even a small family once cooked, in less than a day.

A water evaporation cooler cabinet is another very cheap option for keeping food.

Lighting – Gas mantle lighting once found in most urban homes is not difficult to implement using either camping lamps and piped gas or better yet certified indoor lamps. While in college I worked in a gun and camping shop which sold a reverse fitting for refilling disposable Coleman LP gas cartridges from the older non-tip over shutoff bulk tanks making camp lights highly practical for hanging. It must be remembered that gas lighting presents an increased fire hazard so precautions including avoiding clutter and considering the floor and wall surface must be taken into account. Battery powered florescent and LED lights and LED nightlights are also useful for reading and small tinkering. Metal halide lighting is much more power friendly than incandescent if large areas require illumination for security purposes.

Communications – Your radio communications system should have a redundant battery bank and power supply should your services be required in an emergency. It should be remembered the operating rule of just as much power as required and the usage of low power consumption modes like CW. Tube systems are notoriously wasteful of power and tubes have limited life so these should be kept as backup systems in most cases. Only power up satellite Internet systems after you have typed up all the e-mails and set them up to send immediately after going online. There are offline viewers which will call up all the web sites you normally visit and grab them all for later viewing.

Television sets, satellite receivers, and large stereo systems are wasteful of electrical power if left on. A small notebook computer for occasional movies and an MP3 player for music will save many valuable watts. Unplug or employ a disconnect switch [or power strip with switch] on all electronics unless they are in use. This will protect them from power surges in addition to eliminating sleep-state power draw. [Also know as a “phantom load.”]

Telephone – If your retreat can obtain telephone service a secondary redundant system connecting you to selected neighbors can be set up in some areas by ordering an old style alarm or bell line to one central home, this is usually cheaper than a line with actual telephone service, and should work in most telephone systems even if the central office with its redundant power goes offline but the wires are still intact. The Telephone company will either splice the wire pairs at the neighborhood box or at the closest central office, officially only for alarm systems, it is possible to set up anything from long run Ethernet or simple voice lines with an old style “everybody rings” party line. This will not save off grid watts but is a good way to add redundancy to your retreat.

Safety – Install at least two combo carbon monoxide sensing smoke alarms in your home in addition to a smoke alarm in every occupied room. In these alarms, install long life lithium batteries and check on the first of the month and every time you change to or from daylight savings. DO NOT use rechargeable batteries for your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms!

Due to the higher fire risk using flame-based alternatives to electricity I even more strongly recommend installation of fire sprinklers in all rooms, flame hoods over all cooking surfaces with automatic sprinklers that have a manual activation, and at least two standpipe and hose cabinets with 100 gpm gravity flow minimum per standpipe, ABC-rated fire extinguisher, gloves, goggles, and Nomex face shroud. Install outdoor standpipes and stocked hose locker for wildfires, a charged mobile phone for 911 (BTW, you need not have an active calling plan to use a cell phone to call 911 in the USA) and if you have to retreat from interior firefighting. Most importantly have an evacuation and rendezvous family accounting plan and volunteer with the local volunteer fire department, learn when the fire is just too big to fight by yourself.

With an engineering eye it is often possible to reduce your home or retreat electrical requirements to an inexpensive few hundred watts once alternatives are considered. Shalom, – David in Israel

Letter Re: A Bulk-Buying Solution–Form a Buyer’s Club

Hi Jim,
The bulk-buy solution I settled on was to start my own food co-op or buying club, as an associate of a bulk supplier. They send out a monthly price list and can deliver weekly in my area with only two days’ notice. My orders must meet a minimum of $350 each and I must be present when the truck backs down my driveway in order to properly receive and write a check for the shipment. The driver calls me an hour ahead of time so I don’t have to wait around all day.

My aim was to make the buying club available to other nearby preppers strictly for bulk orders of long-term storage items but so far I have been the only one to use it.

The great advantage I see in a buying club is that it permits large purchases that would seriously raise eyebrows in a grocery store if they even permitted you to clean them out of the items you sought. (Some stores at least have threshold policies.) It meets the needs of procrastinators who finally decide that now is the time to stock the bunker. Also, the supplier’s wholesale warehouse would not be mobbed as early as grocery stores would after TSHTF because few consumers would even know about it.

A downside of the co-op approach would be curious close-by neighbors witnessing you receiving scores of bags, buckets, and boxes, possibly coming over for a nosy visit while you are unloading. This has not been a problem in my location due to my long driveway but would present OPSEC concerns to many. Members of a buying club club who pick up their orders at the drop-off point might benefit from unloading their vehicle while the neighbors are gone or asleep. Another potential downside is that authorities or criminals could seize the bulk supplier’s membership list in a search for “hoarders” of food supplies, an excellent reason for creating off-site caches. – Jim McC.

JWR Replies: Thanks for that suggestion. Two more caveats: Depending on your locale, you might need both a business license and liability insurance. We now live in a very litigious society. It is sad but true, someone that merely strains their back while on your property might file a lawsuit. So if you decide to operate with liability insurance, I recommend that you do not open up the organization to anyone except your relatives and trusted friends.

Letter Re: Converting Precious Metals ETFs to Physical Metals

Mr. Rawles,
I have read your blog with interest for several years now, and I am coming around to your view that using long-term physical holdings in precious metals as a “time machine” to fight inflation is a good strategy. I have some small investments in bullion-backed exchange traded funds (ETFs) that I would like to convert to physical holdings, but I am unsure of the most efficient way to proceed.

Of course I could always just sell the shares, head to the coin shop and pay the tax man next spring, but all I really want to do is shift the location of the bullion that I already own. It doesn’t seem right that this should be taxed. Okay, I’m not the first person to whine about unfair taxation, but is there some way to postpone Uncle Sam taking his cut for a while?

Are you aware of any method to convert shares in a precious metal ETF into physical holding without incurring a tax penalty?

Best Regards, – Brian in Michigan (another one of your “burbivalist” readers)

JWR Replies: Sorry, but I don’t know of any way to avoid the tax hit with cashing out an ETF. Perhaps a SurvivalBlog reader with a background in a tax law knows a way, and can comment.

FWIW, I’ve never recommended ETFs. Rather, I ‘ve always said: “tangibles, tangibles, tangibles”. To me, in the context of precious metals that means owning the physical metal and holding in your own hands. I recommend that all of your future precious metals purchases be done that way, to eventually minimize you paper or “synthetic” metals holdings,

Influenza Pandemic Update:

CDC Now Says There are Likely 4,000 Swine Flu Deaths in the US. This is 4x what they had been reporting.

Ukraine Dead at 213; Still No Sequences From WHO 1,192,481 Influenza/ARI; 62,462 Hospitalized

WHO Appeals to Ukraine for Help with Hemorrhagic Pneumonia

Senators Debate Requiring Paid Sick Leave for Workers with Flu

11 Die of H1N1 in War-Ravaged Afghanistan

Cheryl sent this article auto-translation link: Belarusian doctors: “Swine flu triggers a deadly form of pneumonia disease”

…and this data from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health.

Cheryl also did some digging and found this: Norway: 300,000 Infected. Doubling of cases has occurred, they are watching for the hemorrhagic pneumonia that occurred in Ukraine

Economics and Investing:

Jonas sent this: GLD ETF Warning, Tungsten-Filled Fake Gold Bars

GG flagged this: China: Loose US Policy, Weak USD Creating Speculation

From Pamela E.: Arrogant Fed hasn’t learned a thing

Items from The Economatrix:

White House Aims to Cut Deficit with Unspent TARP Money

AIG May Tap Credit Line as Commercial Paper Expires

Japan Derivative Market Unraveling

If You Thought the Housing Meltdown was Bad…

The Midnight Food Line at Wal-Mart. There are American families who aren’t eating at the end of the month and are literally hitting Wal-Mart at midnight, as soon as their food stamp benefits hit their accounts.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Yishai spotted a link to New Scientist, posted by Glenn Reynolds, over at Instapundit: Mini ice age took hold of Europe in months

   o o o

Steve S. mentioned a recent article in The Detroit News that briefly quotes JWR: Apocalypse now: Armageddon scenarios reach fever pitch

   o o o

SurvivalBlog’s British-born Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson mentioned this incredible news story from Nanny State Britannia: Find a gun, go to jail.

   o o o

For the OPSEC-minded amongst us, Ron A. suggested this article with umpteen links: Web World Wide — 50 Free Internet Tools for Tin-Foil Hat Wearers. OBTW, I take offense at the “tin foil hat ” moniker. SurvivalBloggers’ hats are made of food grade reflective mylar, topped with a region-specific camouflage cover. 😉

   o o o

Ken M. suggested some short videos on how to escape from “zip tie” handcuffs. Ken’s comment: “This might come in handy if you are ever in a hostage situation.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“I, for one, do not trust Congress to be in charge of monetary policy. But I do not argue that the Federal Reserve System should maintain its independence from the Federal government. I maintain that it should be made completely independent of the Federal government: cut loose and left to fend for itself, just as the Second Bank of the United States was in 1836. It went bust.

I am not so naive as to imagine that this will happen in my lifetime, short of a true social collapse in which several million people die because of the collapse of the division of labor due to hyperinflation. I do not expect this to happen. But I can dream [of such a catastrophe].” – Dr. Gary North