Disclaimer: I am not associated with MedCallAssist in any way, nor do I receive commissions on purchases or ad revenues.  They provided me with a kit for this review.

It’s no coincidence that people in third world countries have shorter life spans, higher infant mortality rates, and poorer health in general.  Top-notch, timely health care is a luxury for the wealthy and for most of us living in first world countries.  However, if you believe, as I do, that treacherous and uncertain times lie ahead for America, then you’ll be glad to know about the MedCallAssist Kit.  This medical kit, along with the 24/7 medical consultation included, may be just what you or a loved one needs someday in the future when medical care is hard to come by.

MedCallAssist is a company that started out with the goal of providing fully equipped medical kits to people and companies who do business far from any sort of medical care, such as commercial fishermen, loggers and adventure travelers.  Recently, they’ve seen the need of branching out and making the kits available to people in the survival and preparedness community.

Bottom line:  On January 1, the kit prices will be $350 for the contents only and $375 for the contents and a sturdy canvas bag.  However, when you use coupon code survivalmom on checkout, you’ll receive a discount of $100 per kit.  This discount is exclusive to Survival Mom readers and is good through January 31, 2012.

Now, on to my review.

Beyond “just” first aid

The MedCallAssist Kit is far more than just a first aid kit.  Although it contains a supply of products typically found in the average first aid kit, it goes far beyond those basics.  (See complete list of contents here.)  Because the kit comes with an assortment of prescription medications, I asked a nurse friend to review it with me.  Patrice spent many years as a nurse in a California emergency room and now has a business teaching first aid, wilderness first aid, and CPR.

A nurse’s review

image by Lower Columbia College

Patrice was pleasantly surprised by the assortment of antibiotics and other drugs that are included in the kit.  You’ll find azithromycin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, loperamide, cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, cephalexin, and epinephrine, among others.  Worried that you won’t know what to use and when?  With the purchase of a kit, you’ll have access to medical advice 24/7, along with an impressive instruction booklet that comes with the kit.  Patrice was very impressed by the information in the book and the color photos.

She liked the quality of the medical non-latex gloves that are included and the disposable skin stapler to use in lieu of suturing a wound.  She recommends Lidocaine to numb any area that needs a suture/staple.  Lidocaine is available through MedCallAssist as an add-on to the kit.

The kit also contains loads of OTC (over the counter) products and tools such as scissors and tweezers.

Patrice noticed the brand names of the different supplies and mentioned that she buys hers’ from the same source.  Overall, she gave the kit a big thumbs up and has been telling others about it.  At the Survival Mom discounted price, $250/275, it’s a great deal.

Is there anything to add?

Some injuries will require large amounts of bandaging supplies, and Patrice recommended adding many more rolls of gauze and other trauma dressings.  From her experiences in ER, she knows what she’s talking about!  She also recommended adding saline to flush out wounds, and I suggest adding packets of rehydrating solution for cases of diarrhea and vomiting.

MedCallAssist offers additional products, such as a defibrillator, oximeter (to measure the oxygen level in the body), splints, and a blood pressure cuff.  You can read the entire list of add-ons at the bottom of this page.

The future of medicine in America?

image by Jose Goulao

Already Americans are feeling the effects of changes that have been made in our system of medical care and insurance.  Companies are dropping health care as a benefit or increasing the amount of money employees must contribute.  Insurance companies are raising rates, and everyone is waiting for the other thousand or so shoes to drop if/when “Obamacare” goes into full effect.  What will medical care look like ten years from now?  The answer is, no one knows.

The MedCallAssist Kit can be an important stopgap between hoping something goes away because the funds aren’t available for a doctor’s appointment and a trip to the hospital because a condition has become life-threatening.  Many preppers, homesteaders, and survivalists live long distances from medical care.  This kit fills a need for these families as well.  Even hunters would be smart to have something this well-equipped.

With the availability of medical advice on a 24/7 phone line, a medical professional will be able to advise you if the medications and supplies in the kit are enough for a particular situation or if a face-to-face visit with a doctor is required.  Either way, the kit and phone service will provide a lot of peace of mind.

Q&A

I thought you might have more questions about the MedCallAssist Kit and the company, so I asked some of them for you!  Jathan Nalls, one of the medical professionals with the company answered them.

Survival Mom:  The kit comes with prescription medicines.  How is that possible without a prescription?

Jathan:  Our company is headed by an emergency physician and there are three more on staff.  Each kit is “prescribed” to an individual or family based on their medical history, anticipated needs, and other factors that we take into consideration.  Our kits do not contain any controlled medications nor will we prescribe them.  Additional meds are available upon consultation, on a case-by-case basis.

Survival Mom:  Will this kit take the place of actual visits to a doctor or hospital?

Jathan:  We want this service to be helpful to clients who want to control healthcare costs and get quality medical consultation and access to treatment during difficult times.  However, we definitely do not want to take the place of their local physician.  If a family has a sick child in the middle of the night and the nearest ER is an hour away, we’ll talk with the family and advise them how they should proceed.  If our physician feels that an ER visit is warranted, that will be advised.  As you know, nothing compares to a face-to-face visit with a physician who can do a hands-on exam and order more testing.

Again, the bottom line

Even at $350 and $375, these kits are well-priced.  Add to that, the availability of a 24/7 phone line for medical consultation, and it’s a pretty awesome package.  Currently, the MedCallAssist website lists kit prices of $250/275, but these are scheduled to increase on January 1.  As a Survival Mom reader, your price will continue to be $250/275 if you use coupon code survivalmom upon checkout through January 31, 2012.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by bonacheladas

I lived!!!

As anybody who doesn’t live in a cave probably knows, the Seattle Pacific Northwest this week was hammered by winter storms, knocking out juice to what amounted, at the high point, to over 300,000 households, which affected around 1.2 million people!

In this case, it was actually predicted that there could be scattered power outages.  News on Wednesday evening had stories about people stocking up in stores. IN A NUMBER OF CASES, THE STORES WERE ALREADY SOLD OUT OF THE DESIRED ITEMS!!!!

Flashlights, batteries, generators, stuff like that were already either unavailable or a premium item.

The snow started falling late Tuesday evening, and continued into early Wednesday morning. Local news was predicting a wide variety of amounts.  Seattle has a lot of microweather because some areas are closer to the Sound which is warmer, and some areas are at much higher elevations, which, usually, but not this time!, are colder.

I made no advance preparations right then with the exception of digging out some small propane bottles and my little Century Primus single mantle lights. I also made sure that my flashlights were out in the open in readily available places.

Now, I say I made no advance preparations, but in a way, I lied because over the years, I have accumulated many necessities, some because of immediate need, some as a planned activity in cxse of a SHTF scenario.

image by John Mundy

I have two generators, a Champion 3500 watter (quite new) and a Coleman 1800 watter. Every summer I move them to the front of the shed they are stored in and fire them up. I also make sure the oil is clean and full and put a bit of a load on them and let them run until they are warm just to make sure they are well-lubed.  After that, I hit them with a touch of carb cleaner. Just general small engine maintenance things.

I also have LOTS of extension cords, not just household type cords, but serious shop type cords. And power strips.

I also have stocked up on plenty of food and coffee. One of the things people were stocking up on were ingredients for soup. Soup is good food. In an emergency, soup can warm you and keep you alive!

Having been up almost all Tuesday night, with it still snowing, Wednesday morning I slept.

The storm worsens

Later on Wednesday evening, it started getting worse, according to the news. I am at 600 feet, and only had about 6 inches of snowfall.  Now, every single year we have at least one storm that dumps way more than 6 inches, so I was not overly concerned.  That night I heard a few branches fall, but not many.

About 10 p.m., my lights flickered and went out. I started my propane lights and turned on my BATTERY POWERED!!!! radio.   I have about three of these, but rarely need to use them.

I didn’t start the generator right away because it didn’t seem so bad and my house was still warm.  I had had the foresight to make a pot of coffee beforehand and put it into my thermos.  Our juice goes out often enough that I’ve learned to do that, and if the juice stays on, I just pour the coffee from the thermos and it doesn’t go to waste.

A click and a ping and the power came back on about 2:00 a.m.  So I went on my porch to take a look.  Air temp was about 28 degrees. And it was raining.

That was when I got scared because I knew this meant a major ice storm was coming.   I already had 6-8 inches of snow on my roof and didn’t need what might end up being an 8 ton block of ice up there!  Plus, I have at least 5 Douglas firs over 100 feet tall within about 25 feet of my house.  With the weight of enough snow, they could easily topple

Power was on, my heat was on, so I had a drink and went to sleep for a bit.

Life without power

image by Jacked01

Awake at 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, I went on the porch and was astounded. A lilac tree near my porch was covered with ice and bent over my porch. A cherry tree that grows nearby had it’s limbs almost touching my porch. It was still pre-dawn, and I had a cup of coffee and a smoke when suddenly there was a big blue flash, and my lights flickered. They came back on, but with a second blue flash, they went out.  They came back on once more but a final blue flash killed ‘em for good. It really was spectacular standing on my porch and watching the flashes in the distance. And there was almost a roar with the sounds of tree limbs and even whole trees coming down.

Now, I’m not the greatest housekeeper in the world, and I soon realized that you do not want to have a lot of clutter lying around when you are in anything like a survival mode! So keep the paths to your important items and resources clear, if possible.

My house was still warm so I didn’t worry about the generator, but I could tell then that this was going to be an extended event.

About ten in the morning I got one of my shop extension cords and a power strip and headed out to start it. I looked at the road and just did a general look of the neighborhood and saw no lights, heard no generators, not even a car engine. Everything was coated in ice.

I tried to start the small generator first, even gave it a shot of starter fluid, but no dice. It was cold out. It is no secret that when you are cold to the point of being uncomfortable, you RAPIDLY lose your effectiveness. So I came back in, got gloves and a hat, and went back out. Didn’t want to waste time, so I moved the small generator towards the back and rolled the other one up (the Champion), gave it a shot of starter fluid, and yanked on it.

First pull, it started.

I plugged in the extension cord, came back inside and plugged the power stip in. From there I hooked up various items starting with my pellet stove to try to keep the place warm.

One of the lessons learned: Over the next few days I used 4 shop type extensions cords (two of them 50 footers), two power strips, and about five household type extension cords. Better to have too much than not enough.

My power finally came on 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, making for 60 hours without juice.

I lost my internet connection. The phone worked for a while, but after about 6 hours, there was no dial tone, just white noise.  The phone system totally powered down about 3 in the afternoon. I concluded that many of the small phone substations you see around are running off of UPS’s and if the local juice goes, they can only last for so long.

I was unable to get out in my vehicle because the snow was so bad I couldn’t get my chains on. Next time, if I know or hear about this in advance, my chains are going on BEFORE it happens.

Everything was OK though because I had plenty of food, coffee and propane for my lights (when the generator was off). My routine was to run the generator for about 8 hours, warm my place up good, then cycle it down and let it cool off. Wait (sleep) for 5 hours or so, gas up the generator and restart it for another 8 hours.

It was Thursday afternoon before I heard anybody else running a generator, about 4:30, right before dark. After dark fell, it was totally obvious who was prepared and who was not!

image by crabchick

Fewer than one out of six had a generator, most places were completely dark, or very dimly lit as if by candles.

Temps in my house would get up to about 63 degrees with the pellet stove, but after 5 or 6 hours when the generator was off, it would fall to about 55 degrees. I quickly learned that SOCKS ARE GOOD FRIENDS!!

I have a small propane cooking setup so was able to feast on scrambled eggs and ham. Carbs will give you short term energy, but if you are going to do heavy work while trying to stay warm, you need something more substantial.

Over the years when it gets cold, and it has gotten to zero in the Seattle area, I will fill up plastic bottles (like Gatorade bottles) with hot water from my faucet and put them at the foot of my bed. This worked very well for me this time, it’s important to be warm when you sleep and not fight the cold.  You will be much more rested and ready for the next day when you wake up.

So I used this approach. It’s kind of a toss up because by the end of the second day I really, really, really, really wanted a shower from all the messing around with gasoline, oil, my tire chains, snow shovel, etc.

I was scared I wouldn’t have enough hot water left, but turned it on and in a minute or so it was steaming. I relished what might have been the last shower I could ever take!

Some were prepared, some were not

By Saturday morning it had warmed significantly, and I was finally able to get the chains on my truck. I was approached by a neighbor who asked if I could charge her cell phone.  Hey, no big deal, so I brought it inside and put it on the charger. At this time, the power was still out and there were estimates that some limited areas might not have power until mid-week.

Talking to people on Friday I heard rumors of people being around the neighborhood who basically didn’t live here or belong here. So starting on Saturday when I went outside, I carried a small .22 mag revolver I have.  I want to stress, however, that I didn’t hear of any break-ins or gunshots or anything like that, but I have ZERO doubt that if the situation had continued for another three days or so, that would have changed. Desperate people do whatever it takes.

Now at one point in time in the past I had told someone I had two generators. I bumped into him walking around, and he WANTED that generator! I’m not really sure what the solution to that problem would have been if the outage had been more long-term.

Another lesson: KEEP YOUR LIPS ZIPPED ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE!

One thing that struck me is that if there was a general SHTF power outage type event, do you know who would be the richest man in town? The guy who owns a LAUNDROMAT!!

Gas was already becoming an issue after just three days.  A fellow I know has a 4K generator and he told me he would be out of gas today. Now does it make any sense at all to spend many hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a generator and run OUT OF GAS on Day 3?

Power came on here at 6:30 PM Saturday. Didn’t hear any shouts or yells but I am sure everybody was relieved. I had a fairly daunting task of just cleaning things up (still need to wash the dishes I let pile up).

If somebody asked me what the most important thing was that I learned, I would say “Keep it simple”. Simple things like propane lights, canned foods that need little prep, stuff like that won’t make you feel like you’re at the Waldorf Astoria, but it might keep you from getting so frustrated that you go out and start shooting from your front porch!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by TimmyGUNZ

What can people do to prepare if they do not have a medical background?  Find someone who does!  Try to make connections with people in the medical field now while there is still time.  Go learn as much as you can about how to take care of each other.  I’ll be hosting occasional, “Outback Medicine” Conferences.  (Teaching medical skills is the focus and passion of this ole’ doc!)

The level of knowledge needed to treat other humans in crisis is quite astounding!  Yet, in a collapse situation, there won’t be much choice as to how much training your present “caretaker” will have.

In our present modern society, it’s one of the things that frustrates good Doctors everywhere, the fact we see lesser informed “providers” all around us, treating patients so cavalierly and wrongly!  We literally have to “clean up their mistakes” (which can be fatal at worst!) and see the bad results of these “wrong treatment” situations right here in our emergency room!

This is one of the reasons many doctors who are aware of the coming collapse wish to provide for lay persons the skills and knowledge of how to care for others, using properly taught medical care and skills.  At least whatever we can teach others, will be a jump ahead if the world does collapse.  However, due to our licenses and necessary alignments with today’s government, along with its’ regulators who will take away medical licenses if we speak out on issues like this today, literally, providing training and information is something doctors can’t speak out about it!

The point is, you should be able to learn as much as possible now about how to care for each other if a time comes when there is no Doctor around to provide the best care.

Suggestions:

• Take an EMT class from a community college.
• Acquire basic medical books as listed here (#5 on the list).
• Take a wilderness first aid and wilderness first responder course.
• Research the chronic illnesses and diseases your own family suffer from and begin acquiring the medicines and equipment for treatment, if possible.

Related articles:

• Thoughts on Medical Training for TEOTWAWKI
• Medical Planning and Training for Uncertain Times
• Book review: The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by ines saraiva

Just a quick note to let you know about The American Preparedness Radio Net site.  It’s has a lot of great information, much of it fun to read, actually.  You’ll find a chat room, “For Ham Newbies”,  “How to articles”, plus a lot more.

If you have your license or are on your way, this might be a good resource as well as a connecting point with other preppers who are also amateur radio operators.  That’s a great combination!

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by ViaMoi

Once again a few people have left comments here on the blog about their current living situation, either living in cities and wanting out or just wishing they could buy a plot of land and a small house out in the country.  The fear, either stated or unstated, is that when the SHTF, their lives could be in danger.   Well, there’s one enterprising prepper I’d like to tell you about, Timothy French, a firefighter and EMT, and his organization may be one of the answers you’ve been looking for.

In 2005, while working to help clean up after Hurricane Katrina, Timothy came up with the idea of establishing a network of like-minded people who would be willing to provide support to each other in an extreme crisis.  The concept for Americans Networking To Survive (A.N.T.S.) was born, but it wasn’t until 5 years later that all of Timothy’s plans began coming together.  It was perfect timing, really, because by then, the prepper movement was in full swing.

The concept behind A.N.T.S. is to provide assistance for other members in your area who find themselves without the necessities for survival in a catastrophe.  Members don’t provide any personal information and it costs nothing to join.  You can take a look at the map on the A.N.T.S. website to see where members are located.  There are hundreds of them.  I was actually shocked to find so few members in Idaho and Montana, both prepper “paradises”.  Or, maybe they’ve chosen to not identify their locations, but are members and willing to help all the same.

You can listen to a recent interview with Timothy on The Survival Mom Radio Hour:

the-survival-mom-show-17-with-lisa-bedford.mp3 (MPEG Layer 3 Audio, 13.8 MB)

the-survival-mom-show-17-with-lisa-bedford.wma (Windows Media Audio file, 13.8 MB)

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

image by someToast

I love the concept.  Grace period.  It’s that little bit of time past a deadline in which you aren’t punished for your forgetfulness, foolishness, or empty wallet.  You have a little more time to make the payment, get the money together, or just gather your wits.

In a recent interview with the Outback Doc, he made a passing comment that we are living in a grace period.  I couldn’t agree more.  A Day of Reckoning is coming, but until then, we can prepare, prepare, prepare and do our best to mitigate the impact that Day will have on ourselves and our families.  How do I know that day is coming? Consider these stats:

• During 2011, U.S. debt surpassed by 100% our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) for the first time ever in history.
• The unemployment rate for young people is downright depressing.  Depending on where you live, it’s more than 20% and in some places as high as 33%.
• The poverty level in the suburbs has climbed:

In the wake of the Great Recession, poverty rolls are rising at a more rapid pace in the suburbs than in cities or rural communities. Between 2000 and 2010, the number of suburban households below the poverty line increased by 53 percent, compared to a 23 percent increase in poor households in urban areas, according to a Brookings Institution analysis of census data.

• The official unemployment number in the U.S. hasn’t been below 9% since 2009, and unofficial numbers say it is now well over 15% since the official number relies on how many people are receiving unemployment benefits.  This article states that most of those who are unemployed are no longer eligible for benefits.

image by Debs

But the best indicator of what is happening with our economy is your own observations.  What do you see in your part of the country?  Are you seeing “Help Wanted” signs everywhere and full sections of jobs available in the classifieds?  Are new businesses and restaurants opening or do you see one after the other closing their doors?  What is the vacancy rate in the strip malls that you drive by every day?  Are families dropping out of costly extracurricular activities for their kids or is business booming for music teachers, dance studios, and tutors?

It’s not a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, or blizzard that will take down the United States.  It’s the oncoming and irreversible economic disaster, the likes of which have never been seen.  So, until that Day comes, we’re enjoying a period of grace, to prepare or not.  It’s our choice, and our blessing.

It is urgent, so very urgent, that we utilize this period of grace to prepare.  No one knows exactly what the penalty will be, except that it will be unlike anything we have ever known before.  Even in the tightest of times, I’ve never had to go out to local parks and look for dandelions to pick, cook, and serve to my family because there was no food in the house.  Since the unknown remains unknown (imagine that!), we just prepare.  Stock up on things you know are vital to survival, such as food, medicine, water, good quality tools, fuel, seeds, and even clothing. Learn how to make things, fix things, and do things that will help your family survive.  Consider your safety when most of the people around you have nothing and will do anything to get what they need.  How might you actually earn money during a time like this?

And be grateful.  Give thanks to God if you’re a person of faith, for this period of grace because when it’s over, it’s over.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

Long Range Patrol entrees

My kids are in a competitive swim club and have practice every night of the week.  It makes dinner time really, really crazy because I have two choices: do I serve dinner at 4:30 every afternoon or wait until they get home and have dinner at 7:30?  I’ve decided to serve dinner later in the evening, and last night I decided to do something I’ve never done before.  I served them a military-grade Long Range Patrol entree.

I didn’t make this decision lightly.  The Freeze Dry Guy had sent me a sample package of their newest military-grade meals, called Long Range Patrol entrees (LRP), and I was amazed to find out just how delicious they were.  There are  8 varieties of these LRPs: beef stew, turkey tetrazzini, spaghetti with meat sauce, chili mac with beef, chicken and rice, western eggs with ham, seafood chowder, and scrambled eggs with bacon.  I tried the stew, tetrazzini, spaghetti, chili mac, and chicken.

No one expects this type of food to be delicious but the chili mac with beef was just as good as my homemade recipe.  Seriously!  I had two packets of turkey tetrazzini, and that’s what I served my family for dinner, along with a spinach salad.  My husband initially refused to taste the LRP entree, but one bite later, he was a convert!  He ate two huge servings.  My son asked if he could eat the leftovers for breakfast the next day.  I sat back in amazement.  How could an entree, planned and prepared for the military, be so good that it could be served at a family’s dinner table?

Well, I don’t know all the voodoo magic that went into formulating these meals, but here’s what I like about them as an addition to my food storage pantry:

1. They really do taste good.  Every entree was delicious.
2. They are very compact at about 3″ x 2.5″ x 4.5″.  A half dozen or so would fit easily in a bug out bag.
3. Preparation time takes 10 minutes, plus the time to heat up 16 ounces of hot water.
4. There are enough flavor choices to suit just about anyone, including two breakfast entrees.
5. Each LRP weighs less than 5 ounces.
6. One entree could easily feed two people.
7. These are an outstanding option for singles and couples who aren’t sure they want to stock up on #10 cans of freeze-dried entrees.
8. They taste fresher than most of the MREs I’ve tried.
9. For just $40, you can buy a Sample Unit.

I know that the supply of these at FreezeDryGuy.com is limited.  Click on “Limited Stock” in the left sidebar to see what’s available.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

The Prepared Family Guide to Uncommon Diseases by the editor of the insightful Paratus Familia blog is one of the few books that I grew to like the more I read it.  I’ve consulted it for my daughter’s earache and searched it for remedies for a chronic cough.  The main intent of the book is to provide information about and treatment options for diseases we don’t see very often in our sanitized 21st century world.  However, the book also contains home remedies for symptoms such as dehydration, diarrhea, sore throat, and coughing.  In the appendices they’ve included a helpful shopping list of medical supplies, a conversion chart, and a list of recommended resource books.

One section has been written by a medical doctor, Dr. Grattan Woodson, and is devoted to influenza, a likely culprit in the event of a future pandemic.  Dr. Woodson shares suggestions for avoiding the flu in the first place, flu symptoms, and then how to treat the flu at home.  The information is excellent and helpful with any episode of the flu.

This book is particularly helpful for preppers and the survival minded because it’s written by preppers who understand the dangers of our precarious future, and it covers a wide gamut of diseases as well as everyday symptoms.  I give it a big thumbs up.

You can buy this book at Paratus Familiar Press for $21.94, which includes shipping.

© 2012, thesurvivalmom. All rights reserved.

As a stay-at-home dad, occasionally I feel the need to reach beyond the realm of diapers and sippy-cups and remind myself of my ultimate survivability.  Last night’s meatloaf project is my latest excursion into super-masculinity (my wife gave me a few strange looks but I think she understands?)

1. I started with the drippings from my Top Secret Meatloaf Recipe.

2. We didn’t have any soup cans available, so I cut an aluminum soda can in half. *Note that the sharp edges are folded over.  A larger can would have been a big improvement but remember I was in “Cave-man improvise”mode.3. Next I filled my improvised metal container with drippings.4. I added wicking material – a piece of cotton or other flammable fabric would also have worked.5. I used a small piece of a skewer to hold the wick in place as the drippings hardened into tallow.6. The next morning I had an oil lamp!7. As Harry Potter would say, “Incendio!”  It works!

So I am feeling much more manly today.  If a tropical storm or hurricane knocks our power out, I will be able to change diapers by the light of my new improvised lamp.

**Update!!  In the spirit of “work smarter not harder,” I made the following discovery after Taco Night at our house:

For a small amount of drippings, a smaller aluminum can works just fine.  Note that the pop-top is just turned around to hold the wick (no need for a skewer or to wait for the tallow to harden.)  It also works!

© 2012, John A. Heatherly. All rights reserved.

image by Antonio Martinez

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to prepare is to read, and if you can find books for free on survival topics, that’s even better.

The book, Dead or Alive: The Choice is Yours – The Definitive Self-Protection Handbook, by Geoff Thompson is one of those books.  It is serialized chapter-by-chapter here at FightTimes Magazine.

Why is this book applicable?  While the subject matter is unpleasant (and not recommended for direct reading by young children) it is crucial that families consider that crime could be on the rise and predators could be increasing in numbers.  Dead or Alive addresses the PREVENTION of violent incidents by using awareness and avoidance techniques.

Thompson begins by discussing Avoidance and Awareness then continues with Attackers and Attack Rituals: Lessons Learned.  Throughout the book he discusses self-defense techniques, and closes with First Aid and Self-Defense and the Law.

The book is not intended to teach us as readers to be professional fighters.  Instead, the author presents valid, and sometimes frightening, material that can be considered in the protection of a lone person or of a family.  As a husband and father myself, my intent is to present the ideas to my family at my discretion and in a way that helps us to be prepared without being afraid.  As with any manual, a reader should take the ideas from the writings and consider what is practical for them.

Many thanks to Geoff Thompson, Paladin Press, and FightTimes.com for making this information available.

© 2012, John A. Heatherly. All rights reserved.