Emergency Preparedness

What does emergency preparedness have to do with RVs, OHVs, and camping?   First of all, you could experience a breakdown or get lost or stranded while camping and that could put you in an emergency survival mode.  In fact, being in an unfamiliar location and involved in activities outside of your normal routine will increase your chances of having a mishap.  Secondly, as I've mentioned in other posts, our RVs and camping equipment and training can come in very useful during an emergency at home.   I consider my motorhome more than just an RV (Recreational Vehicle), it is a "DRV" -- Disaster Recovery Vehicle and we have used it as such more than once.   Tents and other camping equipment could literally be life-saving during an emergency.   OHVs may be your only way to escape from a dangerous situation near your home.  Earthquakes, fires, tornadoes and other storm related problems may make roads impassable to ordinary passenger cars.  Many types of large scale disasters disable utilities.   There could be no water, no electricity, no natural gas, for days, weeks, or even months.  What are you going to do if that happens to you?  Every camping trip is an opportunity to practice one or more of your survival skills.  Take advantage of them.  Choose at least one skill to exercise each time you go out.  Perhaps make it a habit to start your campfire with flint and steel instead of matches or a lighter.  You also need to be prepared for emergencies in camp and on the trail when access to normal emergency services may be limited or delayed.

Emergency Preparedness takes many forms.  We usually think of it as related to getting ready for some kind of potential natural disaster such as an earthquake, hurricane, or tornado, but could be needed for other, man-made situations as well, such as terrorist attacks.  Those who take it to the extreme are sometimes known as "preppers" and go to great lengths to prepare for TEOTWAWKI -- The End Of The World As We Know It and are usually considered extremists or wackos.  On the other hand, taking reasonable precautions to protect yourself and your family from likely emergencies just makes good sense.  A retired Navy seal said "Destiny favors the prepared in mind, body, and spirit." 

"You are the only First Responder you can really count on."  I found this quote on offgridsurvival.com and I couldn't agree more.  When something bad happens, your emergency services organizations, like police, fire department, ambulances, and hospitals, are going to be overwhelmed.  As a volunteer firefighter I can assure you that is absolutely true.  You WILL be on your own for at least the first 1-3 days, perhaps even for a couple of weeks or longer, depending on where you live and how bad the disaster is.  You might have good neighbors who can help you out, but as for me, I would rather be the helpful neighbor than one who is struggling.  Our neighborhood was without electricity for about a day after the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California.   Some areas of New York were without power for many days following hurricane Sandy.  We were without power for 2 weeks following the Holiday Farm fire in Oregon.  In southern California, being without power was inconvenient and a lot of people lost food in their inoperative refrigerators and freezers.  We were able to use our RV generator to keep our refrigerator and freezer working.  A long term power failure in northern climates in winter could result it frozen pipes, a lot of expensive repairs, and even the possibility of freezing to death.  You need to know what to do NOW when a disaster strikes. Your life and those of your family and neighbors may literally depend on what you do in the first hours after a disaster.  Most people will be hopelessly unprepared and are likely to panic.  You will see a couple of different responses to panic in your associates (or yourself): random, aimless, useless actions (running around like a chicken with its head cut off) or freezing (being unable to to do anything.)  Neither of these responses is in any way productive. One of the first natural human reactions is denial ("This can't be happening!").  You have to get past the denial -- and get your associates past it -- before you can move on with productive actions to deal with the situation.  Once you have accepted that it IS happening, you can begin to plan what to do about it.  One of the best programs I have seen to prepare people to be their own first responders -- and first responders for their neighbors -- is the Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) program.  Helping your neighbors is a good way to improve your own mental state in a disaster situation in addition to providing much needed aid to them.

The Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) concept originated in earthquake prone southern California but has been adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use nationwide in any community disaster situation. C.E.R.T. training prepares you to handle most emergencies in your neighborhood or workplace during the critical initial hours or days when normal emergency service will be overwhelmed or even completely disabled. Local C.E.R.T. programs usually focus on the kinds of events that are most likely to occur in your area, with general training that can be applied in almost any disaster situation.  The overall mental preparation will also be valuable in wilderness survival situations should you get lost or your vehicle breaks down and leaves you stranded.

Camping emergencies.   Some people consider it an "emergency" when they run out of ice, beer, sodas, or potato chips, but the real camping emergencies you need may have to deal with are more likely to involve illness or injuries or an accident or a vehicle failure or unusual weather that leaves you lost, stranded, injured, or isolated.  Many activities associated with camping take us out of our normal routines, which is why we go camping in the first place.  But in doing so, it makes us vulnerable to illness and injuries we might not normally experience at home.   Having proper first aid training and supplies can mitigate a lot of these situations.  Another potential problem could be getting stranded if your OHV or RV breaks down.  Can you effect temporary repairs?  Do you have enough supplies in camp to last an extra day or two while you wait for assistance?   Can you handle minor emergencies on the trail or in camp?  Do you know when and how to call for professional help? Are you prepared to deal with unusual weather?  Can you make on-the-spot emergency repairs to camping equipment and vehicles?  If you area hiker or an OHV rider, are you prepared to take care of yourself overnight if you somehow get stranded away from camp?  I carry a "space blanket" and a flint and steel in my dirt bike tool kit, just in case.

Some parts of the world are more susceptible to natural disasters than others.  California, with its San Andreas Fault, is famous for earthquakes.  Kansas, Oklahoma, and other plains states are in Tornado Alley.  Hurricanes pound the east and gulf coasts of the United States several times every year.  Winter storms plague northern parts of the United States and other countries in the northern hemisphere.  Wildfires plague many Western States every summer.  Typhoons strike in the Pacific.  It would be difficult to identify an area that could be totally safe from all natural disasters.  Add to that the propensity for man-made catastrophes and no one is safe!  Any railroad or highway could be considered a hazardous materials route.  An incident on board a passing freighter could jeopardize even the most remote island. Fortunately, modern safety regulations and precautions allow hazardous loads to pass through our communities every day without incident.   But all it would take is one mechanical failure or one human error to release tons of hazardous materials into our neighborhoods.   I once had to evacuate my suburban home due to a chlorine gas cloud.  A fork lift operator in a supply center had accidentally clipped the valve on a very large chlorine tank.  Thousands of people had to be evacuated because of the leak.  Remember that sharp smell at the community swimming pool?   In the higher concentration of the chlorine gas cloud it was deadly!  So, even if you live in a location that has very few natural concerns you could still be downwind or downstream from a chemical or biological disaster in a local factory or on a highway or railway.  Following the dramatic explosion of a fertilizer plant in Texas a few years ago we learned there was a similar fertilizer plant in our own neighborhood we didn't even know was there before and that it was close enough that an event there could easily shatter the windows in our homes.  Did you know that the main ingredient in commercial fertilizers (nitrogen) is also the main ingredient in high explosives?   I'll bet the people in Texas know that -- now!  You never know what you might have to deal with.  BTW, our atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen -- so why doesn't it blow up?  It is because the basic nitrogen molecule (N2) is "unusually stable" while compounds containing nitrogen together with potassium or sodium are highly unstable.  The sulfate of ammonia fertilizer you use for quick greening of  your lawn is pretty safe by itself but can become explosive when combined with ceertain other chemicals.  Ammonium nitrate, on the other hand, is always pretty unstable.

How do you prepare for emergencies?  First you need to figure out what kind of emergencies you are most likely to strike your location.  How you prepare your home for earthquakes is different from what is needed to protect you from tornadoes.  Once you have identified the most likely scenario or scenarios, learn everything you can about mitigating damage from those events.  In earthquake zones you need to anchor heavy furniture and hot water heaters so they don't tip over.  In tornado country you need a safe haven that can resist the unbelievably powerful winds.  Under ground is best.  If no underground shelter is available move to an inside bathroom or closet with no windows to wait out the storm.  Bathrooms are a particularly good choice.  Their small size combined with the added strength of plumbing improves their stability.   In hurricane territory you may need to stock materials to board up your house against the winds and ensure the roof is connected with hurricane-proof straps.  In addition to attempting to mitigate damage to your home, you should be planning on how YOU will survive, possibly for several weeks, without an outside source of food, water, fuel, and medical services.  That is where your RV and camping experience and equipment and training comes in.  Your OHVs may also play an important role should you be forced to evacuate or could be used to transport messages between your family and emergency services agencies.  ATVs and UTVs are often used by search and rescue teams to locate and transport victims to safety.

I strongly urge EVERYONE to get C.E.R.T. training.  Over the years I've taken the course more than eight times to maintain my certification and improve my skills.  Each time I learn something new.  I don't know of any other program that will give you so much preparation in such a short time. C.E.R.T. classes usually consist of about 8-10 weeks of 4-hour classes one night a week, including a realistic exercise at the end of the course where you get a chance to practice what you've learned. Contact your local fire department to get into their next class.  Sometimes the class is free. Sometimes they charge a nominal fee to cover the costs of all or part of your basic personal C.E.R.T. equipment (manual, hard hat, safety vest, goggles, gloves).  You might see commercially offered  "expedited" C.E.R.T. classes, sometimes offered on a single Saturday.  Be aware such courses cannot possibly  cover everything you would get from the approved program and are often not recognized by community emergency agencies.  While you might get some benefit from the condensed course, you will be short-changing yourself and anyone you attempt to aid by not doing it right!

Take an inventory of supplies you have on hand and estimate how long you and your family could survive on just what you have on hand.  If it would last less than 3 days, you'll be in serious trouble and completely dependent on government emergency services that may not arrive for weeks!  Make building your own "72 hour kit" a priority, then expand your preparations.   Create step-by-step goals to reach a 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, etc.   It is unlikely you could ever be TOO prepared.   Understand the shelf life of everything you store, especially foods, medicines, and fuel.  Have a plan to rotate your supply to keep it fresh.  Don't store large quantities of things you don't know how to use or will never use . I had friend who didn't like peanut butter and insisted a single jar of peanut butter would last him a VERY long time because he wouldn't eat it.  I know people you have stored hundreds of pounds of raw wheat but would still probably starve in a disaster scenario because they don't know what to do with it.  An emergency generator can be a wonderful asset when the power goes off -- but only if you know how to use it and it is working properly and you have sufficient fuel for it on hand.  Emergency equipment should be tested regularly, perhaps as often as once a month.  And you have to have fuel.  Gas stations will be inoperable in many disaster situations, especially if the power goes out.  Even if they still have power, they'll probably sell out quickly.  Take care storing fuel.  It can be very dangerous and storing more than a few gallons may require a special permit from your local government.   Fuel on board RVs is usually acceptable, but having a big propane, diesel, or gasoline storage tank on your property may be prohibited or at least closely regulated in many jurisdictions.  Make sure you only operate an emergency generator where there is plenty of ventilation and where the fumes won't come back into your living space.  Many people got ill from generator fumes following Hurricane Sandy because they set them up to close too their homes.   Maintain at least 20' between the generator and an occupied space.

If you live in an area susceptible to winter weather, you may need to arrange for an alternate source of fuel for heating your home. You may be able to survive in your RV or even in your tent, but without minimal heat, the pipes in your buildings may freeze and cause significant damage if the structure is left unheated for very long. You might want to consider an auxiliary wood burning fireplace or wood stove for emergency heat if utilities are out. Of course then you need to store enough wood to last as long as you might be without heat.  Keep propane tanks for your RVs filled in case you need to use your RV for emergency shelter.  You can use an "Extend-a-stay" kit attached to the propane system on your RV to allow you to use an external propane tank (like the one from you home BBQ) if you run out.  This will work for propane RV appliances but since propane powered RV generators need liquid propane, not gas, they won't supply your generator.  A backup generator for emergencies may provide you with enough power to keep your food in your refrigerator and freezer safe and perhaps even power an electric heater if you don't have a wood stove or fireplace.

For camping and other recreational activity emergencies, consider the situations you might experience.  Your potential problems will depend on the locations where you travel and the kinds of activities you engage in.  If you pretty much limit your outings to camping in your tent or RV in developed campgrounds, you may encounter mechanical problems with your vehicle or you could become lost and stranded negotiating unfamiliar roads.  You could be involved in a traffic accident or encounter bad weather, flooding, or wildfires at your camp site.  Remote camping or boondocking enhances the risk and further limits your options since you won't have a camp host or facilities to assist you.  If you venture out from your campsite hiking or riding a horse or an OHV you may become lost or stranded by bad weather, flooding, accidents, wildfires, or mechanical breakdowns. You might become ill or get injured.  This is where wilderness survival techniques will come in handy.  Keep up on your first aid.  Know how to navigate in the wilderness.  Know how to build a shelter, start a fire, and find food and water.

Water may quickly become a priority if utilities are gone.  Even if you're on your own well, you'll need electricity to run the pump unless you have a windmill.  A back up generator or even the one in your RV might be able to provide power for your pump during an emergency.  If your well isn't too deep, a hand-operated pump could be useful.  How deep is too deep?  A hand pump can only lift water about 25' at most.  Below that you need a pump down in the well to push the water up and out. Lacking a continuing source of fresh water you may have to rely on what you have stored in your home or can collect locally. Some folks fill a 55 gallon barrel and keep it in a heated area of their domicile.   Smaller water jugs or even re-cycled 1-gallon bleach jugs can be used to squirrel away water in any available heated space, like under the bed.   Empty soda or juice bottles can also be used. Milk cartons are an option if they have been thoroughly cleaned.  Just rinsing them out may leave a residue that will have very unpleasant consequences over time.  Empty bleach bottles are a good container to store water in.  The residual bleach after the bottle is emptied and rinsed is enough to control bacterial growth in the gallon of water stored in it.  In an emergency you can drain water from your hot water heater or dip it out of the toilet tank (not the bowl!). Make sure there aren't any cleaning tablets in the toilet tank. Besides turning your mouth blue like they do the water, they'll probably give you serious digestive system problems and some may prove fatal! As a rule of thumb you should plan for about 3-4 gallons of water per person per day, about 10 times more if you want to take baths or showers. In winter you may be able to melt snow for cooking drinking, and flushing toilets. Just remember, don't eat yellow snow!  You can use contaminated water from streams, ponds, and puddles to flush your toilet.  And, yes, you could use melted yellow snow to flush your toilet.  You can also conserve toilet usage.  During a water shortage in Southern California there was a popular admonition:  If its yellow, its mellow; if its brown, flush it down.  That practice can save quite a bit of water that would otherwise just become sewage.  Just dump a bucket of water into the tank to refill it before or after each flush.  Don't waste potable drinking water for flushing toilets!

Food will become a problem in a few days, but you can survive for several weeks with little or no food if you have to, although you will begin to feel the physical and mental affects of a lack of nutrition within a few days.   To ensure health and comfort, store enough food to last at least 3 days, then work your way up to at least 2 weeks.  Storing even more is better, but, in most circumstances, some semblance of normality will be restored within a couple of weeks.   There is a frightening and unbelievable proposal in Federal government these days to prohibit storing large amounts of food.  This threat seems to keep popping up again and again.  Instead of recognizing it as prudent and "being prepared", politicians label it "hoarding" and seek to make it illegal.  For long term survival, such as you might face in a "TEOTWAWKI" (The End Of The World As We Know It) scenario, you will want to develop hunting, fishing, gathering, and/or gardening skills and strategies.

Medicines will be in short supply or even totally unavailable for some time following a disaster. Some medicines are quite perishable and require refrigeration.  Try to stockpile what you can for you and your family.  Common over-the-counter medications should be monitored and replaced when the expiration date is reached.  Would I use expired medication in an emergency?  You bet I would, especially if I didn't have anything else.   Prescription medications may be more difficult -- and more expensive -- to stock up on, but your very life might depend on having enough on hand to get by until your local pharmacy is back up and running.   Life-sustaining drugs are of particular concern.  For example, insulin for diabetics.  But you could probably get by without or cholresterol or even blood pressure meds for a while.   Look into natural wilderness medicines.  You might be surprised what you can find in your own back yard!  For example, willow bark is a pretty good substitute for aspirin.  In fact, aspirin is a synthetic version of the active ingredient in willow bark.  Sometimes aquatic or veterinary medicines can be obtained and stored against an emergency.  For example, Fish Mox is an antibiotic for tropical fish but chemically it is identical to Amoxicillin used for humans.  Pennicillin is derived from the same green mold that occurs on old bread.   In a dire emergency I would probably try using bread mold if I had no other antibiotics to treat infection.  During a long term emergency having antibiotics may be life saving.

In addition to C.E.R.T. you may be able to get more emergency preparedness training and guidance through the Red Cross and local church and government organizations.  Some companies that sell emergency supplies also offer classes, often for free. And be sure to use your Internet resources to locate sources of supplies, information, and training. You'll find tons of stuff using your favorite search engine.  I also took a course in Advanced Wilderness Life Support from a local university.

Boy Scout training is another excellent source or emergency preparedness learning.   Even if you've beyond scout age, pick up a Boy Scout Handbook and study the camping techniques therein.  Merit badge training provides even more details and useful tips.   A friend of mine, an Eagle Scout, found his Boy Scout training was his best asset during military survival exercises, a fact that was recognized by his survival instructor too.

Survival kits may be the key to, well, your survival in a disaster.  You probably need three: a home survival kit, a car survival kit, and a personal survival kit.  Your home kit would be the largest and most comprehensive and, ideally, would sustain you and your family until the disaster is over and things get more or less back to normal.   A car kit needs to have the things you might need if you get stranded away from home, things that would help you get home.  Your personal survival kit should be small enough to fit in your fanny pack or pocket when you're hiking or engaged in other outdoor recreational activities but have essential tools to aid you in meeting your basic needs if you get lost or stranded.  Ultimately, the best survival kits will be of no use whatsoever if you don't know how to use them, so training and knowledge is critical.

Panic is one of the worst things you can do in an emergency. Preparation is one of the best ways to avoid panic. You won't panic if you know what to do and are actively engaged in doing it. If you don't know what to do, fear will take over and you'll lose control, very likely significantly reducing your chances of survival. Panic can show itself as hand-wringing frustration, blindly running away, or inability to do anything. Freezing up is often not even recognized as panic but it is really quite common. When people don't know what to do, they sometimes do nothing, not even think! If you find yourself in a disaster situation and either feel like running or can't even move, try to hug another human being or even a tree until you stabilize your feelings and can focus on your situation.

If you are thriving in a disaster situation while those around you are struggling you will likely draw unwanted attention to yourself. You will want to minimize your exposure by NOT advertising your level of preparedness -- or be prepared to share your resources willingly or unwillingly. Explore options for protecting your resources.  One of the best ideas I know is "security by obscurity", a kind of "out of sight, out of mind" approach.  It is often better to have several small caches of emergency supplies than one large one.  That way, if you are attacked, you have less chance of losing ALL your precious survival supplies.   Some preppers go to great and expensive lengths for bunkers and security systems.  To some extent this only calls unwanted attention.  High, razor wire topped fence and elaborate electronic surveillance systems practically screams "there's valuable stuff here".  Weapons may deter some would be thieves, but realistically, how many of us are sufficiently trained and prepared to use them?  Would you really shoot your neighbors to prevent them from grabbing a few canned goods from your stash?  I had a friend whose had decided if he faced a mob coming after his survival supplies he would fire his gun(s) over their heads.  It would either scare them away or prompt them to shoot him.  Either way he figured his problem was solved and he wouldn't have killed anyone.  What if you were attacked by a mob?   Do you really think you could hold off hoards of would be looters?  I read a report from a guy who was visiting his sister in Cairo during the revolt in 2013.   At first they found it exciting to be so close to history in the making -- until looters began attacking their neighborhood.  At that point they sought refuge with a well-prepared neighbor who invited them into his high tech stronghold.  That provided them a measure of safety for a short time, but all too soon the mobs broke through his fences, broke into his house, killed him and seized all of his supplies.  They had smelled the goat he was BBQing in his compound.  The American brother and sister survived thanks to yet another neighbor whose preparations were less obvious but more effective.  Instead of barbed wire he surrounded his house with briars.  His modest abode did not appear to be of any particular value and even appeared to be run down.  His supplies were stashed in several obscure places around his house where they would be difficult for looters to find if they did break in.   "Security by obscurity" can be very valuable.

Be prepared!