Preparing for the worst (Part 1)

Every student learns the magic number 3. Whether you’re an F-15 fighter pilot or a single mom, in a car accident or taking a walk in the park, the number 3 will keep you alive. The Rule of 3 states that you cannot survive:

• 3 SECONDS WITHOUT SPIRIT AND HOPE
• 3 MINUTES WITHOUT AIR
• 3 HOURS WITHOUT SHELTER IN EXTREME CONDITIONS 3 DAYS WITHOUT WATER
• 3 WEEKS WITHOUT FOOD
• 3 MONTHS WITHOUT COMPANIONSHIP OR LOVE
  -The Survivors Club

Now that that "Hurricane" Irene has passed, I think it's time to talk about preparing for bad situations. I got a bunch of questions during that time, so I figure it would be good to put that info out there for everyone. I don't know about most of you, but I've been preparing for the Zombie Apocalypse* for quite some time now. Most of you probably aren't ready for something on that level.

At all.

In fact, most of you probably aren't ready for anything that alters your day-to-day routine or removes certain normally used structure from your lives.

The best survivors understand that normal is just a fleeting state of mind. Indeed normalcy may seem steady and constant, but it’s really just the intermission between the chaos and messiness of life. Survivors accept that life probably won’t ever return to the way it used to be. So they let go, adapt, and embrace the “new normal.”
-The Survivors Club

The first thing to remember is that you CANNOT plan for every eventuality. It's impossible, and trying to do so will leave you unable to do anything, because you'll have too much to deal with. I recommend that you become familiar with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. For a disaster, you need the bottom 2, self-esteem, and problem solving & creativity. We'll get back to this in a moment.

The next step is to build up your level of preparedness from small problems to large. Don't try to plan for a hurricane if you can't tighten the screws on a chair. Amazingly, you'll find that all the things needed for a light emergency are also useful in big one. My first idea for preparing for small problems is to get:

• A hammer
• A Screwdriver and/or a Leatherman
• A flashlight (get more than one, and put one in your car) and spare batteries
• A small, battery powered AM/FM radio.
• First aid materials. At a minimum, be able to deal with small cuts, large wounds, and pain. Tampons can plug small bullet wounds.

For non-prolonged problems and disasters, those items will tide you over until help or emergency services can be obtained.

The next step is to prepare for prolonged problems and disasters. Take the things that you can't do yourself and try to mitigate the effects of what happens when they are gone.

• Can you make electricity? That's what the flashlight is for (maybe you need a generator).
• Have a cow to slaughter? Might want to get a few days worth of food. Technically, if there is a chance of power loss, refrigeration will be lost, so get food that doesn't need it, and requires little to no preparation. A fridge can keep stuff cool for a day after losing power, but only if you don't open it.
• Do you have a well? Get a gallon of water per-day per-person to tide you over. I recommend gallon bottles, and use that to fill a smaller container, rather than but a bunch of bottles, which drives up the cost, or the giant 3-gallon bottles which become hard to move.

Next, prepare for the specific disaster, especially if you know it is coming. You don't need to be an expert, but you need to understand what dangers are there, especially if you know what disaster is coming. For example:

• Wind related? Beware of flying debris and branches that will break windows.
• Water related? Flooding. Evacuate to high ground early.
• Earthquake? Get under a table (Avoid the doorway).
• Fire. You can go the fire-extinguisher route for a kitchen fire , but you're probably better off just getting out of there for forest blazes. Also, regularly clear brush around your house.

Also, as much as the Zombie Survival Guide may seem like a joke, it is actually a very informative book on disaster preparedness and survival, even if you ignore the zombie part.

Another small point is to think of what you need to do in order to be mobile. Occasionally, a disaster will force you to move. Figure out what you will definitely need, what you can actually move, and what may be available on the other end. Don't bring 8 gallons of water if you're moving to somewhere with running water. That's partially why I advocated gallon bottles, and not the huge 3 gallon ones. Also, you probably use sensible footwear (not Army shoes and golf shoes, Andrea).

Lastly, mitigate the chances of problems should a disaster arise. If you have a family, at least make sure basic ideas of the plans are understood. If there is potential for danger, you should at least be aware of it so your brain isn't completely shocked should something go wrong. For example, you know what I do every time I get on a plane? Locate the nearest exit, and listen to the damn flight attendant. You may think they are there for just drinks and peanuts, but they actually do a lot:

When you board a plane, you’re probably accustomed to some friendly banter from the flight attendants. They welcome you, ask where you’re from, and make idle talk about the weather. It may seem like empty chatter, and you may wonder how they can stand saying “Hi, how are you?” to three hundred travelers. But this is serious business. They’re not just being friendly; they’re profiling you. For starters, they’re checking to see whether you’re fit for flying or whether you’re under the influence. They’re also looking for suspicious behavior including clues of terrorist activity. One of their other main objectives is to identify ABPs. In the parlance of flight safety, that means “able-bodied passenger.” In an emergency, ABPs are the ones they call upon for help. Flight attendants are trained to identify ABPs as they board and to keep track of where they are on the plane. ABPs are typically solo travelers. They’re alert, healthy, and physically fit. They’re often wearing clothing that suggests some kind of military, law enforcement, or firefighter training. They’re likely to be in the top 10 percent on John Leach’s 10–80–10 scale.

She’s crunched the numbers on who gets out alive and who doesn’t. When I ask her the bottom line—who survives?—her answer is blunt: “Young, slender men.” Agility and strength make the biggest difference when you’re trying to wriggle through airplane wreckage or slip through a twenty-inch-wide emergency exit.

For instance, most passengers believe you can survive an hour without an oxygen mask after a plane decompresses at high altitude. In fact, you’ve got only a few seconds. They also believe you’ve got thirty minutes to flee a burning plane. In reality, as you’re about to see, you’ve got only ninety seconds... That’s all. Ninety. Any longer and a fire could burn through the aluminum skin of the plane and the cabin temperature will soar to more than two thousand degrees. Soon after, a flashover fire will consume everything. In just ninety seconds, the cabin turns into an inferno. That’s less than the time it probably took to read this page.

You should never drink a beer or a martini before getting on a plane. You should never pop a sleeping pill before flying. You shouldn’t nap or listen to your iPod when you’re rolling down the runway. And you definitely shouldn’t wait for the thud of landing to wake up.
-The Survivors Club

In Part 2, there will be more on situational awareness, and I'll discuss one of the hardest things to be prepared for.

*Just as a quick disclaimer, you can look at the idea of "Zombie Apocalypse" to mean some type of catastrophic, world-altering disaster, in which most infrastructure breaks down. It's easier to think of a "zombie," than it is to imagine that your fellow human has entered a state of survival such that they would be willing to kill you without remorse.

Building my Medical Kit

Those of you who know me in any capacity should know that I am a gear whore. If you need a guy that has some randomly useful item, at a time when would would suspect that no one would have it, I'm your man. If I'm carrying a bag with me somewhere, it usually has a multi-head screwdriver, a lock-pick kit, flashlight, leatherman, allen wrench multi-tool, neosporin, a thumb drive, and the charger for my phone. I'm the guy that always brings the ram, bolt cutters, and a crowbar to arrests.

Anyway, due to a miscalculation, I had a lot of money left over for my flex-spending medical plan, and needed a way to burn it, because I would just lose the money otherwise. The money has to be spent on medical supplies and services, and they recently removed over-the-counter medicine. Since you can only buy so many condoms without seeming completely insane (ever make a condom choice because it was more expensive?), I decided that it was time to build a quick first aid kit for use on the job. Actually, I built two, and then got some extra stuff, all for the sake of spending money.

First Aid Pouch, MOLLE Compatible Black

I'm going to need a place to put the stuff, and since I'm not building an EMS bag, it has to be something small enough to fit on my body armor, in a cargo pocket, or in a glove compartment. The main draw of this pouch was that it could fit MOLLE webbing. It also has internal elastic to hold stuff down inside. I purchased two of these.

Bear Claw Tan Nitrile Gloves: 10 pair, rolled

I already have a box of these, but since I was spending money, why not get some that were already prepped for the kit (also, so I could see how they did it). If there is time, gloves are always a nice way to protect yourself when dealing with blood. Also, avoid colors like black unless they are absolutely necessary for tactical purposes. It is hard to see blood on black gloves, which may pose a problem when checking a victim. Two of these are in each kit, because gloves always break.

NAR Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T Tourniquet)

A tourniquet that can be applied one-handed is always good, just in case you're the casualty. I looked at another model, but settled on this one because of the ease of getting the tightening bar into the holder. Also, the strap that secures it doubles for where you write the time.

NAR C-A-T Tourniquet Holder

It came down between this holder and this one. In the end, I decided that I would go with the one that covered the tourniquet completely. Deployment time should be negligible. The tourniquet will be mounted on my body armor, since you don't want to have to go digging for this.

Hemcon Chitogauze


Similar to QuikClot, I did some research and found that the chitosan gauze stopped bleeding faster, and absorbed less blood in the process. I also like that it comes z-folded, which makes deployment from the container much easier. When gauze is rolled, the entire roll must pulled out to unroll it as you go (I think you can master the pull from the roll center method, though), exposing it to the elements, and the chance of being dropped.

This is to be stuffed in large wounds where arterial bleeding is present.

Celox Trauma Gauze

Similar to the chitogauze, this is another hemostatic, but can also be used to treat burns. The trick to this, is that the gauze isn't coated with chitosan, but is actually made of the chitosan agent itself. I would prefer that it were z-folded, though.

CELOX-A

I'm really the guy that you want around if you get shot. Reading up, I came across this, which is for smaller wounds where trying to stuff gauze might not work. The applicator allows delivery of the hemostatic agent deeper into the wound, and closer to the artery.

NAR HyFin Chest Seal & HyFin Xtreme Chest Seal

Ches wounds suck, especially if they are sucking. These are two similar items, with one that is just designed to cover more of the chest in the case of multiple wounds. The adhesive is good, even if the application ares is wet.

NAR Emergency Trauma Dressing 4"

If a wound isn't deep, you're going to need to cover it. So this is the other option. It can also be placed over a packed wound once the bleeding is under control.

Nasopharyngeal Airway (28 Fr., 9.3mm)

It comes with lube! I was totally going to shove it up your nose dry. Also, I don't have to care if your gag reflex works, not that I've ever cared.

ADC Adsafe CPR Pocket Mask

It's not like you'll wake up when I kiss you. This is a little too large to get into the pouch, but a large pouch presented other issues. I mean, sure they say you can use only chest compressions, but I'm not planning for heart attacks. Also, easier to get a seal.

FREE Immediate Action Card

Don't know what to do? Panic under pressure? Realize that no one else on your team has a medical kit, so chances are unless you can talk, you're screwed? This should help. I am upset that it doesn't talk about burns, but it was free. CPR instructions on the back.

Master Classic II Littman Black Edition Stethoscope

This is where I was just spending money because. When I opened the package and told my grandmother the price, my grandmother first said "you can get those anywhere in Chinatown for cheaper." However, once she took a listen with it, she said it was awesome (she's a retired nurse from the NY Hospital for Special Surgery). My aunt (a teaching nurse at Columbia) said that most doctors she knows use Littman brand (which she also owns), and that a lot of nurses go with a cheaper model (which is actually extremely clear). She says that stethoscopes are probably the most stolen thing in a hospital, by other nurses and doctors, so never put yours down.

ADC Diagnostix 2100 Digital Fingertip Pulse Oximeter

A fun and completely unnecessary item, my aunt (my mom's side of the family is almost entirely nurses) said this is like gold in a hospital. So much so that no one buys one because it will be stolen off of your patient's finger. She just uses the heart rate machines at work, and says that most patients don't get their oxygen saturation checked. She want's one for her birthday (note to Phoenix and Austin).


If anyone saw anything that I may have overlooked, or if you have suggestions, let me know.