Security in a break down situation
For starters, sorry for the lack of a blog post last weekend. My son and I were on a Cub Scout camping trip, and blog posting was very low on the priority list.
While doing a bit of research on this topic, I came upon the use of pepper spray. Now, I have to admit to a great deal of ignorance on the topic. I am comfortable with firearms, and carry a firearm whenever legal and prudent. After looking into pepper spray a little, I have determined that there is a place for this defensive prep; even in the hand gunner's arsenal.
In a self defense situation where you are perfectly justified in bringing a firearm to bear in defense of your life, you will still have to defend that use of force to a law enforcement officer, or maybe even to a jury. They will never be able to see the situation as clearly or as personally as you did. There is never a 100% fool proof method to convey the situation accurately. If you employ a self defense spray product as your last defense before using deadly force, you have just improved your case. If you employ a self defense spray, you have:
- Attempted to end the attack with less than lethal means
- If your attacker persists through the less than lethal defense, they show themselves to be motivated to carry forward their attack regardless
- You have bought yourself, at minimum, a few seconds of response time. Those seconds can be used to retreat if it makes sense to do so. They can be used to improve your tactical situation. They can be used to employ other less than lethal counter measures to render your attacker harmless.
Bottom line is, you have added another layer/option before the use of deadly force.
There is definitely room for self defense sprays in your vehicle preps. Again, I am a relative noob to these sprays. I am finding a wide variety of types and sizes. Do your due diligence in deciding what is right your your to carry, and to store in your vehicle. There seem to be 3 different chemical compounds widely available. Rather than plagiarize someone else's work, here is a link that I have found informational:
http://www.milestonesafety.com/pepper-spray-information.html
In a breakdown situation, people may offer assistance, or it may become necessary to solicit assistance. Strangers always carry with them the risk and threat to security. While at the vehicle, approaching strangers should be assessed quickly as to their threat level. When leaving the vehicle, care should be taken to lock the vehicle, and make sure any valuables are out of sight. What can be carried, should be. Pepper spray may make a good security device in the event that a firearm of knife can not be carried, or brought to bear on a self defense situation. Most people who are not a threat, would view you as a security risk, and even if rendering assistance, will work to keep their distance. Anyone too eager to help, may be an elevated risk.
Action plan -
1.Research viability of pepper spray stored in a hot vehicle.
2.Research viability of a taser stored in a hot vehicle.
3.Store a pocket knife in the vehicle.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
A look at 'personal disasters' - Part II
IMPORTANCE OF WATER IN A VEHICLE BREAK DOWN SITUATION
Water – In a breakdown situation, it is uncertain how long the event may last. Water is very high on the priority list for humans, but is also a requirement for vehicles (unless your vehicle has an air cooled engine). Under extreme circumstances, survival from a broken down vehicle may require days. I think it is prudent to start with one day, and work from there. The general rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person per day. It is assumed that this personal disaster, is truly a personal one, and only one person is at risk. It is also assumed that cooking and hygiene will not be very high on the priority list either.
Vehicles use a water/propylene glycol mix in the coolant system. The coolant system keeps the engine from overheating when in operation, and prevents the water in the engine from freezing when not in operation. Different vehicles have different coolant capacities. In a breakdown situation where the vehicle has overheated (primarily from a stuck thermostat), the engine can not be filled with coolant directly. The driver can re-fill the radiator.
Water left in plastic for extended periods of time (especially in a closed up vehicle in the summer) will start to take up the plastic taste. This water should be rotated monthly. Some plastics seem to do a better job than others. Milk jugs, even if cleaned properly, or even if they never contained milk at all; make the water taste so bad that it is nearly undrinkable after very short periods of time.
I am currently experimenting with different forms of water storage. I am working from the no/low budget perspective. So far (and tests are still in progress), the lowly 2 liter soda bottle seems to be the most stable. Roughly 2 two liter soda bottles will give you a gallon of water storage. Be sure to clean them thoroughly, as any remaining sugar residues can and will reek havoc on your stored water.
I will be the first to admit that having a couple of soda bottles full of water rolling around in the back of the vehicle is not my idea of a good time. There are commercially available potable water containers available at most discount type department stores. I am sure they will store water just fine, but I have not tested them. Perhaps, someone else could chime in and review one?
Now, we have stored our water, which can sustain us should be become stranded, and it may even get us back on the road if the vehicle failure is overheating. Refilling the radiator of an overheated vehicle may be only a temporary measure unless the root cause for overheating is addressed.
It can happen, that the radiator simply runs dry of coolant. There could be any number of minuscule leaks in the coolant system, or the loss could be simply from neglect and evaporation. In these events, simply re-filling the radiator will get you back happily on your way (assuming you did not run the engine in an overheated condition long enough to do damage).
Most of the time, when a vehicle overheats, it is because of a stuck thermostat. The thermostat is a small valve like device that opens and closes to allow more or less coolant to be exchanged between the engine block and the radiator. Hot coolant is pumped from the engine block to the radiator, where the passage of cooler air through the vanes of the radiator cools the coolant before returning it to the block. Most thermostats are 'set' to actuate at between 180 and 190 degrees. If the coolant is below the 'set' temperature, the thermostat is closed, and does not allow coolant to pass to the radiator. Once the coolant temperature raises above the 'set' point, the thermostat opens and allows coolant to pass through to the radiator (thus cooling it before returning it to the engine block), Thermostats fail by 'sticking'. The failure that leaves you stranded on the side of the road with an overheated engine is the thermostat sticking in the closed position. As such, as the coolant temperature rises above the set point, the thermostat does not open (it is stuck closed). Since the coolant can not get to the radiator to have heat energy taken away, the engine itself overheats and eventually fails as metal parts struggle to operate in a hotter environment than they were designed to do so in (engine tolerances are quite tight!). A thermostat can also stick open, or somewhere in between open and closed, but rarely do these conditions result in a breakdown.
Thermostats are fairly inexpensive parts. The last time I bought one, I paid well under $20 for it. Many vehicles are very easy to change thermostats in. I once owned a vehicle that the thermostat was located in the upper radiator hose housing. Two 10mm bolts was all that held the part in place. Once the housing was unbolted, the thermostat would fall out into your hands. The new one could be popped in, and the housing bolted back into place. Changing that thermostat literally only took 10 minutes. Not all vehicles are that easy. Do a search on Youtube for replacing a thermostat in your make and model of vehicle. It may be that a 'breakdown' can be repaired with less than $20 of spare parts and 10 minutes of labor. The thermostat, the appropriately sized wrench, and perhaps a small tube of 'liquid' type gasket material could fit in a container the size of a 12 ounce soda can. If you are fortunate enough to have one of the 'easy' vehicles, this one is almost a no brainer prep.
Action plan -
- Buy 5 gallon potable water container – If buying a container doesn't appeal to you, shoot for keeping a gallon on hand. You never know when you may need to top off that radiator.
- Store 5 gallons of potable water in the vehicle – Again, at least a gallon.
Research how to take out the thermostat – This may be extremely easy on your vehicle.
- Store tools in the vehicle required to remove a thermostat – A basic tool kit is a good idea, and may be fodder for a future blog entry, but if changing the thermostat is easy in your vehicle, and you have purchased the spare part to carry with you, make sure that you have the right tool(s) to do the job on hand in the vehicle.
- Purchase a new thermostat to keep in the vehicle – A thermostat for your vehicle, a gasket, and/or a small tube of gasket forming material will cost you FAR less than a tank of gas for most vehicles.
Water – In a breakdown situation, it is uncertain how long the event may last. Water is very high on the priority list for humans, but is also a requirement for vehicles (unless your vehicle has an air cooled engine). Under extreme circumstances, survival from a broken down vehicle may require days. I think it is prudent to start with one day, and work from there. The general rule of thumb is one gallon of water per person per day. It is assumed that this personal disaster, is truly a personal one, and only one person is at risk. It is also assumed that cooking and hygiene will not be very high on the priority list either.
Vehicles use a water/propylene glycol mix in the coolant system. The coolant system keeps the engine from overheating when in operation, and prevents the water in the engine from freezing when not in operation. Different vehicles have different coolant capacities. In a breakdown situation where the vehicle has overheated (primarily from a stuck thermostat), the engine can not be filled with coolant directly. The driver can re-fill the radiator.
Water left in plastic for extended periods of time (especially in a closed up vehicle in the summer) will start to take up the plastic taste. This water should be rotated monthly. Some plastics seem to do a better job than others. Milk jugs, even if cleaned properly, or even if they never contained milk at all; make the water taste so bad that it is nearly undrinkable after very short periods of time.
I am currently experimenting with different forms of water storage. I am working from the no/low budget perspective. So far (and tests are still in progress), the lowly 2 liter soda bottle seems to be the most stable. Roughly 2 two liter soda bottles will give you a gallon of water storage. Be sure to clean them thoroughly, as any remaining sugar residues can and will reek havoc on your stored water.
I will be the first to admit that having a couple of soda bottles full of water rolling around in the back of the vehicle is not my idea of a good time. There are commercially available potable water containers available at most discount type department stores. I am sure they will store water just fine, but I have not tested them. Perhaps, someone else could chime in and review one?
Now, we have stored our water, which can sustain us should be become stranded, and it may even get us back on the road if the vehicle failure is overheating. Refilling the radiator of an overheated vehicle may be only a temporary measure unless the root cause for overheating is addressed.
It can happen, that the radiator simply runs dry of coolant. There could be any number of minuscule leaks in the coolant system, or the loss could be simply from neglect and evaporation. In these events, simply re-filling the radiator will get you back happily on your way (assuming you did not run the engine in an overheated condition long enough to do damage).
Most of the time, when a vehicle overheats, it is because of a stuck thermostat. The thermostat is a small valve like device that opens and closes to allow more or less coolant to be exchanged between the engine block and the radiator. Hot coolant is pumped from the engine block to the radiator, where the passage of cooler air through the vanes of the radiator cools the coolant before returning it to the block. Most thermostats are 'set' to actuate at between 180 and 190 degrees. If the coolant is below the 'set' temperature, the thermostat is closed, and does not allow coolant to pass to the radiator. Once the coolant temperature raises above the 'set' point, the thermostat opens and allows coolant to pass through to the radiator (thus cooling it before returning it to the engine block), Thermostats fail by 'sticking'. The failure that leaves you stranded on the side of the road with an overheated engine is the thermostat sticking in the closed position. As such, as the coolant temperature rises above the set point, the thermostat does not open (it is stuck closed). Since the coolant can not get to the radiator to have heat energy taken away, the engine itself overheats and eventually fails as metal parts struggle to operate in a hotter environment than they were designed to do so in (engine tolerances are quite tight!). A thermostat can also stick open, or somewhere in between open and closed, but rarely do these conditions result in a breakdown.
Thermostats are fairly inexpensive parts. The last time I bought one, I paid well under $20 for it. Many vehicles are very easy to change thermostats in. I once owned a vehicle that the thermostat was located in the upper radiator hose housing. Two 10mm bolts was all that held the part in place. Once the housing was unbolted, the thermostat would fall out into your hands. The new one could be popped in, and the housing bolted back into place. Changing that thermostat literally only took 10 minutes. Not all vehicles are that easy. Do a search on Youtube for replacing a thermostat in your make and model of vehicle. It may be that a 'breakdown' can be repaired with less than $20 of spare parts and 10 minutes of labor. The thermostat, the appropriately sized wrench, and perhaps a small tube of 'liquid' type gasket material could fit in a container the size of a 12 ounce soda can. If you are fortunate enough to have one of the 'easy' vehicles, this one is almost a no brainer prep.
Action plan -
- Buy 5 gallon potable water container – If buying a container doesn't appeal to you, shoot for keeping a gallon on hand. You never know when you may need to top off that radiator.
- Store 5 gallons of potable water in the vehicle – Again, at least a gallon.
Research how to take out the thermostat – This may be extremely easy on your vehicle.
- Store tools in the vehicle required to remove a thermostat – A basic tool kit is a good idea, and may be fodder for a future blog entry, but if changing the thermostat is easy in your vehicle, and you have purchased the spare part to carry with you, make sure that you have the right tool(s) to do the job on hand in the vehicle.
- Purchase a new thermostat to keep in the vehicle – A thermostat for your vehicle, a gasket, and/or a small tube of gasket forming material will cost you FAR less than a tank of gas for most vehicles.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A look at 'personal disasters' - Part I
So, I went through the mental exercise, and tried to identify personal 'disasters' or events that would affect me, but not adversely affect my family. Initially, I thought this to be an exercise in futility; after all, I am the bread winner, and anything that affects me, affects my family. After pondering the thought a few minutes, I realized how self centered that was. Sure, that is true in matters directly related to my ability to earn a living, But there are times when I am out and about by myself when I am not conducting activities related to bread winning.
I would like to pause here, and look at an interesting mental/emotional quirk before we progress through the rest of the thought process. I find it interesting that I was so wrapped up in my role as the bread winner, that it was difficult to imagine a scenario that did not have any direct bearing on my ability to provide for my family. That aspect of my life is so important to me, that it was difficult to consider situations where that element did not come into play. Be on guard for this short sightedness in your own preparations.
Once I broke through that mental hang up, I started thinking what do I do, and where do I go that my family is not with me. Then, the ideas started flowing!
I spend a lot of time by myself in my vehicle. I commute back and forth to work. I travel forest service roads on hiking trips. I drive back and forth to visit my parents. You get the idea. For the most part, I stay on well traveled roads, and take the same routes every time. If something happens to the truck on the way to work, there are at least 5 or 6 people I could call that could come to my aid easily. But, here looked like a good place to start.
VEHICLE BREAK DOWN
Let's face it, if you own a vehicle, sooner or later, you are going to experience a breakdown of one sort or another. For this blog post, let's look at a vehicular breakdown as related to the shelter critical system.
In a break down situation, the vehicle itself should provide sufficient shelter in most cases. Exceptions would include those dealing with cold. If the vehicle is broken down, it is entirely possible the the engine will not run. Heat in a vehicle is a by-product of the internal combustion engine running. If in a well traveled area, leaving the vehicle (ie. Shelter) should not be necessary. Exception may include leaving the vehicle to change a flat tire, or walking to a gas station for gas, or for communications (in the event that cell service is not available. In a remote area, leaving the vehicle may be a requirement for rescue.
After thinking through shelter needs when a vehicle breaks down, I came up with some action plan items.
1.Store blankets in vehicle – Every house has spare blankets around somewhere. Maybe they have holes, are faded, or have stains. Don't throw them out. But them in a box or duffel type bag, and let them be the foundation of your emergency breakdown kit.
2.Store rain gear in vehicle – Even in moderate temperatures, no one likes to be drenched to the bone unless they are swimming. If you have a flat in a thunderstorm, waiting for the storm to pass may not be a viable option. Don't forget a 'grippy' style of glove. You understand if you have ever had to change a flat in the rain. When a hand slips off of a lug wrench, and pounds pavement; especially if it is cold, you have just found a new definition of pain. If you do have to use your rain gear, be sure to bring them all out and dry them thoroughly when you do get back to 'civilization'.
3.Store sweat shirt in vehicle – When in a vehicle, we tend not to think about exposure except in the depths of winter. A chilly spring or fall day can turn downright miserable if you have to walk to the nearest gas station not appropriately dressed. Again, throw an old sweat shirt in your box. A word of caution here. Sweat shirts are great! They are warm and comfortable. They are also made of cotton. The hard core backpacking community has a saying, “cotton kills”. When cotton gets wet, it stays wet for a long time, and sucks the heat out of you. If you have a cotton sweat shirt, don't let it get wet. This is where the rain gear comes into play as well.
4.Store gloves in vehicle – Aside from the 'grippy' gloves mentioned above, thermal gloves are a good idea in your box as well. Every gas station (especially in the winter) carries the cheap 'jersey' style gloves. They are commonly brown in color. They are not perfect, but they are cheap enough to have a pair everywhere, and they will keep the feeling in your hands on your walk to the next gas station.
5.Store knit cap in vehicle – Most body heat is lost through the head. Don't neglect insulating it in an exposure incident.
6.Store $100 emergency cash in vehicle – Let's face it; that little piece of plastic in your wallet is not 100% reliable. Cash is king. If you can't stash $100 somewhere in the car, stash the average cost of a tank of gas. Something is better than nothing. This is not exactly a 'shelter' related prep, but it came to mind here, so I included it.
7.Join AAA – I can almost hear the groans on this one! It is expensive. They are slow to respond, ect. I agree. What if you are in unfamiliar territory? You break down. Let's call it an engine failure that you can't diagnose and repair on the side of the road. You need a tow. You have no idea what facilities are in your area. That call to AAA will get a wrecker to you, and in all likelihood, the driver is going to know a bit about available facilities in the area. It may take him a while to get to you, but an hour or two waiting on a wrecker may be better than some of the alternatives, and that phone call allows you to stay in the relatively sheltered confines of your vehicle. Think of it as another layer of insurance.
As always, I would enjoy constructive feedback. I will go through the other critical systems if subsequent blog posts. Is there anything you would add to this list? Take away? Why?
I would like to pause here, and look at an interesting mental/emotional quirk before we progress through the rest of the thought process. I find it interesting that I was so wrapped up in my role as the bread winner, that it was difficult to imagine a scenario that did not have any direct bearing on my ability to provide for my family. That aspect of my life is so important to me, that it was difficult to consider situations where that element did not come into play. Be on guard for this short sightedness in your own preparations.
Once I broke through that mental hang up, I started thinking what do I do, and where do I go that my family is not with me. Then, the ideas started flowing!
I spend a lot of time by myself in my vehicle. I commute back and forth to work. I travel forest service roads on hiking trips. I drive back and forth to visit my parents. You get the idea. For the most part, I stay on well traveled roads, and take the same routes every time. If something happens to the truck on the way to work, there are at least 5 or 6 people I could call that could come to my aid easily. But, here looked like a good place to start.
VEHICLE BREAK DOWN
Let's face it, if you own a vehicle, sooner or later, you are going to experience a breakdown of one sort or another. For this blog post, let's look at a vehicular breakdown as related to the shelter critical system.
In a break down situation, the vehicle itself should provide sufficient shelter in most cases. Exceptions would include those dealing with cold. If the vehicle is broken down, it is entirely possible the the engine will not run. Heat in a vehicle is a by-product of the internal combustion engine running. If in a well traveled area, leaving the vehicle (ie. Shelter) should not be necessary. Exception may include leaving the vehicle to change a flat tire, or walking to a gas station for gas, or for communications (in the event that cell service is not available. In a remote area, leaving the vehicle may be a requirement for rescue.
After thinking through shelter needs when a vehicle breaks down, I came up with some action plan items.
1.Store blankets in vehicle – Every house has spare blankets around somewhere. Maybe they have holes, are faded, or have stains. Don't throw them out. But them in a box or duffel type bag, and let them be the foundation of your emergency breakdown kit.
2.Store rain gear in vehicle – Even in moderate temperatures, no one likes to be drenched to the bone unless they are swimming. If you have a flat in a thunderstorm, waiting for the storm to pass may not be a viable option. Don't forget a 'grippy' style of glove. You understand if you have ever had to change a flat in the rain. When a hand slips off of a lug wrench, and pounds pavement; especially if it is cold, you have just found a new definition of pain. If you do have to use your rain gear, be sure to bring them all out and dry them thoroughly when you do get back to 'civilization'.
3.Store sweat shirt in vehicle – When in a vehicle, we tend not to think about exposure except in the depths of winter. A chilly spring or fall day can turn downright miserable if you have to walk to the nearest gas station not appropriately dressed. Again, throw an old sweat shirt in your box. A word of caution here. Sweat shirts are great! They are warm and comfortable. They are also made of cotton. The hard core backpacking community has a saying, “cotton kills”. When cotton gets wet, it stays wet for a long time, and sucks the heat out of you. If you have a cotton sweat shirt, don't let it get wet. This is where the rain gear comes into play as well.
4.Store gloves in vehicle – Aside from the 'grippy' gloves mentioned above, thermal gloves are a good idea in your box as well. Every gas station (especially in the winter) carries the cheap 'jersey' style gloves. They are commonly brown in color. They are not perfect, but they are cheap enough to have a pair everywhere, and they will keep the feeling in your hands on your walk to the next gas station.
5.Store knit cap in vehicle – Most body heat is lost through the head. Don't neglect insulating it in an exposure incident.
6.Store $100 emergency cash in vehicle – Let's face it; that little piece of plastic in your wallet is not 100% reliable. Cash is king. If you can't stash $100 somewhere in the car, stash the average cost of a tank of gas. Something is better than nothing. This is not exactly a 'shelter' related prep, but it came to mind here, so I included it.
7.Join AAA – I can almost hear the groans on this one! It is expensive. They are slow to respond, ect. I agree. What if you are in unfamiliar territory? You break down. Let's call it an engine failure that you can't diagnose and repair on the side of the road. You need a tow. You have no idea what facilities are in your area. That call to AAA will get a wrecker to you, and in all likelihood, the driver is going to know a bit about available facilities in the area. It may take him a while to get to you, but an hour or two waiting on a wrecker may be better than some of the alternatives, and that phone call allows you to stay in the relatively sheltered confines of your vehicle. Think of it as another layer of insurance.
As always, I would enjoy constructive feedback. I will go through the other critical systems if subsequent blog posts. Is there anything you would add to this list? Take away? Why?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)