WikiPrepping

I've started a discord server for people to share information and ideas on prepping and self reliance or simply to interact and network for the future 

Over time I'd like to see it grow to be a valuable resource for people looking to be more prepared for various situations

A place where people can share their experiences and knowledge of what works, and more importantly, what doesn't!

Understanding Use By and Best Before dates

In the UK every year we waste tons of food that we bury in landfill sites, much of it unnecessarily as many people do not understand the "use by" or "best before" dates on food packaging.

Use by dates are about safety and are put on produce that spoils quickly that can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

We can extend this by freezing this food before the use by date which prevents bacteria growth so the food is still fresh and fine to eat much later than this date.

Best before is about quality, after this date the food may have a different taste, texture or colour but will still be safe to eat.

Last year many people bought extra food during the lockdowns and subsequently threw more away soon after, in many cases such as these canned foods that had not been opened and had not exceeded their best before date this was extremely wasteful.

Polar explorers place food stores along their planned routes in advance of an expedition in order to minimise the weight they have to carry, there have been several examples of canned food being found many years later long after the best before dates that was still perfectly safe to eat.

One of the first preparations or preps you should make it to build up a suitable store of food in your home, understand how to store it and how long it will last.

Only buy what you actually eat, this will allow you to maximise the storage life of your supplies by eating those that are approaching the end of their storage life first.

Take advantage of bulk buy deals on long life foods and prepping will even save you money in the long term on your grocery bills, win-win.

Take care

Roo

Top 5 tips to start prepping for free

Programs like Doomsday Preppers give people the impression that you have to spend a lot of money to be a prepper which can be daunting.

Some scenarios could be life changing events that affect the entire planet but they are thankfully highly unlikely to occur.

The vast majority of emergency situations are short term, but even extreme events like hurricanes quickly pass and help will be on it's way to you.

So it makes sense to prepare for the short term disruption events first and for most of us that means you won't need a nuclear bunker.

The first five things you should do as a prepper are easy, and most importantly free!

Step one: Risk Assessment 

Properly assess your situation and the risks you may face, think about how likely are they to happen and what measures should you take to mitigate the effects when they do.

How would you cope with a loss of a utility supply like power, water or gas?

Are there risks due to your location, is it liable to earthquakes, flooding, volcanic activity or extreme weather?

Are you prepared for a loss of income if you become ill or injured and couldn't work for a while, or lost your job?

Step two: Make a bug out bag

In the vast majority of scenarios you will not need to leave your home but you should pack a bag of overnight essentials in case you have to leave in a hurry.

To begin with it doesn't have to be all encompassing for you to set up a backwoods homestead.

Start basic, spare clothes, toiletries and some snacks and water will do for an impromptu overnight trip should your neighbours house catch fire and you need to evacuate in a hurry for example.

Over time you will add to this with power banks, first aid kits etc as and when you decide you can buy them and you can even buy complete bug out bags on eBay and Amazon like this;

 

Step three: Start to stockpile

Increase the amount of food you keep in your home, this can be done gradually over time and by taking advantage of bulk purchases it actually saves you money in the long term.

You don't need to spend a fortune buying expensive freeze dried ready meals.

There are many foods that can be stored for several years in the packaging you buy them in without you having to buy any extra equipment or containers.

Buy food you would normally eat, that way you can rotate your supplies to maximise its storage life.

Over a short period of time you will quickly build up your stockpile from a few days supply of food and water to enough to last weeks, months or years.

Step four: Raise awareness 

The more prepared a community is before an event occurs the better it will be able to deal with it when it happens.

Most of prepping is things that everyone used to do until relatively recently, sadly common sense is now not so common.

Talking to your family, friends and neighbours about potential risks might help them but it could also help you as they might have thought of things you have overlooked.

Step five: Re-evaluate 

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith from the A-Team might love it when a plan comes together but no plan is perfect and you should regularly reassess your situation and preparations.

Once you have built up your stockpile you could move on to learning how to grow or hunt your own produce.

Your bug out bag can be improved to accommodate longer periods away from home or even develop into an INCH (I'm never coming home) bag if you feel you need it.

Ask yourself what new skills do you need to learn to be more self reliant? How to increase what you produce for yourself?

Take care

Roo

Baking bread when the shops have no yeast

The global panic buying cleared shops shelves of many of the basics we all use and whilst things are slowly returning to normality some items such as yeast are still in short supply.

But yeast is all around us and it's very easy to cultivate for your home baking needs.

There are many different methods but the simplest is to just mix flour and water in a 3:2 ratio by volume to a pit each day, and soon you'll have a bubbling mass known as a sourdough starter because of the aroma it gives off.

By the second or third day you should begin to see little bubbles forming in your mixture this is carbon dioxide that the yeast emits as the mixture ferments.

After five days of feeding my starter which I named Grow Dough Baggins we made a simple sourdough loaf.

Take 115g from the starter and add to a mixing bowl, replace this by feeding your starter with more flour and water in same ratio as before.

Feed your starter each time you use it and if you're not baking every day you can store it in a fridge where it will only need feeding once a week.

Add 389g of 00 grade bread flour to the mix along with 10g of salt.

Combine with 225ml of room temperature water and 25ml of oil, olive is traditional but we used rapeseed as we prefer the flavour.

Once the dough is formed lightly flour a suitable surface and knead the dough before returning to the bowl and covering to prove.

The time to rise will vary depending on environmental conditions but as the starter is not as rapid as commercially produced dry yeast it will take at least four hours.

Once its doubled in size again flour a suitable surface and gently knock it back and pla e into a baking tin, cover and prove again for another hour or two.

Pre heat an oven to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 35 to 40 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on a wire rack.

You can see a video of this on my YouTube here;

As always take care

Roo

Disinfecting with household bleach

Bleach is a cheap and widely available product usually sold as a liquid 5% concentrate solution for a range of household uses from general cleaning and sanitisation to purifying water in an emergency.

When diluting with water for disinfecting objects and surfaces it should be mixed in small batches for daily use as it deteriorates over time.

Clean items or areas to be disinfected before applying the appropriate solution which should be prepared in a well ventilated area.

For clarity I will list the volumes in standard measurements as well as the ratio because in an emergency you might not have a measuring jug available but with a simple cup and bucket can achieve the correct mixture.


High level:

Ratio 1: 10 household bleach to water, called "strong" chlorine water by CDC

• 50ml bleach, 450ml of water

For sanitising known contaminated areas such as blood and other bodily fluid spills and critical medical instruments and areas leave to soak for ten minutes, and to prepare larger quantities of 1: 100 solution.

Sometimes it may be sold in different concentrations so this graphic helpfully shows the most common and the different ratios you need to get the same solution.  

Intermediate level:

Ratio 1: 100 household bleach to water, called "mild" chlorine water by CDC

• 5ml bleach, 495ml of water

Use to sanitise PPE, clothing and hard surfaces, after ten minutes wipe away any residue with clean water and a cloth if necessary.

At this level it can be used to sanitise hands if you are then able to rinse with clean water afterwards as it is still caustic, or to prepare quantities of 1: 500 solution for food hygiene. 

Low level:

Ratio 1: 500 household bleach to water

• 5ml bleach, 2495ml of water

To ensure surfaces and utensils are safe to prepare food as normal household cleaning and for washing fruit and vegetables that are to be eaten raw.

Bleach is toxic and can chemically burn so take care to wear appropriate PPE when handling it and never mix with ammonia or acids as this will produce harmful gases, many people have accidentally poisoned themselves pouring bleach into toilets after using acidic cleaners releasing chlorine gas into confined spaces such as a toilet is not a good idea!

Whilst it is not recommended in an emergency you can even add unscented bleach to water that you have collected to sterilise it for drinking rather than boiling it, at the ratio 1:25000 4ml bleach to 100l of water stir and leave it for at least 30 minutes before drinking.

Take care

Roo

Coronavirus face masks

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused panic buying worldwide and there is some misleading information

The US Surgeon General tweeted that face masks were ineffective but at the same time insisted that healthcare providers should have them, so do they work or don't they?

Obviously any protection is better than none but the level of protection varies dramatically depending on what mask you have

Surgical masks

These are designed to capture what people breathe out so they will limit the chance of the wearer from infecting others with what they expel but as they're so loose fitting and don't impede droplets they are next to useless as a means of personal protection

A scarf or bandanna would be similar the main benefit is these simple cloth face coverings keep your hands away from your face

Particulate respirators

These have several grades in Europe P1, P2 and P3 that corresponds to their ability to filter particles and liquids out of the air

America uses a slightly different system of 95, 99, and 100 prefaced with a letter to signify its resistance to oil N for not resistant, R for partially resistant and P for proof for strongly resistant

Some have one way exhale valves for easier breathing and the lettering isn't really important for the transmission of viruses but I will use P for comparison between the two systems as that is the highest rating 

P1 are standard dust masks able to block 80% of airborne particles only suitable for short term exposure in non hazardous environments such as doing some DIY at home

P2 are occupational standard filters that block 94% of particles, the US P95 offers slightly more protection blocking 95% and the P99 is a further step up at respectively 99%

P3 is the highest level of filter you can purchase blocking 99.95% and is equivalent to the US P100 with its ability to filter 99.97%

Both are considered to be effectively 100% for particles and droplets down to 0.3 of a micron

Mostly made as single use disposable masks that surround the nose and mouth but there are reusable versions where you simply replace the filters but retain the mask although this will require you to sterilise them safely

An N95 / P2 rated respirator is the recommended PPE (personal protective equipment) for blocking the SARS-CoV-2 virus but the higher the number the better it is obviously

There are some that include eye protection known as full face that prevent the virus being absorbed through contact with the eyes

So read the specification and know what you're buying, they do work so long as they're correctly fitted but your best defence is to isolate yourself as much as possible

Take care
Roo

Endemic Epidemic Pandemic 101

Endemic, epidemic and pandemic are terms used to describe various infections in a population.

Endemic

An infection is said to be endemic in a population when the infection rate is constantly maintained at a baseline level in a geographic area year after year.

So we can say chickenpox is endemic in the UK as it's a common infection every year with relatively stable infection rates.

Epidemic

If there is a sudden increase in the infection rate of a disease in a given population it is deemed to be an epidemic, for example tuberculosis was considered to be almost eradicated in the UK by the 1980's but recent migration by some individuals with the condition has seen a spike in cases that we would call an epidemic.

Pandemic

When a disease is not localised to a specific area but has spread around the world it is known as a pandemic so an infection will suddenly appear in a new area, these can be serious as people are exposed to something their immune system has not encountered before.

These three terms can be used in conjunction depending on how common an illness is, how widely spread and if there has been any sudden rise in the number of infections.

The covid 19 virus that originated in China is new so obviously the large rise in the number of people infected makes it an epidemic, But now that it is being transmitted to people with no connection to China and is spreading globally we can say it is a pandemic epidemic.

The information released by the CCDC (Chinese Centre for Disease Control) suggests that most people that are infected only have mild symptoms and that complications and fatality is more common in the elderly.

This and the high transmission rate means covid 19 may become a regular seasonal infection as most people will contract it and survive to infect others, as we do with other common corona viruses, albeit a much more deadly one for the elderly and those with certain preconditions.

This would make it endemic and this is what the Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lipsitch said recently here

So as with all of these viruses the WHO (World Health Organisation) advice is the same, maintain good hygiene practices and avoid contact with potentially infected people.

Be prepared to self isolate and for the economic downturn that this is going to cause, China still has not returned to full production and this will affect the worlds economies and our interconnected global supply chains.

Take care

Roo

COVID-19 global pandemic

The novel corona virus designated COVID-19 is now a global pandemic with several cases of people being infected that have no connection to China, click here for real time tracker.

The new South Korean and Italian hotspots have prompted panic buying that cleared shop shelves as the unprepared masses rushed to ready themselves for extended self isolation.

Thousands queued for hours to buy protective masks, ironically increasing their risk of exposure by being in close proximity to others for a period of time.

What to do?

• Store at least a months supply of food in your home in case you have to self isolate

• Avoid people as much as practically possible, stay away from crowded areas known for transmitting infections such as public transport in particular

• Maintain high level of hygiene, be able to sanitise your home and potentially decontaminate yourself when you return from any trips outside and have appropriate PPE (respirator, goggles,gloves and overalls for high risk areas) 

The incubation period appears to be several days during which patients are unaware that they're infected so in turn are passing the virus to others.

For the vast majority of people that become infected they will go on to fully recover but it can cause severe symptoms and death particularly to those with underlying conditions so the death rate appears to be much worse for the elderly who are more likely to have these conditions.

Even those at low risk should do all they can to avoid infection in order to prevent its transmission as we all know people that fall into the higher risk categories...


Take care
Roo

Should you buy a gas mask?

A quick google search for prepping or preppers will give loads of image results showing people wearing gas masks.

It's an image that's been popularised in video games and film with dystopian futures and as such is often dismissed as a doomsday prepper cliche but are there practical reasons for owning gas masks?

House fires are thankfully less common than they used to be but are still a major risk and its usually the smoke that kills people not the heat.

Long before the fire has used all the oxygen in a room or people are badly burnt they are disabled by the toxic smoke house fires produce, a gas mask in this situation could help you evacuate from a burning building in time by filtering the available air.

Accidental chemical spills in industrial facilities or from transport accidents can release poisonous fumes. These noxious clouds can envelop your home or workplace if it is near to the facility or scene of the accident on major roads and railways used to bulk transport chemicals.

Often the official advice in these situations is to stay put and close windows and doors but a gas mask would allow you to safely evacuate from the affected area or ensure your survival if you do stay put.

Large scale civil disobedience protests can prompt authorities to try to disperse crowds with CS gas which irritates the eyes and lungs.

A gas mask protects you from these effects so that you can leave the area quickly and safely particularly if you have any lung related medical issues.

Military masks are often rated for CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) protection so are effective protection against airborne viruses and bacteria to evacuate the area so you can be decontaminated before you're infected. This is generally overkill but is another potential use albeit an extreme one.

Modern gas masks can be quite expensive, but you can buy ex military surplus ones quite reasonably and whilst the filters may have expired you can often buy new filters that will fit these masks but you may need to also buy suitable adapters such as I did here with this Yugoslavian / Serbian M1 gas mask;

So gas masks don't have to be expensive, or purely the preserve of the stars of doomsday preppers.

They can help you in several relatively common situations if you ensure they have a good seal and suitable working filters (old respirator filters will probably be effective slightly beyond their expiry date but for many common masks there are commercially available replacements).

Therefore in my opinion respirators are worth having, particularly old military ones as they also look pretty cool too if you like collecting militaria as I do...

Take care
Roo

Prepping for COVID-19 the novel corona virus

The 2019 virus originating from Wuhan in China is a newly discovered corona virus.

Corona viruses are quite common often resulting in what is known as the common cold or flu that infect the respiratory system resulting in coughing, sneezing, fever and possibly breathing difficulties leading to pneumonia.

Most people that contract these common corona virus infections make full recoveries but it can be lethal for those with poor immune systems such as the very young and elderly or if there is an underlying health condition like diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease who develop complications.

Covid-19 is a new virus thought to have crossed over into humans from a contaminated meat market in Wuhan that appears to cause severe symptoms in many more people than than is normal.

Much like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) corona virus identified in 2003 also originating from China or  Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012 did.

The virus is spread in the droplets we exhale that either directly enter a new host through inhalation and splashing into contact with our eyes or by landing on surfaces that others then touch and transfer to their mouth or eyes.

As such the main way to prevent infection is to maintain high hygiene levels by properly washing hands and disinfecting surfaces people make contact with and where possible avoiding people as they may be infected.

Disposable PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) should be worn when in known infected areas covering the whole body but as a minimum wear gloves, eye protection and a suitable respirator (specified N95 or better, fitted properly!).

Care should be taken when removing and disposing of these as they should be considered contaminated after use, place into plastic bags taking care not to squeeze them down which could force air out that could carry the infected droplets.

This virus is spreading rapidly thanks to international air travel of infected people so stock up now in order to self isolate at home if it reaches your area for a minimum of fourteen days.

As well as food, water and medicines buy and store products to ensure your hygiene;

PPE
Hand sanitiser
Plastic waste bags
Plastic sheeting and duct tape
Bleach and cleaning fluids

I covered this in a recent video on YouTube "Prepping for the corona virus";

Take care,
Roo

Triangular bandages, the medics EDC multitool

The humble triangular bandage seems to be absent in many modern first aid kits but I would argue every IFAK should have at least one due to its versitility 

Most people know of its ability to provide support to injuries as a sling

But it can also be a wound dressing and simple narrow or broad bandages that can also be used to immobilise limbs by securing to splints

By forming a donut shape to allow bandaging over for protruding objects in a wound

Bandaging awkward areas such as the head and hands

As its a simple cotton triangular cloth it also can be worn as a bandana, used to cover a water bottle when filling from a water source, hobo bag and cut into pieces for making char cloth etc etc

You can see some of these uses in this video

So make sure you have one in your IFAK and maybe consider carrying one in your EDC even if only as a hankerchief

Take care

Roo