Unintended side effects: Attachment strings and lanyards.

There are plenty of situations when you do not want to lose/drop something: In the water, working with heights or just critical equipment you need and simple can't afford to loose. One method to prevent lose, is to tie it  to something.  This can be a simple string, lanyard or something like a ‘gear keeper’ (retractable cable).

This method does have some problems:

- When the string/lanyard is long, this can cause a entanglement or strangle hazard. A brake away system which fails before this happens can prevent this danger.

- If the string connects two pieces of equipment, which need to be connected to each other be used. The string can cause the pieces of equipment to act like there are connected properly. For example: a belay/ rope backup device which need to be connected to the users using a carabiner. I have seen people attaching a rope backup device (a Petzl ASAP, warning about this on the petzl website) to the rope, but failed to connect it to the harness using the carabiner. He did not notice this, because the string cause the ASAP to follow him as it is suppose too. The string is not strong enough to replace the carabiner making the backup setup useless.

- A sting can get stuck inside various devices and defeat the working parts or cause a device to be left open (example, getting stuck at the gate of a carabiner) or a tangled up lanyard just gets in the way of a button (a swivel helps against this issue). The petzl link already methode above, also shows this danger when using the ASAP.

Note; I have no connection with Petzl, I have worked with Petzl equipment and that is why I knew these instruction of Petzl.

Cheap handcrank lights

I see a lot of people raving about hand crank lights. ‘Crank a few times and when I turn the light on, it will burn of hours’. That is simply not true. A good hand crank light, should have a build in capacitor or battery which will store the energy which has been generated. But this will generally not last more than 15 – 30 minutes, not hours. There is only so much power your arms can produce in a short period of time. Let have  a look at internals of this light and see what we find.

When you take this light apart, you will actually find working sprockets, a free wheelie and a little dynamo connected to the LED. These are connected directly to the LED and are not actually charging anything. So all the light being produced while cranking this light, is the only light you are creating when cranking. 

The switch on top of the light is the switch for the battery part of the light. There are two CR2032 (non-rechargeable) batteries, wired to the LED and the little switch. This makes up for a separate power circuit in the light to battery drive the light. 

The crank part of this light is not really impressive and will drive you nuts when the batteries have gone flat. But at least it does have a working crank system. There are even fake crank (or shake) lights, which doesn’t have a working system at all and only contain a little battery. Which means they are very large and heavy button cell lights. Just like anything else, there are no cheap ways to deal with this. Either buy a proper (expensive) one and crank/shake a lot or just get a proper battery powered one and store plenty of batteries. 

Logistics; keep things simple

People are very good at finding great ways to be lazy. Why do things manually when a machine can do most of the work? Sometimes to a extend which is not even rational or time saving; like people building a robot to get there beer out of there fridge. In normal life, this might not be a big problem. It makes people more productive and prevents injuries (but can also cause to little movement by people).

In emergency management and just regular emergency preparedness, we prepare for situations when infrastructure might be a problem. Maybe there is no power, fuel, water, garbage disposal sewage system, etc.  This means equipment we are using to save labor, might not work. There is a critical choice that needs to be made. Do we make sure we have the equipment, time and additional man power to get your equipment running (and everything need to keep them running as well) or do we take a more basic approach which does not require as much equipment. Equipment means costs to buy them, need to train people to use them, need somebody to maintain them, spare parts and lots of consumables like fuel. A few examples:

Specialist (rescue) equipment: When a certain equipment was not available at a scene, some people will start to advocate to get one of that equipment. This however can present a lot of issues. People need to be trained at how to use them. In the emergency services this means at least one person in every shift should be trained to use them. If you work with volunteers, you need multiple ones, since not everybody can show up every time. This means a lot of added training and time consumed from people. Getting volunteers burdened with more trainings time can cause them to leave. Then there is also the maintenance of the equipment, initial purchase price, cost of modifying a rig or have an additional vehicle.

Power tools: Power tools are great tools to get the job done quickly. However when you can’t plug them in to a socket, you need some more equipment. So a generator is needed to power your tools. A generator cost money to buy, needs spare parts, maintenance and fuel. You also need to drag it with you, so it means it takes up space and labor to get in to the right location. How much time and energy goes this electric setup saves compared to do a job manually.

When you get equipment, know the logistics needed to get it working. I have seen examples where equipment was purchased but nobody want to deal with the additional manpower, training and logistics needed to get actually use it. This is equipment that just sit there doing nothing, a total waste of money. So always make sure you can handle the logistics behind something and make a choice if it’s worth it. Sometimes not having the ideal equipment, but workable equipment is the best choice. 

Polar pure long term storage issue

A few years ago a product called Polar Pure was available, it's a little glass bottle with iodine crystals in it. You would add water in to the bottle and  it would create a iodine solution used for purifying water. It has nice features like a trap for the crystals and temperature sensitive paint dots which indicated how much of iodine solution to add to your water. Unfortunately iodine crystals is also a raw materials for certain drugs and Polar Pure is therefor no longer available.

A great thing about this product is the fact it does not actually expires. If there is still iodine crystals in it, you can still use it. There are a few disadvantages; it wouldn't call the taste 'good' and the iodine evaporates and reacts to the environments. I stored my two bottles double packed in small Ziplocs, then together in a larger Ziploc, in a plastic box, placed in another Ziploc. Here are the result after a year without replacing the ziplocs:

Not only did the iodine effect the ziplocs and plastic box. The epoxy protecting the temperature sensitive dots has also turned dark brown, making the dots invisible. Unfortunately there isn't much I can do about this. If you also have Polar Pure stored somewhere, check them and make sure the iodine is not effecting your other equipment!

Jumpstarters

Jumpstarters (Battery boosters) are devices usually fitted with a lead 12V AGM battery, but new fancy models come with a lithium-polymer battery. Primarily used to jump start a car with a dead battery. They can be very useful in jump starting a car, since it does not require a second car to get a jump start it. However they are also useful as emergency power sources. Here are some things you need to know about them.

The battery
First of all, not all jumpstarters are created equal. The most important component is the battery. A large high capacity battery, obviously is able to provide more power than a smaller one. Make sure you buy one which is appropriate for the size of your engine and correct voltage.

12V AGM batteries versions
The smaller jumpstarters generally use a 12V 17ah AGM battery, the larger ones will have something like the 12V 22ah or two 12V 17ah for 24 Volt vehicles. Looking at jumpstarters most have the 12V 17ah written on the label. This however is not always true (and even if it's true it really isn't that much power). The battery inside might say it is, but just like many cheap (Chinese) batteries, a lot of them have inflated figures. One easy way to find out if the battery is good is by weighing them. When it comes down to lead battery, more lead is good and lead is heavy. If the battery is too light compared to similar capacity batteries, it doesn't have enough lead in it. This is usually the case with really cheap jumpstarters, which are cheaper than a cheap separate 12V 17ah battery. 

To get the most of your battery, you need a decent (build in) charger. Continues overcharging a battery is bad for the battery and dangerous. Many cheaper jump starters only have a fuse between the 12V input and nothing else. These can be recognized by charging instruction as 'Charge for X amount of time and then unplug the unit'. if you want a long life for the battery, get a jumpstarter with a smart charger and automatic shut off (sometimes it is possible to connect a cheap one to a proper seperate charger). A build in smart charger will allow you to keep the jumpstarter attached to a wall socket without any risks of overcharging and the battery will be continuously be topped off. If lead batteries are not topped off regularly there will sulfration and the battery will lose capacity and eventually become useless. A jumpstarter with a proper charge might cost more, but in the long term the battery will last longer, is more reliable and is probably cheaper then buying a cheap new one every one or two years.

A advantage of AGM battery based jumpstarters, is that you can generally just buy a AGM battery and replace the one in the pack. Some brands they recommend you to bring it to there service station for a replacement, while other allows you to do it your self. 

Lithium Polymer versions
If you do not want the heavy weight, bulkiness and maintenance of a lead battery, some new jumpstarters use a Lithium Polymer battery. These batteries are capable of delivering a lot of emergency for a short period of time. This means a relatively small capacity battery (compared to the lead alternatives) can provide the burst of power needed to jump start a car, making these versions light and small . They also have a lot less self-discharge, so you will not need to top them off every month. There are however some disadvantages of a Lithium Polymer; they are not as suitable as a 12V power source for other devices, so they generally do not have a 12V output or compressors. There are not many available, the ones I can find are:

- Startmonkey 400
- Asianbright JPR series (sold under various brand names)
- Mini jumpstarter (Not sure whom the manufacture is, but sold under various brandnames)
- Staneley LI1000 (Not listed on there website anymore)

LiFePO4 replacement for 12V AGM
There are LiFePO4 batteries (lithium based), which are suitable as a direct replacement for the 12V AGM batteries. Are these usable in a jumpstarter and does it combine the best of both worlds? Unfortunately I have not seen these placed in any jumpstarters yet and don't have answers for these questions.

Powersupply
Most lead battery based jumpstarters can also be used as an emergency power supply. You should make sure what fuse is used and not exceed the fuse rating. (usually 10 Amps) I would suggest to use as many 12V appliances as possible. Converting 12V to 110 or 220 Volt simply isn't that efficient. Make sure that you do not over discharge the 12V battery; it will damage the battery. This can be done by regularly checking the voltage gauge on the jumpstarter.

Inverter
If you want to use a device using 110 or 220 volts with a 12V jumpstarter, you will need a inverter. Build in inverters are generally really cheap. There are also many types of inverters: Block, modified sinus and pure sinus versions. The cheaper inverters are generally block or modified sinus version, which does not give a nice sinus wave for your electronics. A pure sinus wave is what comes out of you wall outlet and electronics are made to run on this type of sinus waves. Some electronics will not run (properly) if a block or modified sinus is used. However pure sinus inverters are generally a lot more expensive.

Regardless of the inverter type, there is some inefficiency. So a 100W draw from the battery does not translate in 100W output. You need to take this in to account when using this with your jumpstarter. Most 12V outlets are equipped with a 10 Amp fuse. So make the inverter and the device connected to it does not exceed the fuse rating. 

Compressors
The build in compressors in jumpstarters are generally not the quality ones. So don’t expect very high pump rates or accurate pressure gauges. Like any compressors, you need to let it cool down after 10 minutes (or whatever the manual states) to prevent overheating and damaging the compressor. A separate compressor can be more versatile, however if you want to connect a separate compressor to a jumpstarter, check if the compressors does not use more power than the fuse allows (usually 10 Amps).

First aid kit expiration date

In the past first aid kits did not had any expiration dates on them. Then with government regulations, liability issues and commercial reasons first aid items started to receive expiration dates. These dates have important functions, but can also be misunderstood. 

Medication

Some medication can be highly sensitive to age or storage conditions, but many are not. Interesting tests are done by the US military: http://www.defense.gov/news/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=44979

One important note, a quote from Army Maj. Marc Caouette, a pharmacy consultant assigned at the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency at Fort Detrick, Md. said. “The worst possible place you can keep any medications is in a wet, hot environment. It’s the worst area to maintain stability. A cool, dry place is best to store drugs.”

Bandages and other first aid items
Does gauze, dressings, tape, space blankets and other first aid items expire? if the packaging is still intact the items inside the package should be still sterile. However the items inside can degrade over time. The glue on tape can degrade and loose there stickiness or turn in to a goo. Elastic bandages can lose their elastic properties. Space blankets can start to stick and you will rip it in to piece when you try to fold the blanket out. These are also effected by the storage conditions. First aid equipment stored at a dry cool dark place at home or in a car exposed to extreme temperature swings have effects on your equipment.

Tools
While shears, tweezers and other tools generally stay useful for a long time. They are cheap and when they are dirty, especially when contaminated with blood or other body fluids are best considered to be disposable. I personally don't believe in really expensive shears, since they get dirty or get lost all the time.

Which stove for emergency preparedness.

'What is the best stove should I get for a emergency?' There is not a ultimate stove for emergency preparedness, simply because each type of stove has its advantage and disadvantages and the circumstance dictate which one is most suitable.  There are many types of stoves and what there (dis)advantages are:

-          Large propane stoves

-          Small (backpacking) butane/propane stoves

-          Liquid fuel stoves

-          Solid fuel (esbit, hexamine, etc) stoves

-          Woodstoves

Large propane stoves

Propane is commonly used (rural locations, BBQ, etc), relatively cheap, simple, effective in cold temperature and easy to use. However propane tanks are very heavy and bulky. The smallest tank is the 1lbs propane tank which is quite heavy to carry. These are ideal for emergency cooking and heating at home, but not when you need to carry them.

Small (backpacking) butane/propane stoves

These stove are simple, small, light and easy to use, ideal if you have to carry them. Due to their relative small burner head, you will need small (camping)  pots and pans. Butane/propane mixture do have limitations. The fuel canisters can be not store in hot temperature, so there are not suitable to be stored in a car in the heat. The butane in these fuel canisters turn liquid when the temperature is close to freezing point. When a canister is used, the temperature will drop even more. Part of the canister will not be used when you are using a stove in the cold. This cold temperature problem can be solved if you have a stove with remove canisters connector and a preheat coil. These stoves can be used with the canisters upside down, which allows to propane to push out liquid butane to the burner. Warning, check the manual if this is possible! Stoves without a pre-heat coil will flare up if the canister is turned upside down.  These are ideal for emergency kits which should be mobile, but not used/stored in very high or low temperature.

Liquid fuel stoves

These stoves are more complicated and more expensive than other stoves.  However then are small and usable in the cold. Some can be simmer, some can not. Some can only burn white gas or only petroleum. Others are multifuel and can burn almost all liquid fuels. Note: Rubber O-rings in these stove are either for petroleum based fuels or alcohol fuels, never for both. Aluminium fuel bottle are very strong, but the rubber o-rings can degrade and fail after a few years. Some fuels can be stored longer then others. These stoves are ideal when liquid fuels are widely available or when you have to use them in cold temperatures. Light and small versions are available for smaller emergency kits.

Solid Fuel
These stoves are very simple, usually made from bend sheet metal. The stove can easily be replaced with a makeshift potholder. They burn fuel tablets, which are relatively expensive, little output and give little control. A windscreen is essential to get it work properly. However the stoves are very cheap, so the initial costs are very low. One big advantage is the stability of the fuel, they will work in all temperatures and storing the fuel tabs in extreme temperatures posses little problems or dangers. These are great for small and/or budget survival kits. Due to there stability in storage very suitable for car kits. (Do NOT use in the car)

Wood stoves
Wood stoves comes in all sizes you can think of. There advantage; if there is dry wood nearby, you can use them as fuel. With wood stoves you need to make sure you also have dry wood. Just having a wood stove and no dry wood to burn can be a big problem. A lot of people only carry the stove, which is a big problem when there is no proper fuel available. If you carry these stoves, also carry some fuel for it.
   

Unsafe: Unsafe powerstrips

A very good example of very usafe powerstrips

The connection between the cable and sockets is fully exposed. High shock risk if you touch the bottom part.

On the other side of the cable...

Do you know what is worst? Found this at a firestation. 

Storing your backup safely

Fire, flooding, theft, hardware failure, viruses, there are many reasons why data can be lost. That’s why it’s important to back up your files. This does not only apply digital files, scanning or photographing important hard copy documents can be very useful if these documents are  somehow lost. But there are a few things to look out for.

Location

Do not store your backup in the same location as your main storage. Storing a backup in the same room can expose your backup to the same threats as your primary storage (Fire, flooding, theft, etc). Store your backup at a different location, such as your office, car, family, etc. This will generally increase the time between the backups, because they are harder to access.

Layers

Having just one backup can also cause problem. The backup drive can be compromised, especially when stored nearby your primairy storage.  I like a full back up on a hard drive, but having hard drives placed everywhere can be a bit expensive. So a backup of only the important documents is also made on a USB flash drive and stored at a separate location.

Physical protection

A backup can fail when exposed to heat, water, impact, etc. So to improve the chances of you data from these dangers, you can take several approaches to do this:
 - A sturdier hard drive; for example the ‘LaCie Rugged series ‘or ‘Freecom Though drive’ (impact resistant) or protected USB flash drive for example the ‘Corsair Flash survivor’ waterproof and impact resistant). If you have a little more to spend the IoSafe is a pretty nice solution.(Heat and waterproof.

- A proper waterproof and impact resistant hard case, with foam interior (waterproof and impact resistant)
- A data safe (waterproof, impact resistant and heat proof) Some expensive models even have a USB external port, so you won’t even need to take out the hard drive, for example the Sentry safe QE5541.

You can obviously also combine these options. Unfortunately, the better the protection, the pricier it gets.

Encryption

Having all your data stored in a single device can expose you to identity theft. So adding encryption to your data can be very useful. I would not only encrypt my backup, but also sensitive information on my computer. This also makes it easier to back up the file, by just copying over the encrypted files. Although I leave non/sensitive information open, so it won´t slow down my computer. (for example; I don’t mind if somebody knows my music playlist). There are corporate tools for this, but for most individuals I would suggest to use a program like TrueCrypt. I do recommend to look at the tutorials of TrueCrypt first, since it can be a little bit hard to understand if you just read the instructions. If you use encryption software, also add the CryptKey installers to the drive.  

Drive speed

Not essential, but having a high-speed connection on you backup drive can make backup your files a lot quicker. So if you are buying a new drive, I would suggest getting a drive with USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with 2.0) connection (or Thunderbolt, but isn't as common yet). If it’s fast, you will more likely to keep your backup up to date. 

Opinion: Spending money on a proper repairs/equipment

Money and willingness to spend money is always a hard topic. You can only spend your money once, so many people try to look for cheap alternatives. An example I want to discuss is car tire repairs.

If you drive, sooner or later you will get a tire puncture. Obviously you should have a solution for this problem; spare tire (and tools), sealant or plugs. These solution will get you to your destination or at least to a tire shop.

But what to do to fix a punctured tire? In the old days people would just plug it and continue driving on them. Plugs are dirt cheap and usually quite effective. However with modern tires you will have a special weave in the steel belts of the tire. The plug method might work well as a short term solution, but for longer term use it might weaken the steel belts depending how the tire was punctured and by corrosion effecting the steel belt. Since you are not removing the tire from the rim, you can't tell the actual damaged on the tire.

The proper method to fix a tire it to take the tire of the rim and inspect from the inside. Depending on the damaged it might be repaired or not. If it's deemed repairable, a patch will be placed from the inside. This doesn't even have to be expensive.

A puncture near the sidewall is deemed unsafe to repair. (The side wall flexes a lot and is thinner). However a lot of people will try to plug a puncture near the sidewall, after a tire shop have refused to fix there puncture. Often saying they had done it before without problems, they keep the wheel on the back and/or drive only short distances. Having been in a car which had a blow out on one of the rear tires, I experienced swerving cross 3 lanes followed by 2 and half 360 degree turns...  

My opinion on this:
First of all my opinion is, that if you can’t afford to maintain your vehicle properly, you shouldn't have bought it in the first place. A good thing about a cheaper car, is that maintaining them is generally cheaper too.

How much does having another flat will cost you? A tire with a plugged hole on/near the sidewall cannot be seen as a proper repair. If this repair starts to leak again you will need to change to a spare tire (maybe in a dangerous location) or get road side assistants. Both take time and roadside assistant can cost a lot. Reliability will save money in the long run.

If the tire fails and you get involved in an accident, it will probably damage your car, yourself and posibly others. If other cars get involved you will also be liable for their damages. There is a saying in the safety industry ‘If you think safety is expensive, try an accident’. Remember risk = Chance X damages. 

This not only applies to tire, but all other aspects in life. What repair or equipment do you buy? How reliable is it and what are the risks? Is it a proper decision or just your wallet talking?

Food bars

Ration bars are shelf stable and highly dense emergency foods. Primarily found on lifeboats, they can also be used in any other location which require a long shelf life (best before date are generally 5 - 10 years, depending on the manufacture), little care, space efficient, harsh environment resistant and ready to eat food.

There are many brands available, with different sizes (generally 2400 and 3600 calories, but 1200 is also available):

- Datrex
- SOS
- Seven oceans
- NRG-5
- BP-5

Some of these brands come in a small cardboard box, some don't. All bars I know are packed in thick vacuum sealed mylar bags with tear notches. Inside are usually little bars wrapped in plastic, although I remember having one which didn't had the plastic wrap. These little plastic wraps are very fiddly to open and the seam in the plastic is very hard to see. So realize they are very hard to open if your hands are cold or if you can't see very well.

The ration bars them self taste like crumple and greasy cookies. Fairly neutral tasting, easy to digest, no meats and no dairy. Making them eatable for most people. Some have certain tastes, but they are very faint and sometimes only noticeable as a smell when you tear open the Mylar package. They do feel dry and after eating more then 2 bars, you certainly want to flush it down with some water, despite the fact they are 'non-thirst provoking'. For me personally, the bars do not give a 'full' feeling, but I do normally eat more than 2400 calories a day. Certain brands add more vitamins and minerals than others. Datrex has very little vitamins and minerals added, while the BP-5 has a lot more. For children, most packages suggest making a porridge by crumbling and adding water to the bars.

These bars are not only to put in your own survival kits, but also useful for emergency aid. Providing small packages of easy to eat food to people in need. However buying food locally can be quicker, cheaper and the people are more used to eating local foods.

Emergency aid; Donations and logistics

After an disaster emergency aid will start to flow to the affected area. Some are from local organization, some larger (inter)national organizations and some from private persons. One important thing is not just to send 'stuff', make sure you send the right stuff. A lot of people will basically donate things they don't use anymore. Paying off the guilty of buying things they didn’t need. Make sure whatever you are donating is actually useful. I mean things like sending winter coats to a tropical place or high heels to any disaster area is absolutely useless and actually harmful (it clogs up the logistics).

If a lot of (appropriate) items are donated don't just send items and dump it at the local emergency center and expect it to be useful. Things are useless without the required logistics and resources to use it. With logistics and resources, I mean everything between needed to get things off trucks and all the way in to the hands of those whom need it in a useful form. Buying things locally and using existing logistical systems are the quickest and most cost effective methods. Buying things means full control over the type of product, limited sorting required and pretty much ready to use. So in most cases cash donations are the best. However a lot people won’t donate money, because of all kinds of reasons.

Another thing to know is, when something is needed. Sent the right things at the right time. Having the items at the wrong time, means you are clogging the limited logistic system with things that are not needed yet. Don't be surprised to see pallet loads of items being pushed away in to any available space, including grass patches or even ditches to make space for priority items. These pallets will sit exposed for days and depending on what the contents are turn useless.

Some things about the various types of donations:

Textiles (clothing's and blankets): After a disaster a lot of textiles gets donated. This process is not just sending the bags full of clothing to a disaster area. To make textile donations effective, the clothing need to be sorted between useful and useless, cleaned and sorted to type and size. Than they need to be shipped and distributed. All these steps take a lot of man power and time. This takes too much time (=money) and old donated textiles are often sold as rages and the money is used by NGO's for the recovery effort or other emergency's.

Food: You can't just send food. For example sending just trucks loads of potatoes is useless. You can't eat them raw, so you need lots of cookware, stoves and people to turn potatoes in to something you can eat. A healthy diet is needed to keep people's immune system up, so you can't just send just a few food items. Nor does everybody eat the same due to religion, moral issues or allergies. So the challenge is to send food and required tools to feed people. What this should be depends on the situation, on the available resource, logistics and manpower. Generally food is sourced locally, because of the availability and they are familiar for the locals. But MRE type of foods can be very useful if there are limited cooking methods available.

Water: Bottled water have its place, but water purification units can be better. Bottled water needs to shipped in and leave a lot of waste. However they do provide ready to use water in a easy to distribute package. A purification unit might be bigger than a shipment of bottled water, but will produce far more water. This means a lot less distribution is needed. Freeing people and resource for other important tasks. Again what is right depends on the situation.

Good read on this subject:
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/emergency-blogs/disaster-zone/the-ugly-truth-about-disaster-donations-011113.html

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/09/168946170/thanks-but-no-thanks-when-post-disaster-donations-overwhelm

Scene safety

Good video about traffic scene safety released by Minnesota's department of public safety.

More information at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/training/Pages/scene-safe.aspx

Google crisis response

I like off the shelf software solutions for emergency's. Preferably with interfaces which look like software everybody is already using on a day to day basis. Making your own specialist software packages usually means very high costs, lots of time and usually a new interface to get used to. It also requires lots of bandwidth and server capacity to cope with huge increases of internet traffic, which is expensive to buy and maintain and usually overloaded when a real disaster strikes. Large company's who have lots of servers and bandwidth capacity at various locations can respond quickly to these demands.  That's why i'm very happy with solutions like Google Crisisresponce.

The Google tool in action for the Typhone Yolanda: http://www.google.org/crisisresponse/2013-yolanda/index.html (Person finder tool, donation options and maps)

Responding to disaster: non-proffesionals

A disaster response require a lot of people to perform all kinds of tasks. Professionals and a lot of (non professional) volunteers are eager to response to a disaster. However don't jump in a car and expect to be helpful.

Professionals know not to self deploy. The units nearest will usually respond first, but the rest will be send by the command posts. There are reasons for this:

- If everybody is deployed, you don't have a second or third shift.
- An mayor incident does not mean there are no 'regular' incidents left. You still need your emergency professionals for those incidents.
- Having enough people to do the work is good, but having too many will slows things down significantly. (same goes for the equipment)

For regular incidents the only thing you can do as a civilian is to provide information to rescuers, maybe secure the scene (you need the correct knowledge and equipment), provide first aid (if you are trained and know what you are doing) or a quick rescue (when doing nothing means certain death), but only when it's safe to do so. But when the professional rescue workers arrive, there is very few things you can do.

For civilians responding to disasters. There are a few things to consider:
- Your own safety first! Do not risk your life, we don't need more victims.
- Do not block the road/parking space! Firetrucks, cranes and other heavy equipment need lots of space to maneuver. Ambulances need to be able to stage and transport victims.
- Are you trained or do you have the equipment to do the things you want to do? if not; go away.
- If you are told to leave, leave! Some people are offended when they are told to leave. Professional responders are not there to please you, but to save lives. If you are in the way, go away.

So am i saying that civilians should not do anything during a disaster; no. Regular people are essential. Especially when the rescue services are overwhelmed, however know when you are useful and know when to go away.

Good article about why products fail

A good article about why products fail: http://www.wired.com/design/2012/10/ff-why-products-fail/all/

I personally prefer to use overbuild items for emergency use, but the fact in life is that you sometimes need a short life cycle item to get a job done. My experience is that many people have the wrong expectation of a certain piece of equipment. Expensive or higher quality does not mean more durable.

NGC blackout videos

NGC has aired video's about blackouts. One is the UK version and one of the USA version. Are they realistic? Well I know more about the grid than the average person, but the last time I talked to the emergency coordinator of a power grid company, I learned a lot about what I didn't know. So I won't even want to discuss that part, knowing that I barely know how the grid works. I do know that the grid in my country does have safety's build in to protect the grid. 

The UK version

The USA version

Will a black out cause the problem as seen in these video's. Well I believe that people are far more rational than most people think. Many people think that during an emergency people will panic and riot and stay in that state for a long time. Reality is that people are generally quite realistic and rational. Panic appear when a danger is immediate, but certainly not in a scale most people believe it will. The media is very focused on the few incidents were there are panic or riots, but generally it's not that bad. 

Jumper cables

Every car driver will eventually end up with a flat battery. A bad battery, leaving the lights on, not having used the car for a while, etc.  A problem which can be solved with jumper cables. But jumper cables are not always as straight forward as we think. There are plenty of low quality cables and there are plenty of people whom don’t know how to connect the leads.

Thick cables are usually better. A thicker cables generally means a higher capacity. If you use a cable with not enough capacity, you won’t be able to crank the car and the cables can get hot (in worse case melt and short out the battery). However thickness of the cables can hide a few facts.

•           Some company’s uses a thick insulator, making it appear thicker than it actually is.
•           While jumper cables used to be all copper, there are now three kind of materials used for jumper cables; solid copper, solid aluminum,  and copper coated aluminum cables.  Copper is a far better conductor than aluminum, more flexible and unlike aluminum it won’t corrode. This means aluminum cables appear to be thicker (or are just as thick, but have less capacity) . Most company do not specify which kind of cables are used. However aluminum is much lighter, so you can feel the weight difference.

Good cables however are not enough. You also need proper clamps to get all the electricity from a to b. There should be maximum contact between the clamps and the battery leads. The best clamps have both sides of the clamps connected to the cable to provide maximum contact. The safest clamps are the ones with full insolation on the outside (prevents shorting while  you are connecting them).

Surge protection

Most modern cars are far more sensitive to power surges. A risk when using jumper cables. There are lots of opinions what method is best to prevent this (and some say it doesn’t matter). There are jumper cables with build in surge protection which can prevent this. They are a bit more expensive.  If you do not have such jumper cables, but do have regular cables, there are aftermarket surge protectors which can be added on existing cables.

Smart cables

One manufacture (but sold under various brand names) makes ‘Smart’ jumper cables. You can hook the clamps to any battery leads and the little box in the middle will check the polarity and connect the proper cable’s to each other. This idea appears to be nice for people whom are not sure how to connect the cables. However the 12 gauge copper coated aluminum cables are too thin and the little box also requires some power from the battery to work, so it won’t work on totally flat batteries.( I have not seen a thicker cables version yet).

Instructions

You will not believe how little people know about using jumper cables,  so add instructions to your jumper cables. Shorting a battery out can be very dangerous (and expensive). Just having a piece of paper in the same package might not be obvious enough. One thing I made are the instructions cut in to strips and attached to each end of the cable.

Lock maintenance

Proper maintenance prevent a lot of mechanical problems. It’s autumn and winter is not far away. One thing many people neglect is to properly lubricate there locks. With the winter weather locks will suffer from oxidation. Having them lubricated will give you a higher chance of a problem free winter. Having a good solid lock seized can be a mayor pain in the you know what.

Important; Do NOT use oils or grease to lubricate cylinder locks, these leave a sticky residue which will clog up the fine mechanics.

There are many specialists locks sprays which will not leave residue and keep your lock nice, smooth and good for many years to come. Just place the straw in the lock and spray . It’s that easy. Some will even defrost your lock and prevent it from freezing again (to a certain extend).

HTFU: Get used to the temperature

It's autumn and winter is not far away, so the temperature is getting lower. Most outdoor people know when they are outside in the cold, we usually feel cold. However after just a few days your body adjusts and you get used to it. (Unless it's really too cold for the clothing you are wearing.)

My observation is that when I turn down the heater in the winter, from a toasty 20 degree's Celsius to something between 12 - 15 degree Celsius and just wear a sweater, my body adjusted to it and I'm far more capable keeping myself warm while being outside(it also saves a lot of money). Being cold stimulates your body to make more brown fat (Brown adipose tissue), which can directly turn energy in to heat. Not being cold to easily allows you to be far more productive when you are outside, saves money on your heating bill and burns away excessive calories.

For me, this also works the other way around. If I'm hot, I don't immediately turn on the AC or fan. Get used to it and you are far more able to cope with it later. Getting out of your comfort zone and harden the f... up can be very useful when there is no heating or AC.

Warning; Don't over do it. Getting too cold can get you hyperthermia and getting too warm can cause you to overheat.

Disposable dishes and utensils

I don’t really like disposable things, especially disposable dishes and utensils. They simple don’t work very well and create too much trash. However they can be very useful in emergency’s.

When there is no time to wash up, no water to wash up with or simply not enough space for any large quantity of real dishes and utensils, disposable dishes and utensils become very useful. Having clean things to eat from prevents illnesses from being spread and reduce the logistics you need in the short term. In the long term you need to get resupply and dispose of the trash. Having disposable dishes and utensils on hand is generally a good idea for short-medium length emergency preparedness. Saving time and space for more important things. This applies to both large organizations and for people whom  are preparing for an emergency them self's.

There is however a huge disadvantage of the disposable plastic cup. Somehow somebody will tip one over and ruin a keyboard, maps, binders, etc. It's Murphy's law is guess.

The normalization of deviance

Safety rules are usually set for a good reason. Some might not be that good and need to be adjusted after careful evaluation. However if a safety margin in set there for a reason, don't bend the rules! Sometimes safety margins are crossed and nothing went wrong. Enforce safety rules and safety margin. If you don't, the fine line between safe and unsafe become blurry and shifts. If you move the safety margin instead you might end up using all the safety margin and have a accident.

There is a term for this 'The normalization of deviance" and is defined as: “The gradual process through which unacceptable practice or standards become acceptable. As the deviant behavior is repeated without catastrophic results, it becomes the social norm for the organization.”

This caused the NASA space shuttle Challenger explosion, because they moved the safety rule on there minimum temperature of o-rings, instead of enforcing a safety rule. In aerospace also know as go-fever; getting things done in a hurry despite high risks.

This does not only apply to NASA or other big origination, but also to you. Not wearing proper PPE(Personal protective equipment), driving through red lights, etc. Do it once and you will do it again and probably worse. Know what you are doing, be aware of the normalization of deviance and try to prevent this from causing problems.

Some interesting reads:
http://theemtspot.com/2009/10/03/the-normalization-of-deviance/

http://lmcontheline.blogspot.nl/2013/01/the-normalization-of-deviance-if-it-can.html

Getting prepared for the autumn

The seasons are changing and we are getting to the darker and colder end of the year. (unless you are on the southern hemisphere) A few things to prepare for again:

Car:

• Sunglasses in the car, to cope with the low sun.
• Use up the summer wiper fluid and top off with winter fluid (If the rest of the fluids are not freeze proof, replace them too).
• Check the windscreen wipers and replace if needed.
• Check if the winter tires are in good condition and change them when the temperature is getting low enough.
• Throw in the deicer sprays and scrapers.
• Spray/lube the doors seals to prevent freezing.
• Check if your emergency signaling (flares, LED flares, lights) are working.
• Throw in a blanket or warm clothing.
• Candles and lighters to keep the car warm if your stranded.
• Add/check you flashlights in the car.
• Add gear to free you stuck car (shovel, kitty litter, traction plates, etc)
• Keep your fuel tank reasonable full to prevent condensation .

Home:

• Check if the heater and ventilation is in good shape and maintained.
• Check CO and smoke detectors (should be done every month)
• Make sure you can get by if there is no heat available.
• Make sure you have a form of emergency lighting.
• Make sure you have emergency water on hand.
• Anti-slip door mats so you won’t slip when entering your house with wet/snow filled shoes.

Continually check the state of your equipment

Safety equipment wears and become unsafe. An example is the wire gate carabiner (Kong Argon wire) in this photo.

The wire gate should close it self completely, but in this case it sometimes stays open. The open gate rating of a carabiner is much lower than a closed one (usually about 1/3 of the closed strength) and obviously rope or slings can slip out more easily from an open gate.  

This carabiner comes from a quickdraw. A set up two carabiners with a sling used for lead climbing in sport/alpine climbing. A failure of the carabiner or the unclipping of this carabiner could end up in very painful experience if not death.

This carabiner is actually fairly new and has little wear on it. This highlights why it’s important to continually check the state of your equipment. The exterior look might give a good indication, but it does not have to be.

Lockable straps

Securing loads on a vehicle is an essential part of  driving safely. Both for the occupants of the vehicle and everything thing and everybody nearby. However straps are only good in keeping items in/on a vehicle when driving. They do not keep the load safe from theft. Straps can easily be opened and removed and/or cut with a knife.  Locking a load to a car with chains or cables are problematic. They can cause damage to the car or the load.

A very good solution are lockable straps. These are straps with lockable buckles and equipped with nylon straps with steel cables reinforcement. They work just like regular tie down straps, but with a lock. three main brands of these are:

Thule
Kanulock
Yakima

All three brands sell them in pairs and are available in various lengths. The Thule and Yakima uses one steel cable in the middle of the straps, The Kanulocks uses two steel cables, one on each side. Steel cables are generally relatively easy to cut with the right tools. The combination of nylon and cables does make it harder to cut for tools made to only cut steel. So they will not stop the determined thief, but will deter the opportunity thieves. 

Charging electronics: my mobile charging options

Having a working telephone, GPS, light or other electronics can in some situations be vital for your safety. However when there are no sockets to put your chargers in to, you need a different way to charge your batteries. I have already write about my car charging options before.

In most cases, I do not need a huge power capacity. Power outage here are rare and always very short. Even if they are long, I barely use power in my house (my power bill is a whopping 50 cent a month) and the potential loss of the contents on my fridge is very low. So in most cases it's just an empty phone battery to charge.

In the past you were able to use AA's or AAA's in most devices. Mine first mobile phone used three AAA's NiMH batteries and would accept AAA alkaline. However most new devices have switched to a Lithium based battery, which are not easily switched.

A few methods I use to keep my electronics charged:
- Spear (phone) battery. The smallest and lightest option, however it does require you to turn off your device first and can generally only be used on one device. This obviously will not work with phones without a removable battery. For other electronics, I have plenty of AA batteries ( I try standardize my batteries). Lithium AA batteries for long term storage and critical equipment and plenty of charged Eneloop batteries for other electronics.

- Power-pack. A external battery pack which will charge your device, usually by USB port. When looking for the battery capacity of these packs, you need to know that the battery power needs to converted to 5 Volts, to match the USB output. Then the power is converted back to a lower voltage to charge the battery. This wastes some of your battery capacity. This is however my favorite everyday emergency charger.

Both a spear battery and power-pack generally uses a Lithium based battery, which degrade with age. So generally you won't be able to use them more than 3 or 4 years.

- Solar charger and battery pack. I have had some small solar panels in the past, which were totally useless. You need a decent size solar-panel to charge something. If you only have a solar-panel, the output would vary a lot. This could be a problem with some electronics, whom need a stable input.

Currently I'm using the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Adventure pack. I choose this model because it uses AA (or AAA's with a adapter) NiMH batteries in it's battery pack, has an USB output and is flexible in use. NiMH are not as age sensitive and the AA's are easily obtained and replaced. You can also remove the AA batteries and use them directly in any devices. Being a bit of a battery nerd, I don't like the fact that the batteries are not charged in independent charging bays, but you can't expect that from a solar charger which does not have a constant output. Due to it's design, you can only charge 4 similar sized batteries at a time. However my devices rarely uses 4 batteries at once. You can mix full and empty in the battery pack, but I prefer to stick a separate USB charger in to the pack (yes this is inefficient). I have a Sanyo Eneloop USB charger, which has 2 independent charging bays to do this.

Although the manufacture says the pack can be charged in 2 - 4 hours, mine takes much longer in full sun light. So don't expect to charge lots of electronics with just a solar charger.  The black color of the entire system also absorbs a lot of heat when you let it sit in the sun for long periods of time.

If solar is not a option you can charge the battery pack by USB or take the batteries out and charger them separately. Since it uses AA NiMH you can also just insert charged NiMH's and continue charging.

These three options give all the power I need in my applications (lights and phones). I really don't use much electronics, if you are I would suggest a larger setup.

Emergency Toilet option

Keeping human waste separate from everything else is important to keep illness from spreading. Most people are used to having a toilet. But what if the sewage or water pumps are down? Keeping filling the sewage, when they are down, simply means you are pushing sewage through overflow valves in the neighborhood.  Also you need something to flush it with. Having too much dry matter in the sewage would simple clog it.

For short term emergency's I would recommend to just use plastic bags to store human waste until you are able to dispose of it. One big bag to line a bucket with to catch leaks and smaller bags which can be replaced after each use.

Chemical solutions are a risk to store long term (they can leak) and relatively heavy and bulky. In the end you still have to dispose of the chemical solution.

As for more long term solutions, like dry composting toilets. They are fine when the power goes down, but not practical to buy just for emergency's.

My emergency set up is a reliant toilet bucket. The toilet seat lid, makes it more comfortable to do your business. The bucket is filled with toilet paper, disinfecting cleaning wipes and trash bags. The disinfecting cleaning wipes are rotated out occasionally to prevent it from drying out. A cheap and simple solution which can stand up storage and most emergency's.

Expensive is not always beter

Expensive (luxury) cars are not always beter then others. 

Check the small overlap ratings on the website of the IIHS: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx

Stop, STOP, STOP!!!

Some driver miss the height limit signs, some also seem not to notice the 'if you hit the sign you will hit this bridge' sign (or other height bars which you will hit when you are too high), some even miss the blinking lights and stop lights. For those situations, there is another kind of stop sign: 

Which lock to choose to secure something outside.

The primary goal of a lock is to prevent things from being stolen. Sometimes you can't store something inside and you have to lock it in place outside. This can be a bicycle, generator, pump, etc.

A short list of the most commonly used locks and failure points:

Cable locks
Steel cable is made by twisting lots of steel wire in to a cable. This construction makes is vulnerable:
1: To cut a cable, you do not have to cut the full thickness of the cable. But it is possible to cut the individual wire separately. This allows cables to be defeated by fairly small pliers.
2:  To make cable you need a flexible kind of wire. To make a wire harder to cut you need a hard wire. Flexible and hard are contradictory. So cables are easy to cut with a bolt cutter.

Armored cable locks
Armored cable locks are cable locks with thick steel bushings protecting the cable. This makes it very hard for bolt cutters to cut it. However this design also has weaknesses:
1: There is a certain amount of play in the bushings, to allow the lock to be flexible. However this play is limited. If a long lever is used to twist the lock, the effective length of the bushings and cable will differ, causing the cable to be pulled out of the crimping and the end of the lock.
2: If twisting does not defeat the lock, twisting will expose small gaps between the bushing, allowing the cable to be saw through with a small hacksaw.

U-locks
U-locks are made made of relatively thick steel, making them hard to cut. The stiffness of the U-shape causes problems:
1: These locks do not stand well against torsion forces. If a bicycle is locked to a lantern pole, the entire bike can be used as a lever (by flipping the entire bike) to twist the lock open.

Segment locks
Segment locks are made of pieces of steel plate of tubing riveted together. This has the same problem as the U-locks:
1: These locks can be opened by twisting the lock, with a larger lever.

Chain locks
Chains combine stiffness and flexibility. This makes it hard to be cut by small pliers or to be twisted open. Since there are many kinds of chain locks, so here a list of things to look out for:
1. Chains can be made from regular steel or harden steel. Obviously harden steel is harder to cut.
2. A bolt cutter provide the most cutting power when it's almost closed. So it's best to make the beginning of the cut the hardest. A round shaped chain shackle has a relatively small surface area when a cut is started. A square shaped chain shackle forces a bolt cutter to cut a much bigger surface area a the beginning, making it harder to cut. A minimum thickness of 6 mm would be recommend.
3. If you need a small lock, get a lock with the closing pin covered by the last chain shackle when locked. This way the closing pin it self can not be cut directly.

Norwegian Association of the Blind: Don't Disturb the ones working

Many dogs are kept as pets, but as professionals in the safety and security business, we also encounter work dogs. Dogs for SAR, security dog, dogs for sniffing bomb or band substance, etc. If you encounter them, don't disturb them. 

Although not related to the type of dogs we encounter, this funny video from the Norwegian Association of the Blind does bring the message not to disturb those at work.

A good video about the latest technology and measure to prevent accidents

Unintended side effects: Burgular safety vs. fire safety

Making your house safe from burglars/intruders means making it harder for unauthorized people to enter your house. However if your burglar protection is too good, this can create a hazard when you need to escape from your house.

Metal bars in front of the windows and reinforced doors with multiple locks can be a good way to keep people out, but they also keep out firefighters or other rescue units. Although rotary saws, chainsaws and halligan tools can clear most burglar protection, it takes time. Can you exit you house during a fire when you have placed bars in front of your windows? Can you exit the front door when you have locked them and you keys are on a table somewhere else?

Some houses even have concealed rooms or very unexpected layouts due to all kinds of modifications of the building. If your house has collapsed and you are in a well hidden safe room, can others find you and get you out? Can firefighters find you during a fire when you are in a hidden space?

Great examples seen from a firefighter perspective can be found on: http://www.vententersearch.com/?cat=29

When looking at safety, it's important to look at it in different angles. If one safety measure decreases your safety on a kind of safety, you might need to take measures to compensate this.

Secure your load in the car

The end of the summer is approaching. With all the vacation traffic in the highways. You can see how people have packed there cars for vacation. With European cars and gasoline being expensive, people buy small cars. However on holidays they still want to pack a lot of things in there cars. If this is not done properly, they can turn in to dangerous projectiles.

The ADAC (German) has done some interesting tests with badly loaded cars. Even if you can't understand German, the video's are quite clear:

And two more links (I can't seem to add windowed on the page):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WA0JnHMVNQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip497C6UZhk

HTFU: Inconvenience is good

During an emergency having efficient and convenient methods of doing things can be a lifesaver. Having to do things means using up a lot of energy (food) and time, making your tired and more venerable for disease.

However in normal life it’s quite the opposite. Most richer counties have a lot of health problems due to the convenience in normal life. Just have a look at the dead causes in rich countries. Taking the elevator, taking the car, robot vacuums, drive-in fast food, etc. Too much convenience makes us weak and fat. So sometimes you just have to suck it up and deal with inconvenience. Do some physical things in life to have a healthier life in the long run and make you stronger for when it is needed. 

Dogfooding: Don't just think of safety/security measures

Ever had have safety and/or security measure not working properly, being a source of irritation or even counter productive?

Thinking and making new safety and/or security measure can be easy, but making it work in practice with actual people not. There is a fundamental difference between what works on paper and what actually works. Safety and security measures generally have a influence on the job. The tighter the security/safety, the more it will interfere with your job. To an extend this is not a big problem. If you are working with dangerous goods of sensitive information, this will generally be accepted and it won't be a big problem. However if you over do it, it will become a problem. If employees think it's grossly overdone, rules might be crossed.

To check this, you might use a trick what programmers in the software uses: dogfooding. Getting to work with your own procedure day in, day out. Getting annoyed? Using loopholes? Bypassing it all together? Time to fix the problems which causes these behavior! You are not working with machines, but with people and by testing your own procedures this way, you might find out what works and what does not.

Quality matters: Batteries

Batteries are often overlooked pieces of equipment. A lot of people just buy the cheapest they can find, which might not be the best choice. Your electronics won't work properly if the batteries are not working properly. So it pays to have proper batteries, especially in emergency equipment. Even in not essential equipment, having leaky batteries damage your equipment is no fun either.

Alkaline batteries are cheap and common and used in many devices. My opinion about them; I hate alkaline batteries. They leak and you end up having to pry out the battery and clean the acid off your devices. Sometimes they totally ruin your equipment. I have tried multiple brands, brand names and generic ones. They all leak. They have a place in cheap (disposable) non-essential electronics, but in most cases I prefer high quality equipment. I might use alkaline when I get the with the device I bought, not after emptying them i switch to NiMH's.

For emergency equipment lithium batteries are great. Less sensitive to cold, more capacity, longer storage life, no acid to leak and weight less. Ideal for equipment you rarely use, but should be ready to use immediately. Storing batteries separately and inserting them when needed  is simply not an option with emergency equipment. They are however a bit expensive, but when you need your devices to work, they are great. Make sure your devices can handle the slightly higher current from these batteries before relying on them.

Note: If your equipment is HAZLOC or ATEX certified (and you will be using it in such conditions), check if this certification is valid when using a certain battery type.

For equipment which are used regularly I primary use Sanyo Eneloops. I have been using them since 2008-2009, without any problems. They were the first that low self discharge (LSD)  batteries that where available. LSD means they don’t discharge by them self’s when they are not in use. Allowing charged batteries stored and ready to use for extended periods. They don't leak as alkaline, are cheaper in the long run and have a higher discharge rate (you can use more powerful devices with them).

Note: I have noticed fake LSD batteries, which turn out to be low capacity regular NiMH batteries. So I recommend to buy you batteries from a proper vendor, instead of oversea's from the internet. 

Unintended side effects: flame retardent

Safety measure can be complicated and can be linked to other safety issue. After having deaths due to house fire, some countries and states require flammable furniture to be treated with flame retardant. Implementing these measures means a lot of expenses on testing, implementing and enforcing these rules.  What do we know years later; hardly any real effect of house fires, but we are getting toxins in our house and bodies.  An interesting article from the NY times last year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/09/magazine/arlene-blums-crusade-against-household-toxins.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

We need to be aware what kind of measure we are taking to protect our selves and what the possible side effects are. A lot of times a very obvious solution of a problem, does have unintended side effects. This does not only apply to flame retardant, but many other 'solutions' as well.

Light my fire Firesteel; long time review

Being able to light a fire is very important. Fire obviously has many uses as boiling water, cooking food, heating, signaling, as a tool, etc. A lighter or match are the easiest solutions. However they are not always reliable when wet, cold or stored for a longer period of time.  A ferrosium rod is a very reliable means of starting a fire.

When I started with survival and bushcraft, the now common light my fire firesteel was not available yet. The only one that was available was the BCB ranger flint. A small ferrosium rod mounted on a steel support with a hacksaw as striker. The one pictured on the left is the old model (somehow I found a unused one in the junk draw) and in the middle the ‘new’ model (about a decade old now). These BCB ranger flints where quite hard, but the hacksaw allows you to throw big sparks. The size does make it a little fiddly to use.

So when the much bigger Firesteel came out, I had to try them. I still have and use the first version of the army model firesteel. Not worn down in over a decade. The handle did get loose and was glued back. The striker has started to rust, but still working fine. I know some people have had issues with corrosion on the rods, leaving a crumbling white power behind. Mine only ever got small spots of thin white-ish corrosion which was scrapped off after striking a few times. I do keep my equipment dry and I put a thin coat of oil on the rod, when I maintain my other tools.

So after years and years of use, it’s still a good tool. Only real complain was the handle coming loose. I have tried a cheap brandless one, but noticed these rods are harder. Harder material means they are more durable, but throw less sparks. Though my firesteel is pretty old and used, I haven’t seen durability issues yet. I’m however very careful with tinder preparation, so I unusually only have to strike once. I have to say that I now use the old BCB ranger flints more often than my firesteel. I like the smaller size, which is not only useful to save size and weight, but also allows you to get slightly closer to your tinder and the hacksaw striker is more accurate in throwing the sparks. The Firesteel is easier to handle though.