Good writing about EMT shears

Good writing about EMT shears:
http://theemtspot.com/2010/01/26/the-art-of-using-trauma-shears/comment-page-1/

Getting people to think

Everybody knows smoking is bad. Having champagnes reminding people about this doesn't really help. Here is a interesting approach to get people to quite smoking:

Interesting article about preppers

Interesting opinion article about preppers as a volunteer resource:
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Emergency-Managers-Shouldnt-Alienate-Preppers-Opinion.html

Scepter 20 liter water jerrycan review

Hauling and storing lots of water can be a difficult task. I’m more of a tap water kind of guy. I don’t like disposable water bottles. Too much trash, too much of a carbon footprint and expensive compared to my tap water. So for my emergency water supply, I use plastic (food grade) jerrycans.
 
There are many feature to look at in a jerrycan.:

- A pouring vent is a great feature to insure  a smooth pour. ‘Glugging’ (is that a word?) causes you to spill and is just plain annoying. 

- A pouring spout which is the right size to pour from.

- A large hole to stick your arm in to clean the inside. 

- A good seal. Some water jerrycans do not have a gasket, some do. No gasket means nothing to break, but the edge must be in good shape.

- The right size, to handle 
 

The Scepter 20 liter water jerrycans meet most of my criteria. It has a pouring vent, good pour spout and cleaning hole. I can’t stick my entire arm in to the cleaning hole, only half way, but enough to clean the inside with a brush. The cleaning hole is also ideal to fill it up or dump it quickly. But it does give me enough reach with a brush to clean it.  When full it is a bit heavy, but manageable for me. For smaller people this can be an issue.

There are no o-rings on this jerrycan. So if it leaks, get some fine sand paper and sand the edge  to get a good seal again. It’s very sturdy, you can easily stand on it, although you can feel some flexing.

One thing I miss are the triple carrying handles, like those found on the NATO fuel jerrycans. The three handles design allows you to have two people carrying the same jerrycan or have one person carry two (empty) cans side by side.  Another thing I’m missing is the ability to stack them. You could, but it’s just not very stable. Despite these issues, I think these are the best jerrycan designs I have found. I wish the 10 liter version would be more available, since they are easier to handle.

Nobody makes mistakes on purpose

In research in human behavior there is a common assumption; nobody makes mistakes on purpose. This fact is not only important for researchers. A lot of people have the assumption that certain mistakes are only made by 'stupid' people or at least others and not them. People think they won't make mistakes because they are experienced, they are smart enough or what ever reason they can think of. Nobody makes mistakes on purpose. People do what seemed right at the moment. If you made a mistake on purpose, it's not a mistake but sabotage.

When was the last time you did something smart, that might not have been so smart? Realize you are just human and you also make mistakes. Check and recheck your self. If possible do a buddycheck. Put markings or other 'red flags' on your equipment.

Charging electronics in the car

Being able to charge electronics can be extremely useful in everyday life as well as during emergencies. There are three ways I do this:

-          Use the 12 volt socket (with or without a splitter)

-          Use a inverter to convert 12V to 110 or 220 Volts

-          Use a inverter to convert to USB

When I started I primarily used 12 volt connectors/chargers (usually supplied with your electronics) or you could get a 12v cable fairly easily. Due to all the different kinds of plugs, you end up with lots of these 12V cables. Which means lots of clutter.

An inverter to convert to 110 or 220 Volts is ideal for regular (household) appliances. Make sure you do not draw more power than your 12V socket and/or fuse can take. If you want to use a more powerful inverter, get one which clams directly to the car battery. These new ones are fairly compact and some are even design to fit in a cup holder and have additional options as USB sockets.  

Mine current favorite charging option is to have a inverter to convert to USB output. Most devices are now equipped with a USB type of plug. Mine favorite item for this is the TomTom high speed multi charger. This is a small compact splitter, which splits to one 12V and 2 USB output, including one 2100 mah USB output. Having an extra high output USB output allows you to charge certain devices much faster and is compatible with high input devices like the Ipad.  Having interchangeable USB cables and 2 outputs, allows me to have less cables and thus a much clutter free charging option in the car.

Signs: Fill in the blank parts

Putting signs can be useful. However using a generic sign with blank parts, you need to fill in the blanks. You would thing the person whom placed these sign would think about this...