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.