FEMA Institute Self-Study
June 18th, 2013 | 
Author: You’ve heard it said many times that knowledge is power. It’s vital for preppers to have as much knowledge as possible to make the wisest decisions and carry out the right actions when they’re called for. One resource is FEMA. Below is info on this, presented by Wise Food Storage.
Did you know that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers free classes? The Emergency Management Institute (EMI) offers emergency management training for emergency management professionals, government employees and the general public. As part of the National Preparedness Goal, their free online independent study program offers self-paced courses in nine “mission areas”:
- Incident Management
- Operational Planning
- Disaster Logistics
- Emergency Communications
- Service to Disaster Victims
- Continuity Programs
- Public Disaster Communications
- Integrated Preparedness
- Hazard Mitigation
Class titles include:
- Intro to Hazardous Materials
- A Citizen’s Guide to Disaster Assistance
- Animals in Disasters
- Diversity Awareness
- Orientation to FEMA Logistics
- Multihazard Planning for Childcare
- Household Hazardous Materials
- Workplace Violence Awareness
- Livestock in Disasters
There are many more interesting classes available – here’s the complete list: http://training.fema.gov/IS/crslist.aspx. And did I mention they’re online, self-paced and free? There is a final exam at the end of each one, but you’ll feel more confident in your ability to handle disasters once you’ve aced the class. If you’re considering a career change, these classes can also help you move into a career as an emergency management professional.
If you’re already working as an emergency management professional, the Professional Development Series offers seven independent study courses that teach the fundamentals of emergency management.
There are a few application guidelines – you must be a U.S. citizen although there are a limited number of international seats available for each class. Also, classes fill up so you want to note the registration deadlines.
The Emergency Management Institute also offers on-site and remote classes if you’d like to attend on-campus.
For a full course and schedule list, go to http://training.fema.gov/EMICourses/.
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Prepping Begins at 40
. And if you don’t yet have a copy of it, then let the prepping begin at 40.
OK, that’s a round about way to introduce the book review of this long revered volume as it appears in the May/June 2013 issue of “Backwoods Home Magazine” (Issue #141). It’s written by well known and trusted homesteader Jackie Clay-Atkinson. An excerpt appears below.
Book Review:
The Encyclopedia
of Country Living
By Carla Emery
40th Anniversary Edition
Reviewed by Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Are you a new homesteader? Perhaps you have dreams and plans to become one sometime in the near future? Maybe you’re an old-timer, like me, needing a piece of information from time to time? This is definitely the book for you! If I could only have one comprehensive how-to book on self-reliant living (and I think I’ve read them all), this would be it. As a matter of fact, I have two copies of this book myself.
Where most books fail by providing sketchy (or incorrect) information on select subjects, The Encyclopedia of Country Living is filled with simple down-to-brass-tacks, detailed information on so many aspects of homesteading. After all, where else would you find almost all you would want to know about delivering a baby, making breads, keeping bees, canning, building a barn, foraging wild foods, making soap, raising animals, making vinegar, cheese, recipes for using nearly every food imaginable, and tons more?
Read the whole article here:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay-atkinson141.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine.
http://www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418.
from “Backwoods Home Magazine.” Or click where you see its title highlighted in this post to buy it from Amazon.com. That helps support DestinySurvival.
If you’ve already got a copy, what do you think of it? Is it as useful for you as it is for Jackie Clay-Atkinson? Leave a comment below with your own review.
Make a Home Store a Part of Your Prepping Strategy
I do what I can here at DestinySurvival to help you get connected with reputable companies with the quality products you need. A few years ago I began seeing references online to a company called Shelf Reliance. They sold long term storage food and shelving systems to store that food. Fortunately, things worked out for them to advertise here for a few months in 2011. And I tried some of their wonderful foods.
But their standard mode of operation these days is to have independent consultants promote their products through home parties. It’s a way for prospective customers to try it before they buy it. It’s also a worthwhile business opportunity for anyone who wants to earn income in these troubled times.
Thanks to Gaye Levy, a few months ago I was put in touch with Misty Marsh, a Shelf Reliance consultant who was willing to help me engage in an ongoing experiment. It’s an online party.
Not long after that, Shelf Reliance changed its name to THRIVE Life. It’s the same growing company, but with a new name.
In order to help you get better acquainted with THRIVE Life, I invited Misty Marsh to be my guest on DestinySurvival Radio. Our interview aired yesterday.
Why the name change?
Who is Misty Marsh?
In the two and a half years or so since she became an independent consultant, she’s risen to the top of the ranks. She’s a Platinum Executive. And she’s on the THRIVE Life Business Board of consultants.
Teaching and supporting others is a big part of what she does. She conducts company wide trainings, as well as local corporate sponsored trainings. She was also one of just 13 consultants asked to train at both the 2012 and 2013 Shelf Reliance/THRIVE Life conventions.
With all that said, she’s not the pushy sales type. If you’ve had experience in multilevel marketing or direct sales companies, you know what I’m talking about. As a matter of fact, when you hear our interview, you’ll hear how Misty was reluctant to become an independent consultant at first.
Misty’s also not a “doomsday” prepper. She doesn’t motivate others based on fear. However, she’s very motivated herself to prepare for life. She wants to provide the best life she can for her family and children. Furthermore, she wants to be prepared enough to better give to others who may not be quite so lucky!
What is a home store?
What if you could save money because you’re not buying groceries on impulse?
What if you didn’t feel the need to eat fast food as often because you’ve got the things you need for conveniently preparing meals?
Food storage doesn’t have to be something you buy and stick in a dark corner of your basement. You can use it in your everyday meals, which helps you be better prepared for emergency situations. You won’t have to feel stressed or master a learning curve.
THRIVE Life offers ready-made entrees, but there are fewer of them than in the past. They’ve found that you’re more likely to use your storage food when you can buy single ingredients. This allows you to create your own recipes. And single ingredients are lower in sodium.
THRIVE Life Express ready-made entrees now come in pouches. That way they’re more convenient for such meals than #10 cans.
What’s so great about THRIVE?
Natural color was a factor as well. Green beans look green, as they should. Who wants to open a can of gray green beans?
Misty is also impressed with the company’s endeavors to make their foods the highest quality they can be with as few preservatives as possible. Organic and gluten free foods are part of the lineup. The majority of THRIVE foods are non-GMO as well.
If you’re not sure you’d use up a #10 can, you can buy most foods in smaller pantry cans. On the other hand, if you wanted to buy food in buckets, several items are available that way, too.
What about recipes?
THRIVE Life has also hired Chef Todd to come up with new recipes. He does demonstration videos as well, such as how to reconstitute and use freeze dried cheese.
Plus, THRIVE Life has a program called the THRIVE Q, which allows you to tie your food storage purchases to recipes you’ll use. That way you’re getting the most for your money. Misty explained this further in our conversation.
What other products are available?
How can you find out more?
A few months ago I heard someone say he liked THRIVE foods better than Mountain House. Do you use THRIVE foods? I’d love to hear what you think of them. Have you purchased other products from THRIVE Life? Are you building a home store as part of your prepping strategy? Why not leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Easy RV Meals
Have you thought of planning a vacation around locations you might like to move to before the coming chaos hits? If you’re planning to travel–such as by RV–this season, consider the following info from Wise Food Storage.
RVers face some challenges when it comes to food: vast, empty stretches without restaurants, late-night hauls when everyone is sleeping except the hungry driver, cold food, fast food, the frustration of cooking in a tight space and limited storage can all add up to a lot of expense and stress during what should be a relaxing vacation.
Whether your trip is a family vacation or part of a lifestyle, a little planning and strategy can go a long way. Here are some pre-planning tips for streamlining your on-the-road food strategy:
Stash Quick Food
- As you’re planning, check the map for empty stretches of road. Consider that your crew will probably be ready to eat every four hours and pre-load enough snacks or quick meals for long haul days.
- Scan the agenda for busy days and early mornings – plan quick breakfasts for fast cleanup.
- Take note of potential nighttime hauls and ensure the driver has a late night meal or snack handy before everyone else hits the sack.
- Freeze dried meals that only need hot water and a fork are handy for fast, no- cleanup meals. They also allow each person to pick their own entrée, just like they would in a restaurant, and eat when they?re hungry instead of waiting for a scheduled stop or for “the cook” to prepare a meal.
Take Advantage of Local Specials
- Take a break for meals that allow you to try the regional food.
- Stop at roadside produce stands and farm markets to enjoy in-season, local produce. (Don’t buy too much though; you don’t have anywhere to store it.)
Be Safe
- Invest in a roll of non-slip shelf paper and ensure all galley shelves are covered.
- Use plastic dinner and storage ware (preferably non-disposable) – glass is too dangerous in a moving kitchen.
- If you use liquid propane to cook and cool, ensure it’s turned off while the RV is in motion. (Liquid propane is highly volatile. If the gas line breaks, one spark can cause an explosion.) While driving, the refrigerator will stay cool if the door isn’t opened too frequently.
- Secure all cooking gadgets and utensils. In an accident, these things can become deadly projectiles.
- Ensure you have a 5-pound BC-rated fire extinguisher in the galley and near each exit. Make sure your entire crew knows where these are and how to use them.
Be Healthy
It can be difficult to stick to a healthy eating pattern on the road. Make these four habits part of your daily routine and you’ll feel better on your trip and won’t come home with pounds to lose:
- Include fruits and vegetables at every sit-down meal.
- Limit coffee and soda to one serving each per day.
- Keep and use fruit for snacks.
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Posted in Survival Camping, Survival Kitchen, Survival Supplies | 
Tags: easy RV meals | 
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How to Remedy Severe Dehydration
Editor’s Note: With the onset of hot weather, it’s important not to get dehydrated. Severe dehydration becomes a matter of life and death. Tammy Mahan passes along these helpful tips. Think survival. – John
About 75 percent of your body is made up of water. The water you take in helps to keep your body water content at about 75%. The water is stored in and around your cells and is essential for the body to function properly. Water leaves the body when you sweat and urinate. If you do not put enough water (fluid) back into your body, and the water percentage becomes too low, dehydration occurs. If dehydration goes untreated, it can lead to coma and death.
Severe dehydration is a serious medical emergency. You will know when you are severely dehydrated if you start to experience the symptoms listed below.
Adults
- Little to no urination (any urination will be a dark yellow or amber in color)
- Extreme thirst
- Dry skin, mucous membranes, mouth
- Irritability and confusion
- Shriveled dry skin that has no elasticity (doesn’t bounce back when pinched)
- Fever
- Rapid breathing
- Low Blood Pressure
- Rapid pulse
- No tears
- Sunken eyes
- Delirium or unconsciousness
Children and Infants
Children and infants can experience all of the symptoms listed above in addition to:
- Extreme fussiness or sleepiness in children and infants
- In infants, sunken fontanels (the baby’s the soft spots on the top of a baby’s head will become sunken)
Infant, children and elderly people need to be treated with caution. If the dehydration is severe enough they may also experience some or all of the following symptoms.
- Bloody stool
- Severe diarrhea
- Can’t keep fluids down
- Extreme sleepiness, irritability, disorientated
If you have access to a doctor or emergency room, get the person help immediately.
In a situation where you cannot get any type of emergency help, the following suggestion may help.
The Mayo Clinic has a recipe for an oral rehydration solution that it recommends in an emergency situation where a pre-formulated solution is unavailable.
“Mix 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 liter (about 1 quart) of safe drinking water. Be careful in your measurements because incorrect amounts can make the solution less effective or even harmful. If possible, have someone else check your measurements for accuracy.
If the victim is vomiting, the Mayo Clinic recommends giving small amounts of the solution at frequent intervals.
If you don’t have the equipment necessary to give IV fluids and the person is in shock, unconscious or severely dehydrated, there is still a way to administer fluids in a hurry. It can be done rectally.
However, this method will obviously not work if the cause of the problem is severe diarrhea. To administer rectal hydration, place the victim on his side with the buttocks raised on two pillows. A lubricated plastic tube with a blunt end (a large urinary catheter or naso gastric tube is ideal) should be passed through the anus into the rectum to a depth of about 9 inches. It should pass with minimal pressure and should not be forced so as to avoid perforating the bowel.
Tape the tube to the skin. A longer piece of tubing and a drip bag or funnel should be attached to the end and elevated. Slowly drip 200 mls. of fluid over a period of 15 to 20 minutes. The catheter should then be clamped. This can be repeated every four hours with another 200 mls. Up to 1000-1,200, mls per 24-hour time frame can be administered this way. If 200 mls is tolerated well, the volume can be increased slightly or the time between intervals can be reduced to three or three and a half hours.
If overflow occurs, the volume should be reduced. A rectum full of feces does not absorb water very well, so the amounts may need to be reduced, but given more frequently.”
This information is provided by the Mayo Clinic.
Information for this article has been excerpted from How to Survive the Collapse of Civilization, by Bob Livingston.
Tammy Mahan is a published author, living in New York. She has 20 years of experience in the healthcare field and enjoys sharing her knowledge with everyone by writing for Healthline.com .
Find more on becoming rehydrated in Chapter 8 of Rational Preparedness: A Primer to Preparedness
Survivor Jack Makes Prepping Practical and Fun
One of those new voices for prepping–at least new to me–was my guest on DestinySurvival Radio yesterday. A few weeks ago I came in contact with Jack Jobe, aka Survivor Jack. He has a vision to make the basics of prepping practical and even fun.
Who is Survivor Jack?
His first show was “Datebook”. He says his favorite interview was Bruce Lee, who welcomed him like a little brother. When Jack graduated from the University of Oklahoma, he earned an Emmy-nomination with Bob Dotson (now of NBC News), who he says deserves 90% of the credit.
Though he hunted in his youth and served in the marines, the events of life drew Jack away from things related to what we consider to be prepping today. But he came to prepping late in life, thanks to a moment of awakening.
It happened fifteen days after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, as he watched the rescue of “Miracle Girl” Darlene Etienne. He says a Vision of his EDC (Every Day Carry) tool, the educational campaign and more, slammed into his mind.
The stunning images of suffering awakened Jack’s awareness of how unprepared his family was for a disaster of this magnitude. Then Japan’s 2011 tsunami allowed him to see something else that was missing. He talks about it in “Letter to my Children – Lessons from Haiti and Japan.” You can view the video below.
Today Jack refers to himself as a Common Sense Survival Teacher. He started a Web site at Secrets to Surviving 2012. “Doomsday Preppers” featured him in their first season. You can view that video below, too.
Jack has invented a new personal rescue tool. And he started SurvivorJack.com to save your life and the lives of others. His Survivor Jack company will provide Equipment and Entertaining first Aid and Survival training.
What did we talk about?
Walking in his neighborhood wearing his 72-hour pack helped him lose weight and earned him a reputation and the nickname Survivor Jack.
EDC (Everyday Carry)–Jack says it’s common sense to carry items on his person wherever he goes, such as a multifunction tool, knife, fire starter, whistle, poncho and more. A light first aid kit can be packed into an Altoids tin.
Universal first aid training–With disasters of all kinds becoming more prevalent, Jack strongly urges everyone to learn first aid basics. He’d like to see it taught in schools and the workplace. In a disaster, I may be your doctor, and you may be mine until help arrives.
Survivor Jack–Jack says we need a symbol, like Smokey Bear. So he has personified the Survivor Jack character, hoping it will catch on and make the preparedness message visible, recognizable, entertaining and useful. With this in mind, he intends SurvivorJack.comto be an educational resource with quality videos and articles.
“Doomsday Preppers”–I think we’d all agree with Jack that reality TV isn’t real. To sum up his experience with the show, they twisted his message to suit their agenda, but he went along with their way of doing things in hopes of putting survival tips out there for the public. I recommend you hear about it in his own words in our interview.
A common sense approach–While many threats face us, Jack says he doesn’t want to be paranoid, just prepared. Decide what you’re willing to live for and what you’ll do to stay alive.
Be a survivor, not a victim. For best self defense, learn to think like a predator.
The simplest tips can improve your chances for survival. So why aren’t they being taught? If a crowd is prone to panic, why not teach as many as possible ahead of time how not to panic?
Service to others–In a disaster, rescuers don’t ask questions about race, religion, political affiliation, etc. It’s all about saving lives.
Jack’s philosophy in a nutshell–I like two quotes included in Jack’s e-mail signature.
- Be Honest, Be Excellent & Walk About Prepared®
- The time of the Lone Wolf is over. Gather together. WE are the Ones we’ve been seeking. – The Hopi Elders
Find out more
Sample one of Jack’s articles here. Also, I’ve included videos below so you can watch an introduction to Survivor Jack, the letter to his children, and his “Doomsday Preppers” appearance.
I’d love to know your thoughts on my interview with Survivor Jackas well as what you’ve read or seen here. Feel free to leave a comment below the videos and share what you think.
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