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When Is It Ok to shoot an Intruder

Disclaimer. The materials available at this web site are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue, question or any relevant matter.

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By Tom Ginevra

Well, you might think that the answer would be simple but, no it isn’t. It depends on the jurisdiction (who administers justice in your country) and it depends a lot on the circumstances. Nevertheless, this can be a life changing moment for all parties involved, you, your family and the intruder. Here are some basic guidelines for this very difficult question.
​

image va www.top5s.co.uk

​Self-defense
In order to demonstrate that shooting an intruder is legal, you need to show that shooting was:

• Necessary; in that, if you didn’t shoot them then something terrible would have happened to you, i.e., the intruder would have shot you, inflicted serious bodily harm, rape, robbery or kidnapping
• Imminent; something terrible would have happened immediately. What is meant by this is, you can’t shoot someone who says they are going to rape you next week!
• A reasonable response; compared to any other response like running away from the danger

As a defense, it seems that there is no compulsion to run away if the intrusion is in your own home and most intrusions in your own home would give rise to an urgent situation, meaning it must be dealt with now.

​If the intruder is armed and threatening you, then it would be considered ok to shoot first. If the intruder is unarmed it may still be ok to shoot first, especially if he or she is behaving aggressively and is physically bigger and stronger than you. If the intruder is not being aggressive then you are faced with deciding not to shoot but to threaten them with your firearm and calling the police. This sort of action requires a strong and confident personality which many of us do not possess. If the intruder is running away, then shooting them in self-defense is less acceptable.
Generally, if you feel that your life is at risk, then shoot, otherwise don’t. But, of course, it is very difficult to make rational decisions under such stressful and possibly terrifying circumstances.

Protection of property
At no point is it considered legal to shoot an intruder for mere protection of property. Using deadly force would only be legal if it could be proved that the intruder had further violent intentions and that they were actually trespassing.
 
Castle doctrine
So called because it is based on adopted 18th century common law wording “And the law of England has so particular and tender a regard to the immunity of a man's house, that it stiles it his castle”.
In certain states in the US, the castle doctrine or castle law is a legal defense. This is a legal doctrine that designates that a person’s home or any legally occupied place (could be a vehicle) is a place in which that person has protections and immunities permitting the use of force including deadly force as a defense against an intruder, free from legal prosecution for the consequences of the force used.

A person my have a duty to retreat to avoid violence if it is reasonably possible to do so. This duty to retreat does not apply in the person’s home where that person has a right to be. Deadly force may be justified as a defense in cases when the person fears in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm to themselves or another. The castle doctrine is not a defined law but rather a set of principles that can be incorporated in some form in the law of many jurisdictions.

In practice
You should always go to a safe place like your bedroom or a bathroom, lock yourself in and call the police. You can only use deadly force when your life or the life of another in your direct vicinity is in life-threatening danger beyond any doubt. When you decide to shoot an intruder in your home, there must have been no alternative – a last resort.

For you to justify the use of deadly force, the intrusion must be unlawful, the attack must be imminent or already happening, the intrusion must not be complete, the defense must be against only the intruder or attacker and defensive action must be proportionate to the circumstances.

Bear in mind that your property is not worth more than the life of an intruder.

​Possessing a firearm at home gives you a huge responsibility to use it wisely in difficult moments. Should you get woken in the middle of the night to the sound of someone breaking in, then your heart is sure to start racing while you try to work out what to do – stay calm, breathe deeply and ensue you make the correct decision.

Related:
15 Affordable Ways to Protect Your Home in an Emergency

from Survival Ready Blog, Outdoor Survival Gear & Skills, SHTF , Survival Skills, Preppers, Survival Gear, Survival Kits - Survival Skills
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What Did You Do To Prep This Week?

Well, folks, it’s raining a monsoon this morning here on the Cumberland Plateau (aka The Redoubt of The East) and it’s supposed to keep it up for the next few days. I have a river and two large creeks near my location and they are all rising and starting to flood in some of the lower areas. Luckily, my place is up on the high ground so no worries of flooding here.

On another note, I’m not sure how many of you all use Pinterest, but I’m sure that those of you who do us it have figured out that there is a huge flood of information there. You see, Pinterest is really a...

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Disaster Preparation: How to Prepare Your Home For An Emergency

Written by Guest Contributor on The Prepper Journal.

Editors Note: A guest post from Herman Davis to The Prepper Journal. As always, if you have information for Preppers that you would like to share and possibly receive a $25 cash award as well as be entered into the Prepper Writing Contest with a chance to win one of three Amazon Gift Cards  with the top prize being a $300 card to purchase your own prepping supplies, enter today! 

As most people know, disasters can strike without warning in a matter of minutes. In 2011, for example, the United States set a historic record for disaster alerts, according to the Homeland Security News Wire. The article also reported that each disaster that occurred that year was valued at approximately $12 billion in damage. This means that throughout 2011, the total damage accounted for was about $53 billion.

With that being said, disaster-proofing your home allows homeowners to prepare ahead of time — avoiding the worst possible outcome like losing prized possessions, or fatalities. So by preparing your home in advance, homeowners will be able to strengthen the foundation of their home and be better able to withstand the harsh environments natural disasters bring, enabling you and your family members to take the necessary actions needed to ensure you both survive the battle.

Although it’s nearly impossible to fully mitigate the dangers brought on by natural disasters, there are steps families can take towards reducing the amount of internal destruction done — both mentally and physically. Preparing ahead of time will not only protect your home, but protect your finances as well.

Getting the Right Kind of Protection: Although filling a property insurance claim might seem straightforward, if you wait until after a natural disaster to research the ins and outs, you might very well find yourself in a frustrating insurance battle.  Perhaps the most important step is making sure you’re covered before disaster strikes. Once you’ve had the opportunity to take a good look at your homeowner’s insurance policies and speak with other residents in the area, you might soon realize that the plan you chose isn’t beneficial for your family.  When it comes to natural disasters – like flash floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes —  the type of insurance plan available is essential to your homes well being. In this case, it’s always better to have too much protection and not use it than to have not enough and need it later on down the road. That said, it’s never a bad idea to purchase additional coverage – if it fits within your budget – to cover your home from all the different potential dangers out there. Also note that items like expensive jewelry, art and furniture need to be specified in the coverage and documented with photos and receipts. That $95,000 Steinway Concert Grand piano in the Music Room could translate into a used upright in the flash of an eye.

     

Generally speaking, earthquake insurance can cost anywhere from $100 to $3,000 depending on where you live. Flood insurance, on the other hand, usually costs about $570 annually. If you do decide not to purchase additional coverage, just make sure that you’ve saved a fair amount of money for out of pocket expenses on your home in the aftermath of things.

Make Good Use of Extra Space: Learning to think outside the box is critical when it comes to disaster-proofing your home. Normally, when most people think of emergency supplies for disasters, they typically go for the water containers, canned food, and clothing items. They don’t, however, think about the possibilities that can happen around the house. Power outages, for instance, are a common occurrence when floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and even earthquakes strike, and not having power can become a problem if the temperature outside is too hot or too cold.

  

So, if you have empty space around your home, freeze water when the power’s no longer accessible. If it’s extremely hot outside and the powers out, gather the ice from the freezer and place it in a bag to help you cool off. It might just help avoid a heat stroke.

Prepare a Family Emergency Kit: According to Eastern Kentucky University, over 139 million are affected by natural disasters. That said, it’s important to keep enough supplies in your home to meet the needs of you and your family members for at least 72 hours. Assembling an emergency family kit with items already stored in it is essential for everyone in the house in case you’re forced to evacuate the area immediately. Make sure you store your supplies in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container, like a suitcase, duffel bag, or storage container. You should also make sure that your container is able to carry the minimum:

• Water (two gallons per person)
• Food for at least three days
• First aid kit
• Flashlight with extra batteries – this will help signal for help if you’re stranded
• Pet food and extra water
• Important family documents
• Cash

Inspect the Parameters Around Your Home: In order to make sure your home is completely disaster proof, it’s best to secure the outdoor items – like bicycles, lawn furniture, and playground equipment. That’s because when objects are thrown around from high winds generated from the disaster, they can cause damage to the home by breaking windows, lights, and possibly even hit someone.

Check Your Generators: If you’re looking to rent or buy a generator, you should first get yourself familiar with it. While generators are important to have when the power goes out, it’s important to know that they can’t survive everything. That said, when it’s not in use, make sure you remember to unplug it. This will help prevent premature wear-and-tear on the equipment and lessen the risk that it becomes a causality of the disaster.

In the end, don’t always expect everything to go according to plan. In fact, you should always set aside other alternatives just in case the first option doesn’t work out. Remember to always be on guard when it comes to protecting your home and your family. That way, you won’t have any regrets later on.

Thanks for the read! With so many things to consider when preparing your home for a disaster I couldn’t possibly list them all. So, I turn to you, the readers. What are so other ways homeowners can prep their homes for an emergency before it’s too late?

Herman Davis loves exploring the outdoors and being active. If you can’t catch him online reading, you might be able to catch him out playing football with friends or cheering on the Boise State Broncos. Follow him on Twitter at @Davis241. Thanks!

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One Awesome Sig: SIG Sauer P250 Review

by Firearms Review Editor Bill H

Modular guns appear to be a new concept, however, they have been around quite some time in various forms. From the carbine variant of a service rifle carried by a cavalryman to the Thompson/Center Contender with its myriad of barrel options, the ability to interchange parts of a gun or offer a different take on the same gun has been a desirable concept. Even the M1911 is offered in the Commander and Officer’s smaller sizes with .380ACP and .22LR scaled down versions available.

SIG/Sauer expanded upon this concept when they introduced the P250 series of...

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6 Versatile Ammo Types You Need In Your Arsenal

When building a prepper ammunition stockpile, you are always going to be pressed for room and money. In this case, there are ammo types that can be used in different kinds of guns.

from Survivopedia
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Mother Nature Has A Way of Bringing Us Back to Center

Written by Wild Bill on The Prepper Journal.

Have you ever been to Cherry Creek Mall in Denver? Great shopping, great restaurants all around, lovely even in a blizzard. I know because I almost got trapped there for 3 days, alone except maybe for that someone who was probably going to lock me in or throw me out in the blizzard, in dress shoes, thin slacks and a leather jacket (which quickly assumes the ambient air temperature.) This crossed my mind as I scurried, slipped and slid out of there to catch a taxi driven by one of the greatest cab drivers to ever make a fair fare.

It was late October in 1997, a Friday night, and I was in town on business, with just the aforementioned leather jacket and business casual attire. I had a second office there in downtown Denver and was on a quick business trip from sunny Southern California.

I write this as there are actually a lot of great lessons from that weekend for Preppers. Not wearing leather and dress shoes in Denver after August 15th or before June 15th being one of them. I had been previously been a victim of a September 4th snow storm there and I could not have been less prepared for what was about to happen if I were a space cadet from Southern California, which I was.

It started snowing late Thursday night. But this was Denver, the Mile-High City, Gateway to the Rockies, the beacon along the Front Range. If they weren’t prepared for a little winter weather then who was? I wasn’t. Again, nothing but dress shoes, one pair, wool slacks – the dressy lightweight stuff from Nordstrom’s as opposed to some woolly chaps that looked like you had a sheep tied to each thigh. That short-waisted leather jacket, and some fancy gloves that looked great but would let the moisture soak through to your hands after making maybe two snowballs.

 

When it dawned upon me that I better take some action as the snow wasn’t stopping and it was getting dark and local people far smarter than I had already headed for cover I found that taxi driver and we did Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride back to the Embassy Suites downtown. After he left me I just watched as he slid sideways out of the drop off area and off, I hoped, to a warm home, a hot meal and a loving family as he had earned it for this stranger and the meager fare.

Obviously not yet a Prepper, but a world traveler who was just a few hundred miles from the warm sandy beaches of home, the fun began.

Back at the hotel it was basically lock-down. Power and heat were on, staff, as captures as the guests were doing well at wearing their smiles, though they did thin as time passed. Anyone who has worked in the service industry dealing with “guests” will understand immediately.

Out at the fairly new and “weather proof” Denver International Airport (DIA), the reality came home. 4,000 travelers stranded, flights cancelled, airport shut down. This was NOT because of the Airport, which was prepared for such weather, but for the Municipality of Denver, the Airlines Employee’s Union and Federico Fabian Pena, the former Clinton Secretary of Transportation and later Energy.

The Municipality of Denver could not keep the roads to and from the airport open, no new flight crews could come in and none who had finished their shifts could get out and Union Rules, valid safety rules for sure, grounded them all after 10 hours, no matter how they spent the time. Pena Blvd., the main road in and out, named after that Stallworth of Clinton politics was named such because it crossed land that was formerly owned by the Pena family, not that it was any consideration in the planning of the new airport location while he was the Democratic Minority Leader of the state’s legislature.

But the people of Denver were resourceful. The Bronco’s had to fly out for an away game so some bright people organized a snowmobile caravan. Gathered up all the players from their homes and got them across the snow covered foothills to their chartered flight which was the only airplane cleared and allowed to depart during the closure. Rest assured that lawyers among the waiting at the airport made note of the event and sought to profit from it.

At the airport the First Horseman of the Apocalypse came in the form of food vendors running out of everything in the first 8 hours. This was a supply chain nightmare as it focused on minimizing shelf inventory to save energy costs. And no resupply cavalry was on the way. Plus, anyone with a child still on formula was suddenly thrown into rationing or going back to a more natural method of feeding, and this certainly had an impact on the yet-to-come Fourth Horseman.

The Second Horseman of the Apocalypse came in the form of there being significantly less than 4,000 chairs/seats in the terminals. Three days on concrete floors would even make Superman cranky.

The Third Horseman of the Apocalypse came in the form of supplies of things like soap, toilet paper and other cleaning supplies which were normally delivered every other day and lock down came at the end of the last delivery cycle AND being the modern example of business practices, they were very much into the “just in time” stocking of supplies to remain cost effective (less storage space needed, smaller deliveries requiring less labor to handle.)

But the one thing that people will remember the most is the arrival of the last and Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse – the travelers with small children who ran out of disposable diapers in less than 8 hours of a 72-hour gathering from hell. This was something that NONE of the vendors at the airport carried and with Pena Blvd closed none could be brought in. The burning question of just how many diapers should the average parent carry when making a short flight with connections through a major hub prone to winter weather was finally answered – more than you could ever get through TSA. If one entrepreneur had loaded up his or her snowmobile with disposable diapers and followed the Bronco’s brigade in they could have made enough to buy season tickets, for life.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel the staff was putting in herculean effort to keep things running, the guests from killing each other and their facilities intact. We as preppers talk about the 72-hour rule and we were nowhere near 72 hours at this point yet.

Knowing that they had finite food, no expected deliveries and a kitchen staff that was working non-stop they did amazing, though Sunday nights buffet looked more like the stuff children’s nightmares are made of as opposed to a meal. All veggies, some I suspect were formerly green, maybe, and I am sure some were formerly garnish under the salad bar bowls from the night before. To quote everyone who’s ever lived mother “there are children starving in (fill in the blank) who would kill for a meal like this!” That thought started to cross everyone’s mine.

 

The saving angel? The bar and all the room mini-bars were well stocked and the hotel gave away what ever you needed from the mini-bar. I suspect this was to prevent a gathering of guests 10 deep at the lobby bar. Smart marketing on the hotel’s part.

So What Were My Take-Aways?

• Always dress for the possible weather as opposed to the predicted weather; layers can always be removed
• Italian shoes are only suitable for indoors, anywhere and leather, if you are not riding a motorcycle, is best left on the animal as an outfit
• That disposable diapers are definitely valid barter after the SHTF (literally)
• That people will come through in a pinch and those that don’t can be found later, after the snow melts and you are long gone
• That fancy gloves are only good at preventing you from leaving fingerprints as in the point above
• That “weather proof”, along with bullet proof, is a misnomer. Only weather resistance can be achieved, and never bet against Mother Nature
• That being unprepared, as both I and the Municipality of Denver were, for dealing with a predictable emergency had REAL consequences for 4,000 people suddenly stranded, driven to travel light due to government and airline regulations
• That politics really does infect every part of our lives and it’s consequences are unending.

Be kind to cab drivers in Denver, be safe out there, stay situation aware and follow The Prepper Journal on Facebook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nothing like expensive Italian dress shoes in 3 feet of snow.

Buffett – all veggies the third night.

 

 

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The National Weather Service describes the storm that hit Denver on October 24 and 25, 1997

 

Several major and interstate highways were closed as travel became impossible. Red Cross shelters were set up for hundreds of travelers who became stranded when they had to abandon their vehicles. Four people died in northeastern Colorado as a result of the blizzard. None of the deaths were in metro Denver.

At Denver International Airport…4 thousand travelers were stranded when the airport was forced to shut down. At least 120 cars were abandoned along Pena Blvd….the only arterial leading into and out of DIA. The blizzard cost air carriers at least 20 million dollars. Thousands of cattle died in the storm over northeastern Colorado…resulting in losses totaling 1.5 million dollars.

Some of the more impressive snowfall totals included: 51 inches at Coal Creek Canyon; 48 inches at Silver Spruce Ranch…near Ward; 42 inches at Intercanyon…in the foothills southwest of Denver; 37 inches at Sedalia; 35 inches at Aspen Springs and Conifer in the foothills west of Denver; 31 inches at Eldorado Springs… Southeast Aurora…and Englewood; and 30 inches on Table Mesa in Boulder. Snowfall totaled 21.9 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport…setting a new 24-hour snowfall record of 19.1 inches for the month. Snowfall totaled only 14 inches at Denver International Airport where north winds gusted to 39 mph on the 24th.

High temperature of only 21 degrees on the 25th equaled the record low maximum for the date first set in 1873. Low temperature of only 3 degrees on the 26th set a new record minimum for the date.

 

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Send A Fast And Effective SOS: 2 Simple DIY Techniques

Some of you are surely thinking, “Cache is writing about kites … he’s lost it for sure this time!”

But don’t give up reading because you might miss some lifesaving tricks.  There are environments where traditional ‘last mile’ signal devices are less-effective.

Briefly:

• Traditional ‘last mile’ signals can be impossible to see through a forest canopy or in a small watercraft in rough seas.
• Kites are easy to make from supplies you probably have in your survival kit.
• MRE heaters are a source of hydrogen gas and can be used to turn a lightweight bivvy sack into a signal balloon.

Disclaimer – Like many survival projects, this one can be dangerous. Specifically, it involves pointy objects, MRE heaters (scalding hot water) and hydrogen gas, which is both caustic and explosive. So, if you decide to construct the balloon, please use sound judgement and keep it away from any sources of flame. So, sorry … no smoking. And do not mix the hot-air and hydrogen balloon designs or you may pay dearly for the oversight.

Jungle, Tropical and Coastal Rainforest Environments

On my last trip to Brazil, I noticed that many traditional “last mile” visual signaling devices, such as signal mirrors, would not have worked well under the jungle canopy even if you climbed a tree or managed to find a clearing. Climbing a hill would be about your only shot with a mirror, but there are multiple problems with that.

First, you cannot see hills and mountains easily in dense jungle, so you do not know if you are walking up a hill or a mountain. Second, traveling uphill contravenes traditional survival wisdom unless you have a working radio.

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

Lastly, even if you are successful, unless you are signaling to aircraft or someone who is somehow not underneath the canopy, nobody will be able to see your signals!

Maritime Environment

Last spring, I had the privilege of interviewing Jose Salvador Alvarenga, who survived adrift at sea for an incredible 428 days. Salvador drifted from the west coast of Mexico to the Marshall Islands, North of Australia.

During his drift, he saw many container ships as he drifted through shipping lanes, but with only a mirror, he could not attract their attention. On one maddening occasion, be was close enough to see them fishing off the back of the container vessel and he tried to get their attention, but they just waved, kept on fishing and motored right on by.

Visual signals do not work well in rough seas where rafts and small boats that lack a tall mast or superstructures are only momentarily visible as they crest a wave and then disappear back into a trough.

Another issue with craft that are low to the water is that the distance at which they fall below the horizon is much shorter than it would be for a taller craft.

In a maritime environment, a kite or balloon flying high above your raft could be seen at far greater distances, which is a key advantage when you are trying to be found and communicate that you are in distress in the vast expanse of the ocean.

In any case, when lost at sea, constructing a radar reflector and getting it up as high as you can is time and resources well spent since so many vessels have radar. If you do not have a radar reflector, one can be constructed by creating three slotted, Mylar-covered wire or cardboard frames, one for each dimension, and assembling them to radiate from a central point along each axis.

Kites

A kite flown in the middle of the nowhere is going to create the same curiosity factor as a balloon and one that is signal orange is immediately identifiable as a distress signal. Write SOS on it in large, contrasting letters and your message will be clear.

About all you could do from here is to add some retroreflective or IR-reflective tape to it or a small strobe such as an APALS. Just keep in mind that a wet string could conduct electricity from a lightening strike. All you need is a breeze and someone to see the kite and you are in business.

A kite can be flow for many hours and is reusable and field-repairable.

How to Build a Kite

Building a kite is easy.

• Form a lower-case letter ‘t’ with two lightweight sticks or similar suitable material. The central stick or spine should be 1/5^th longer than the crossmember. Lash them together securely in the ‘t’-shape.
• Run cordage between the members to create the characteristic ‘diamond’ shape of a kite, notching the ends of the sticks so the thread stays put.
• Lay the kite shape on a signal orange emergency blanket and draw a diamond shape a couple inches larger than the kite in each direction.
• Fold the sides around the frame and secure them with 100 MPH tape so that the blanket is taught on the frame.
• Attach a line to the intersection of the two sticks. Poke a small hole in the material and pass the line through the hole. The line should match the length of the crossmember. Run thread from the top and both sides of the ‘t’ to the tip of that string. This point is where the line will be attached.
• Cut a strip of fabric or Mylar for the tail that is 6x that length of the spine. Feed the tail between the fabric and spine at the bottom of the kite and tie it at the mid-point forming a double tail. If all you have is Mylar and the tail is too light, add length and tie bows in it to create more drag.
• Write ‘SOS’ on the kite is bold, block letters.
• Attach the line.

Supplies Useful for Building a Kite – I am going to stick to supplies carried in survival kits or which can likely be procured from the environment.

Signal Orange Emergency Blanket – I prefer to carry aluminized polyethylene emergency blankets because Mylar is noisier and more fragile, but this is an application where Mylar may be superior since it is extremely light weight. If you do not have an emergency blanket, a lightweight trash bag or emergency poncho would probably also work.

Two Lightweight Sticks – To form the frame of the kite.

Kevlar Thread, 60-80 Lbs Test – This will be used to tie the kite to the framework and as a kite line. I carry Olive Kevlar thread in this test range because is so multiuse, but an inner nylon strand of para cord would work as well. Unfortunately, a long length of para cord takes up more space than survivalists are willing to commit to pocket survival kit, so you may have to tie multiple inner stands together if para cord is what you prefer to carry.

Sharpie Mini – A sharpie mini is small, but can draw large block letters with little effort and the felt tip is easier on the paper-thin material the kite is made of.

Knife or Scissors – To cut the fabric, string, sticks and tail and notch the sticks.

100 MPH Tape – To secure the fabric to itself when stretched tight across the frame.

Balloons

Unless you are in a part of the world that floats balloons in the middle of nowhere, balloons can be effective signals. Sure, they are not effective in windy weather, but kites are as long as the wind is not blowing too hard and anything out of the ordinary draws curiosity … especially out in the middle of nowhere.

I have stumbled upon a couple of crashed balloons in my adventures. They turned out to have been lifted by school kids, but even on the ground, on both occasions, the reflective Mylar caught my eye and made me curious enough to hike out to them and send the tags back to the kids.

I imagine they were surprised

Surface-to-Air Recovery System (STARS) and Skyhook

Balloons and the military have a long and storied history. From artillery observation balloons to signaling balloons to surface-to-air recovery systems.

One of my mentors in survival was Lt. Colonel Charles ‘Chuck’ Jurgensen who served with 1^st SFOD Delta (Delta Force). I imagine he was also a CIA operative, judging by where he was and details of some of the many war stories he related to me over the years, but he never suggested that he worked for the CIA.

The man operated in some far-flung parts of the world and did some crazy things and one of them was using a surface to air recovery system.

The system was called the Fulton Surface-To-Air Recovery System (STARS) in development and named Skyhook once it was ready for operational use and sounds like something right out of a James Bond film. In fact, Skyhook was featured in Thunderball, The Green Berets and Black Knight.

A rescue package is air dropped to the operator, who dons a harness and sends a line up into the air on a helium balloon. Then a specially-outfitted C-130 with a V-shaped yoke on the font of the plane, snags the line which is anchored to the plane and fed into to a winch.

The cargo, in case Chuck, attached to the line, is yanked up into the air and reeled into the back of the aircraft as it flies over. It takes 5-6 minutes to reel you in as you are dragged through the air behind the plane at 125mph. Chuck said it was a wild ride.

Well, his actual words were more along the lines of, “You couldn’t have driven a toothpick up my @$$ with a sledge hammer!”

Commercial Products

BCB – I have seen a couple of commercial signaling balloons over the years. One is the commercially-available BCB product called the Location Marker Balloon (LMB). The LMB was designed for military operations in jungle terrain and weighs less than 2 pounds, which seems heavy for a balloon, but that is military gear for you.

This may be hard for some of my younger readers to appreciate, but it is nice to have signal devices that do not rely on batteries. The balloon is over a meter across and is radar reflective. It is inflated with an included helium cylinder and can carry chemical light sticks, of which two are included.

The LMB can be seen from 10 miles, and is visible at night if IR chemlights and night vision goggles are used. Since it floats above the jungle canopy, it should not be visible to enemy ground forces without the aid of air support. The balloon can also lift a radio antenna of up to 80 grams above the canopy.

Rescue Me Balloon – It appears a company is trying to bring a product to market that incorporates a signal strobe called the Rescue Me Balloon, but I see that crowdfunding attempts have not been successful yet. Perhaps they will be for sale in the future.

Field Expedient Signal Balloons

When I was a kid, I built a balloon out of a paper plate, some birthday candles, pins, string and tape.

Even though I launched in Arizona, where it can be difficult to get lift with only hot air, it gained altitude to about double the height of the power lines and made a little over half a block distance before it crashed into a power line, caught fire and fell into a neighbor’s yard … not necessarily in that order.

While the design we affectionately named the ‘Hindenburg’ was not a success on all accounts, it definitely attracted some attention, which is the point of signaling. You could build this design if that is all you had materials for, but I am going to test another design that will hopefully be more reusable and stay aloft a lot longer.

I intend to use materials I carry in my survival kit, like the kite design, so I’ll see if I can’t fill an orange bivvy sack with hydrogen gas. To generate the hydrogen, I’ll use MRE heaters.

If I can manage to capture the hydrogen without capturing too much water vapor, it should float, but we’ll see. In theory, it should work because a single MRE heater can put out up to 10 liters of hydrogen. I have never heard of anyone attempting this, but I would like to put it to the test.

Survival is the king of all DIY pursuits so there is only one way to find out.

Signal balloons should be tethered so they can indicate your location. An improvised balloon may not indicate your location for a long time, but many solutions to survival problems are less than ideal, but still end up getting the job done.

Survival Kit Supplies Useful for Building an Improvised Signal Balloon

Signal Orange Bivvy Sack –

Candles – Heat source. Some folks carry ‘trick’ wind-resistant birthday candles in survival kits. I carry small candles that are only slightly larger than birthday candles and made of beeswax, which has many survival-related uses.

I also carry a multi-wick candle in a tin in cold weather, which I will use to heat the air inside the bag before launch. This way, the smaller candles only need to keep the air hot. I will experiment with heating the air and reusing the balloon versus sending up a heat source.

Aluminum Sheeting– Aluminum foil will serve as a lightweight basket to carry the candles which will be our heat source. I carry thick aluminum sheeting to fold into a pot, use as a reflector and many other uses, but will use heavy duty aluminum foil here since it is cheaper and lighter.

Leader Wire – A loop of thin wire or light grass may be useful to hold the wall of the balloon away from the heat source. I carry 60 Lbs test, 7-strand, stainless steel, knot-able, coated leader wire, but any lightweight wire that can hold a shape would work.

Kevlar Thread, 60-80 Lbs Test – This will be used as a guy line to guide the balloon past branches and suspend the basket from the balloon.

Sharpie Mini – As noted under kites.

100 MPH Tape – 100 MPH tape will attach threads to the balloon to suspend the basket.

Paper – Include a note on water-resistant paper and include the date, your position, name and contact information. Balloons are typically a one-shot deal and sometimes are not found for a long time, so you would not want to trigger a search long after you have been found or recovered yourself on your own if the guy line breaks or gets burned through.

MRE Heaters – Helium is not the only lighter than air gas out there and since MRE heaters produce hydrogen gas and I carry one in my survival kit for a number of reasons, I will see how many I would need to float a balloon.

Surgical Tubing – As predicted, not only was steam was a problem, but so was the heat generated by the MRE Heaters, so I had to capture the hydrogen in a drum liner attached to the bivvy with surgical tubing, which I pinched off until the contents of the trash bag was sufficiently cool that the water vapor condensed back into water, after which, I un-pinched the tubing and transferred the gas.

I used Aluminum foil to protect the drum liner from the MRE heaters and to introduce the water to the MRE heaters without any gas escaping, I sealed an MRE hot beverage bag inside the drum liner and introduced the water after evacuating the air and sealing everything up tight!

I carry surgical tubing to access water in crevices, attach it to my pen to make a bellows tube so I don’t inhale smoke when stoking my fire, to propel my fling spear, to drive otter boards, as a backup tourniquet, pressure dressing and many other uses.

Drum Liner – See above. Common survival kit item with near-unlimited uses.

MRE Hot Beverage Bag – See above. I modify MRE hot beverage bags with 100 MPH tape and grommets and use them for treating water by various methods, carrying water, as waterproof wound dressings, floats, bobbers, hot water bottles and much more.

Aluminum Foil – See above or and in the section on kites.

 

from Survivopedia
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Practical Preparedness: Sanity Savers

Written by R. Ann Parris on The Prepper Journal.

Sanity is important. Really. It’s easy to think that in a disaster we’ll just make do because we won’t have any choice. That’s adding a lot of stress to our bodies and minds in an already stressful situation.

People die and are brutalized as a result of today’s stresses, and various reactions to them. We are not all going to be immune should something occur – income loss, natural disaster, or nation-altering event. However, we can make some sanity-saving preparations to ease those stresses rather than increase them.

Curtains

We’re used to a great deal of privacy in most Western cultures. It’s no longer the norm to have 3+ generations in a single household. It’s no longer the norm to have even a nuclear family live without separate bedrooms and usually at least one family room to choose from and “get away”.

People make it through boomerang children and sudden house sharing. Flip side: Consider how many conflicts (and separations) occur when folks retire. Sometimes, two people are “suddenly” exposed to each other 24/7/365 and discover they actually only liked each other in small doses.

When we share tighter spaces, or share with more people than usual, conflicts tend to arise. Being able to retain even a minor visual escape from fidgets and from annoyances can be huge.

Cubbies can be arranged for tiny reading nooks, as well as to create smaller rooms or block off a bunk to provide some escape space. All we need to maintain some privacy and individual space are some sheets or fabric, and some screws, screw-in hooks, or some heavy-duty staples. You might also want to snag something like garden mesh or tulle that can be doubled up to provide a visual barrier but not block as much airflow.

Ear Plugs

As with getting out of sight, getting away from sounds can be enormously sanity saving. I prefer the Rite Aid-brand of soft orange foamies ($5-$8/50). They fit a variety of canals, fluff out fast, aren’t scratchy, and you can sleep on your side. They can also be used in conjunction with over-the-ear and around-the-ear headsets, which can further reduce the intrusion of outside noises.

Music & Headsets

Many of us like music, but don’t want to hear somebody learning to play the harmonica and singing may require those earplugs. Within my family, various infidels think Skillet is a pan, Pitbull is a breed, Celtic Woman is plural, FFDP=5FDP, and it’s normal to howl to country music. There’s audio torture in there for pretty much everybody.

Happily, we have options that will allow us to all dance to the beat of our own drummers.

There are umpteen music and video download services for smart phone or tablet. MP3 players have become wicked inexpensive. Phones are media storage devices, giving those old electronics we replace frequently new life. Terabyte external hard drives not much bigger than a wallet run $10-$20. They all fit compactly in Ziploc and EMP boxes and shields http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/default.aspx?catid=1006.

Even more happily, there are these handy things called “headsets”. This is different from earbuds. Headsets go over your ears or fit all the way around the ear, sealing off even more of the outside world. Plus, you can wear earplugs with a headset.

You’ll want to make sure you’re also stocking multiple power options. There are rocket stoves that can produce electricity. Small solar chargers are inexpensive. Some are barely bigger than an old flip phone, some are the size of smart phones and tablets, and some that are still in the $20-$50 range take up the space of a laptop – some of which expand to 2-3x times that for collection. Most will handle cell phones and mp3 players easily.

Cough Drops & Syrup

It may seem ridiculous, but somebody repeatedly hacking really will get on others’ nerves. It can also be disruptive to sleep – theirs and others’. Sleep deprivation is one of those things that generates emotional outbursts and bad decisions. It’s an easy fix.

Books, Games & Entertainment

Don’t ignore entertainments just because you think you’ll be working and then sleeping, and won’t need light or distractions. We watched and listened to stories and played sports and games even during pretty tough, lean periods of history.

There are compact card versions of a lot of board games, quickie fun like Man Bites Dog, and games like Qwixx that can cross purpose into Farkle, Yahtzee, and other dice games with some pre-printed instructions. We can create holiday, seasonal, and educational versions of Pictionary, Last Word, BINGO, and Scattergories. (Budget extender: home-print prompts and draw for letters instead of buying the game/alphabet die.) Notebook-sized dry erase boards provide reusable playing and scorekeeping.

Books run the gamut from the usual suspects (crosswords, Sudoku, search-a-word, “Brain Busters”) to fiction in line with family’s TV or gaming interests. Large-print versions will be easier to read in dim light. Some of the free papers in front of supermarkets have a puzzle page (don’t forget to snag the next addition for answers, and pencils).

There’s nothing wrong with adding books to our electronic media, but have some hardcopies.

Places like Oriental Trading Co. can be great for nabbing tiny jigsaw puzzles, finger-fidgets, all kinds of crafts, brain teasers, small activities, dominos, and bead mazes, for less than $5-$10 per lot of 4-24. Watch for their free shipping with no purchase limit specials ahead of holidays.

You can have jigsaw puzzles made out of favorite photos, or print your own. A dozen with their pictures fit in a shirt box. Some Nerf or airsoft guns and home-printed targets can make for an all-ages pirate or zombie party. Indoor bowling sets, non-pokey dartboards, mini indoor basketball goals, homemade bean-bag tosses, and similar are all ways to keep boredom and stress from boiling over even if we’re not trapped by weather or in a bunker/compound situation.

If there are adults and adolescents, don’t forget the condoms. Especially if you don’t plan for other entertainments.

Vices

For some, books, games, movies, music, and the internet are vices. For others, it’s nicotine or booze, chocolate or caffeine, popcorn or chips. Some people are pretty well addicted to their sports, watching or playing. Socializing and shopping will be a hard loss for others.

Loss leads to stress, and we’re already looking at stressful situations. We can either add to losses, or mitigate some. People “Jonesing is only going to further stress them and those around them.

Vices can absolutely be poor choices, especially in contained spaces. Still, weigh them out. Some aren’t so bad. Many addiction vices can be stocked for an initial transition period. Other types can be stocked to be a once-in-a-while treat or easily, inexpensively indulged.

Cool-Downs

Heat can be the straw that breaks a camel’s back. Heat can also cause actual medical stress, so combating it checks extra boxes.

One easy, fairly inexpensive helper are battery-operated fans. Some of them are tiny little AA and AAA mini’s we clip to strollers and dashboards. Box fans come in 6”-10” and 12”-20” ranges, running off 4-8 AA or 1-4 C or D batteries. Many can now be charged directly via USB.

Some of them generate a fair bit of breeze, which can help tremendously with perceived temperature. Even the less-effective ones can help a little. You can increase effectiveness by sticking something cool or cold in front of them, like a frozen water bottle, wet sponge, or one of those crack-cool ice packs (especially wrapped in a damp cloth).

Dunk-snap bandanas and soak-activated neck coolers (those start to get slimy after multiple uses) can also help significantly.

Exercise

The loss of friends and family, the loss of purpose after losing a job or retiring, loss of social outlets, and injuries already cause people to spiral into depression. It’s a common problem as-is, and is fairly guaranteed to increase if our worlds are ripped away. Anything that can fight it will be a big help – exercise is one of those things.

Exercise also helps with stress. It’s going to be a necessary outlet for active folks who are suddenly “trapped”. It allows some to release some of their frustrations – some, not everyone. It can also ease anxiety.

Physical therapy and senior citizen exercises can be helpful even for young, healthy bodies. We can leave mat space for calisthenics and Pilates, have chairs sturdy enough for exercise props, and stock resistance bands. There’s also the option of sticking a bike on a rack – which has the advantages of potentially being connected to a grinder, a laundry machine, or a generator. Hand bikes, rowers, or reclining bikes have their own advantages.

I personally wouldn’t install a boxing bag or treadmill somewhere everybody has to hear it getting pounded, since that’s only going to create more conflict and frustration.

Dealing with Conflicts

Anytime you increase stress, problems are going to start showing up. It’s not like preexisting issues go away, either. Especially in situations where you’re doubling-up in homes, living in RV or camping conditions, or in a bunker-barracks scenario, conflicts are going to arise.

Study, train, and stock material related to anger management, stress, grief processing, PTSD, forgiveness, passive-aggressive tendencies, abuse/assault, compromise, divorce, loss specifically related to parents and kids and miscarriages, for-real conflict resolution, and both assertiveness and sensitivity training. Get training on listening – specifically listening to family members – for as many as can attend.

We see divorces, PTSD, business partnership dissolutions, and family meltdowns every day. Thinking that high-stress will only bring our people closer, not crack some and create fissures, is delusional.

 

Sensitivities

Sensory Processing/ Perception Disorder can manifest in a range of ways. Some “feel” and “see” certain sounds – sometimes like corduroy rubbing in the ear, or that awful sensation of a pencil eraser’s metal scraping paper and desk. I don’t actually recognize background noises – clocks ticking, ceiling fans whirring, dogs panting, conversations behind a door, and rubbing of a callous are as prominent to me as face-to-face words. It has advantages and frustrations.

Other common and regularly undiagnosed sensitivities include misophonia (triggered by picking at nails, whistling breath, chewing, sucking on teeth, flicking and tapping pencils, thumbing pages of books) and misokenisia (many of the same, plus twiddling thumbs, jerking feet, bouncing knees, etc., especially when the repetitive motion is at the verge of peripheral vision).

It’s not just “get over it” territory or being appalled by bad table manners and fidgets. The mis-wired brain triggers extreme flight-fight reactions. It can make sufferers want to cry, scream, or stab someone. People have grit their teeth so hard they crack fillings, and dug nails so hard into their own thighs and earlobes that they draw blood.

Providing escapes and being cognizant of bad habits, sensitivities to bad habits, and finding resolutions is going to be important. Especially since being trapped for a long winter already causes people to go postal (hello, cabin fever) and so many people have weapons handy.

Other sensitivities to note now, especially for tight, closed quarters, are things like somebody wheezing from Vick’s or Aspercreme, somebody sneezing and sniffling until aerosol deodorizers dissipate (and that person not covering their mouth/nose properly), regular detergents making somebody itch, improper hand washing (“Gross!” & “Don’t touch food/dishes!” tiffs), and the smell of certain cleaners turning somebody’s stomach. There’s usually a work-around.

Anytime there’s nowhere to flee – trapped together by a hurricane or frigid weather, or in a bunker-type situation – the reaction to stressors is going to be to fight.

Pay attention, learn sensitivities ahead of time, and figure out ways to prevent and mitigate them. Distractions and mini-escapes will help tremendously.

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The post Practical Preparedness: Sanity Savers appeared first on The Prepper Journal.

from The Prepper Journal
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