Perhapsjustsniffit

In a post in c/Canada earlier today someone asked about what they could do to prepare for difficult times ahead. As an old guy who has been around the block a time or two and also worked in emergency medicine, backcountry/high angle rescue and search and rescue along with an extensive background in food preparation and homesteading, I delved into the answer a little bit from my perspective. Others have chimed in and I have added their thoughts to the list as well. Feel free to comment your own suggestions and I will update the list.

There is always something we can do that helps educate others or ourselves that will be helpful in the coming months and years. Becoming knowledgable in an area you are comfortable with and volunteering within your community will help bring you closer to your community and also assist with the mental health challenges of constantly negative news by getting you out in public and working toward a goal.

Here is a list of tasks and learning experiences that you can take part in to help grow a civil defence force and resistance movement:

MEDICAL:

First aid. There are varying kinds. Pick one that you are comfortable with. If you love it, get as much training as you can. Work up to EMT or better. Personally I would avoid St John Ambulance due to their ties with Zionist Israel and their current Genocide/Holocaust of the Palestinian people.

Those with medical training update your trauma training and consider purchasing a personal kit.

Stock first aid supplies that do not expire and make sure your personal kit is overstocked for your family. Bandages, trauma dressings, iv drip sets, iv catheters, combat tourniquets.

Anyone considering combat should also purchase a trauma medical kit and learn how to use it. Here is a post I've written on how to and some tips on constructing a Personal Trauma kit for combat:

https://lemmy.ca/post/40158521

COMBAT:

Drone operation or building. DJI Mavic 3 seems to be the drone of choice in Ukraine for multiple uses and ease of access.

PAL for firearms. Shooting classes and/or range time.

Fitness of all kinds including self defense. The kids too. They love this stuff and it's never too young or old, to learn about staying fit and being able to protect yourself.

Survival or wilderness experience. If you plan to volunteer in any capacity should there be combat, you should make sure this is a part of your education with first aid and weapons training. If you plan to stay in the rear watch some videos. Know some skills, have supplies and practice lighting a fire. Kids also love learning to light campfires. Get some marshmallows and make it fun. Work up to boiling water and maybe cooking something.

Swimming lessons, hand to hand combat lessons, diving lessons, boat operators course.

Consider joining the reserves.

FOOD GROWING, PREP AND STORAGE:

Cooking classes. Learn scratch food preparation and how to make "something from nothing". Kids too. They love to eat what they cook.

How to grow, forage, harvest foods. This could be a container on your deck or your entire yard converted to garden, animals and life. You could be picking berries by a city park or learning to hunt wild game.

If you live in an HOA or a city that doesn't allow it, go to council meetings and flood them with people who want gardens in their yards and chickens for eggs. Frame it around food security. People have been fighting for this in towns and cities all over the country. Lend your voice.

Learn food storage. Canning, dehydrating, fermenting, curing, root cellars, refrigeration.

Search out local small farms and stores to purchase from. Ask about other places in the community the operators are aware of that you could check out as well.

Hit up an ethnic food event at the local community center, city park or place of worship. Oh man the food and people can be amazing at these things. Seek out people who are different then you and interact with them especially by sharing food. You will make new friends , find great food and open doors to places you didn't even know existed in your own community. You might even have fun.

Learn water filtration methods and purchase a reusable water filter, chemical water treatment or learn how to make a water filter if necessary.

MUTUAL AID:

Join a youth program as a leader, such as 4H, YMCA, boys and girls clubs, LGBTQ+ groups and other community service groups to help teach kids your skills.

Search and Rescue training. this can also include High angle and confined space rescue training or each can be taken individually.

Volunteer at a local mutual aid org (food banks, search and rescue, volunteer fire or ambulance, community gardens, drop in centers, youth training programs, libraries, municipal rec departments etc.)

COMMUNICATION:

Find trusted independent alternate media sources. Follow CBC News website and open source social media for news and organizing. Find trusted sources of media and know who owns them. Many news organizations in Canada are American owned and many Canadian owned news organizations are controlled by oligarch owners that align themselves with similar political viewpoints to those south of us or wish to exert control over us to further their own family wealth. Here is a great primer:

https://lemmy.ca/post/39971490

Get your data off American services. Start with your email, aka your access credentials to the internet. There are several European providers with varying features such as Posteo and Mailbox (both German). This applies especially if you are engaged in any activism. Do not do that on any service the US authorities have direct access to or can get access via surveillance treaties. The latter are changing almost daily as the US makes more and more enemies, so stay informed.

Take or offer classes on the manipulation tactics of social media and news media.

Train on HAM Radio and other alternative communication devices.

Radio operators liscence

Learn, understand and use methods to discourage tracking via your online activities. Learn how to use VPN's, TOR, security based Free Open Source Software (FOSS).

Computer programming and networking, design and 3D printing. Learn how to create local networks and self host email, entertainment, information and open source social instances for places like Lemmy and how to share these with your community and country.

Create permanent personal media backups of important information including but not limited to Wikipedia, entertainment, diy plans and Foss based software that can operate free of internet connections or obscure your location and personal information to the best of your ability.

RESISTANCE/PROTEST:

Learn protest tactics and police responses. Including how to avoid facial recognition, what to do about electronics, how to respond to police actions etc.

Join a union or strike with one.

Contact your MLA, MP, Mayor and Council about starting a civil defense League and leaving social media sites from American oligarchs as well as organizing new official areas to contact Canadians free of foreign interference and corporate greed.

Read about resistance movements and how they were accomplished. A couple of resources that can get you started are:

https://commonslibrary.org/198-methods-of-nonviolent-action/

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26184

https://ia802904.us.archive.org/30/items/theanarchistcookbookwilliampowell/The%20anarchist%20cookbook%20-%20William%20Powell.pdf

https://collapsesurvivalsite.com/free-survival-books-manuals/

EDUCATION:

Learning a bit of basic chemistry. Very basic but enough that you can make certain things.

fermentation and distillation. For fuel, alcohol, extraction. The basics are simple.

Design/mechanical or machining skills.

Learn to build a PC or program a raspberry pie to do different tasks.

Learn about uses and programming for old devices like cell phones, tablets and media players.

Also a very good point that was brought up that needs consideration.

The idea I want to contribute is that the state of readiness, in many things you want to prepare for, takes time to cultivate and needs to be already in place by the time it's use is needed. People who lack direct experience with the items on this list they want to focus on, often mistakenly think they can do the adapting and learning quickly, like a movie montage.

Identify the things that call to you on this list, and put weekly direct IRL effort toward them now, lay for yourself the work and belief in your own convictions that leaves you prepared if the worst comes, and distrust your brain's tendency to mistake the thinking and talking about it for direct active engagement with your IRL goals.

And most of all organize. Talk to your neighbors and friends about what they are doing to prepare. Help one another. There are so many things we can do to educate ourselves and find like minded community members to start organizing. Organizing and meeting people is what makes us stronger. The rest is just a bonus.

I will continue to update this list as others make valuable suggestions.

Stay safe out there.

At a time like this many people think of arming themselves and there has been some discussion here on Lemmy about this. People getting their PAL and practicing shooting, even buying guns for the first time.

As a former Paramedic, I encourage you to also consider trauma medical supplies and first aid training as part of your preparation.

Lots of basic premade kits are rather expensive. But you can stock item by item if you shop around. I suggest you find a medical supply house in your area. The supplies are pretty cost effective and can be bought individually or by the box. Look in the industrial parks in the cities around you or that you live in. There will be medical supply houses that stock first aid kits and supplies as well as hospital supplies and such. You can also find supply houses online but prices vary widely.

TIPS:

-Get a list of goods and stock everything you can. (See below for basic list). If you can afford a box instead of a single...buy it. Someone will use it even if it isn't you personally.

-Build the kit a little beyond your skill level if you can afford. Extra supplies will always be needed.

-Don't forget about your family. Now is a good time to check your kits at home and make sure they are stocked up or purchase one for home use.

-They may also be designated as rescue supply or safety supply not just medical supply. They will be located near something like a tactical supply where you can buy body armor, military, police and security supplies.

-Avoid drug stores as the costs are exorbitant. They buy a huge box for pennies and sell individually packaged single items with huge markups. If that's all you have consider ordering online.

-If you can't manage all the goods buy PPE (gloves especially), trauma bandages, chest seals, tourniquets, tape and a pair good heavy EMS shears. Stock as many as you can manage. Those will be the most used items.

ITEMIZED LIST AND SUBSTITUTES:

Here is a list for a good basic Field kit you can follow. Put it in a pouch that can attach easily to a belt or a pack and be accessible at all times.

1. PPE (gloves, mask, eye protection)

You can often find fairly good nitrile gloves by the box at dollar stores and hardware/auto parts places like princess auto. These places will also often have basic eye protection and masks of various kinds. You can't help anyone else until you help yourself.

2. Small pocket mask, NPA, OPA

this is a one way valve mask to protect you when maintaining an airway. It keeps patients from puking in your mouth and other good stuff no one wants to think about. Get some.

3. Trauma scissors

EMS Shears are what you are looking for. If you plan to use them a lot it really is better to spend a little more. If they're a carry along kit, get cheaper ones and spend more on wound dressings and tourniquets. If you plan to offer or learn medical services buy the best shears you can afford and also buy a stethoscope and learn how to use it. Littman is the gold standard brand for stethoscopes but also an American company.

4. 1 or 2 tourniquets (SWAT-T, CAT)

essential items. Someone will need one more than you think. Combat style. One handed. They're also not cheap but essential in major trauma situations. Your belt or some webbing sewn in a small loop paired with a stick will work in a pinch.

5. Chest decompression kit or three very large gauge sharps (14 & 10g @ 3.25" long)

You can get large gauge sharps (needles) at the farm store as well. They won't have all the safety stuff and a catheter like the human medical ones but they will be individually packaged, sterile, long and large gauge for a cheap price. Good for single use chest decompression. Something is better than nothing.

6. 2-3 trauma dressings (Israeli type)

these are heavy bandages for large bleeding to wrap around a limb injury and tie around tightly. The Israeli type really is the best, but you can also find large trauma dressings with all kinds of tails from gauze to cotton to something like rafia craft string. Another good cheap substitute is heavy flow menstrual pads and roller gauze.

7. 4-6 hemostatic dressings

These help blood from major wounds clot faster than normal. They are treated with compounds to make this happen. This also comes in a powder form called quick clot. They can be pricey but very useful. Heavy duty dressings with ties not infused with quick clot are cheap and better than not having anything.

8. 2-3 open chest seal (Bolin, Hyfin, Asherman)

used for open chest wounds. They usually have some type of one way valve and a large plastic type surface when unfolded to cover the wound and only allow airflow in one direction. A cheap alternative is actually plastic wrap and good tape. Seal only 3 sides of the plastic with tape to create a makeshift one way valve. It won't work perfectly but again it's better than nothing.

9. 4 roller gauze, compression bandages

essential for all kinds of wounds. If you have taken a first aid course you have used or seen this stuff. It is just what it says. A roll of gauze similar to cheesecloth in appearance. Pair these with heavy flow maxi pads for makeshift trauma bandages. If you can afford a box get it. It will get used for everything.

10. 1 roll heavy duty 2" tape (e.g. NARP Gecko tape)

good tape is always appreciated by everyone in emergency medicine. It is an essential item that has to stick in the worst, wettest, messiest conditions. That said if you can't afford good tape (transderm is pretty good and cheap by the box or roll) then grab some hockey tape. It won't stick worth shit to anything but itself but it can keep pressure when your hands can't. A single roll of good tape can save a life.

11. 1 personal care kit (PCK)

includes personal medications, sunscreen, insect repellant, and/or contact lens supplies. Careful not to get carried away. You have to carry all this shit.

RECOMMENDATION:

Sands has been a Canadian supply house for decades and is well trusted in the EMS community. I have ordered from here quite a bit over the years. Finding made in Canada supplies will be difficult but I am sure they will assist you however they can. I have no affiliation to sands, they're just the place I've used the most.

https://sands.ca/

They have this very basic premade trauma kit as well...

https://sands.ca/products/blood-stop-kit-1199468348-html?_pos=12&_sid=f0108cf11&_ss=r

CLASSES:

First aid classes are available all over. If you live rurally check with your municipality or the red Cross. You can probably even take some kind of online course though I have no experience with that. In the city there will be many organizations teaching first aid. You will be able to choose what type of first aid and when and where. Probably even book online.

https://www.redcross.ca/training-and-certification/course-descriptions/first-aid-training/standard-first-aid-cpr

PLEASE NOTE: Personally I would avoid St John Ambulance due to the connection with Israel and the ongoing Genocide/Holocaust of the Palestinian people.

If anyone has questions or needs assistance I am more than happy to help.

PLEASE NOTE:

this kit is specifically designed for combat trauma situations. it is not a family first aid kit. You should have a fully stocked kit at home as well with different contents. Those appropriate to the situations you may face.

Stay safe out there.

Hit me with your suggestions. We have kiddos. Make everything scratch. Chocolate chips are almost essential.

I'm looking for wool socks. Not like your grandma's (I have lots of those) but merino wool knee high socks. I dress a little differently than most men my age and I wear a lot of high socks for multiple reasons. Mostly to stay warm.

Any ideas?