I am the new ward emergency and preparedness specialist. I can
tell you I am in no way a specialist but want to become one. I have been doing a bit of research and want to learn all I can to help each of you become as prepared as possible for any kind of emergency- whether it is long term or short. I know this can be an overwhelming and even a daunting task, so I am here to help in what ever way I can.
I know most of you have some kind of food storage. I will be focusing on all areas of preparing ourselves and plan to send information every week. I will also be sending out a survey as I try to get an inventory of what the ward has. I would love your feedback and suggestions.
I will organize bulk orders and also start having some demo classes to teach how to use what we have and somewhat on nutrition.
Just before I was called to this, I took a complete and thorough inventory of everything we have in our home as far as food and water. We opened cans of the "old stuff" to see if it was something we should keep and had it for dinner. It was a real eye opener as it was awful! We were spitting in the sink.
Part of becoming prepared is knowing what you do have and what you don't. I know we are all very busy but know you will be glad to have taken the time to do an inventory.
This week I have chosen to take a look at fuel. For starters there
is a fairly new product called Insta-fire. Last winter I found myself from
time to time thinking about the pioneers surviving the winter and tried to put myself in that situation-basically I couldn't comprehend longer than a day and was just so grateful for my warm home.
You can google insta-fire. ... here is a bit of info I have:
INSTA-FIRE Comes in: 24 Pack of Single-Use for $24.95 (tax included) 2 Gallon Bucket for $29.95 (tax included)
5 Gallon Bucket for $54.95 if our ward orders at least 5. $49.95 if 10 or
more
are ordered (tax included) an idea I had is to make my own single-use packages from the large bucket using my own baggies but will need to check to see if there is any chemical reaction/breakdown in the plastic baggie. I do know bagies disintegrate in heat and sun.
You can light Insta-Fire granules in your hand because the patented volcanic
rock and wood pellet mixture burns from the top down, the fire doesn't burn
you unless the wind blows the flame sideways.
That's just one feature that makes Insta-Fire an ideal fuel for Mormons to
include in their home storage plan.
"It's so completely safe to store, next to food, in the garage, even after
it's been opened," Karl Banner said. "It doesn't light with a spark. It's
considered a noncombustible."
The main Insta-Fire ingredient; volcanic rock is mined in Malad, Idaho.
It's heated to more than 3,000 degrees, making the rock porous. Wood pellets
are added, the rock is soaked in a liquid mineral agent and coated with wax.
The process creates a kind of kindling product that lights quickly with
flame, burns hotly and is bio-degradable. "I was at a mountain man
rendezvous, and I saw an old man burning rocks, so I bought a few rocks,
tried them and they didn't light. I ended up going back to the old man for
the rest of the story,"
Banner said. "That led to a long process where my friend Frank Weston and I
spent every day for a year perfecting the formula."
About five years ago, Insta-Fire was ready for use, and a good amount was
sent to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Today, it's being used in Haiti in
many of the orphanages. Marilyn Hoff, "The Earthquake Lady" with the Utah
Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security, recommends it as
part of a "grab-and-go" pack. She has some in her personal pack. "This to
me is a clean way to cook and to keep warm. It is safe," Hoff said. "I was
very impressed. I met Konel in a Smith's parking lot and it had snowed. He
put some directly on the snow and lit it and it stayed lit the whole time."
Banner said Insta-Fire is great for Scout campouts because it can be lit on
top of snow or wet ground. (It also works well to get charcoal briquettes
going for the grill or in simple brick-lined ovens.)
"All my life I've been told to store fuel where possible, but I've never
known how to store fuel. This fits the bill. It can be stored safely for
years," Banner said.
A half-cup is sufficient to start 10-20 briquettes. Single-serve packets
work well in 72-hour kits because they're light and noncombustible. One
thing I like about this fire starter is that even though it's water proof,
it's all natural and non-toxic. Most backpackers with decent fire skills
could easily get a fire going with about a teaspoon or so making it very
economical (both money and weight wise). Will take up to 50 mph winds, burns
right on the snow, feather light, the volcanic rocks will float and burn on
water. Saved a friends life who got caught in a blizzard and nothing else
would work - pine needles wouldn't even burn - burnt the Insta-Fire and fed
the fire all night - non toxic and I hear the Canadian Special Forces uses
it now. Very cool stuff. The use of the volcanic rock works as a wick does
to a candle, the wood pellets take about five to seven minutes of burning
before they will even start to burn, so we have to wick the process to get
the wood pellets to start so we can have the burn time.
When you use our product the first thing you light is the white rock, that
will burn for seven to eight minutes by itself. (Remember to light the
white!!) The the wood pellets start to burn and they will burn for another
eight to ten minutes giving you approximately 15 to 20 minutes of burn time
depending on the conditions.
Please let me know if you are interested in bulk orders. Have a great day!
From Happily Preparing
Katrina
PS I forgot one other item on the fuel list to consider to keep your home
warm (in case of power outage/gas and oil shortage etc.) is a dual purpose
radiant kerosene heater. There are numerous web sites for these including
ksl.com and other places that sell used items for less $. Also, a great web
site is Miles Stairs www.endtimesreport.com/survivalshop. There are so
many high quality emergency gadgets that fit into pockets and on key rings.
