Notes from Katrina

            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.