Why we are all Preppers

There are things in life that occur which are beyond our control; “Events” as we will call them, that can put you and your loved ones in danger. However, your level of preparation IS within your control.

The risk of your home catching on fire is small, but the consequences can be severe. Being prepared can greatly improve the chances of survival for you and your family. This is why we have smoke detectors and likely a fire extinguisher in our home. To do otherwise is potentially negligence or even illegal. But guess what most people die from during a fire? Smoke inhalation. Remember this later as we talk about the rule of 3.

Our government through FEMA (www.fema.gov/ ) and several other agencies (www.CDC.gov  www.Ready.gov www.Flu.gov  www.hhs.gov and www.redcross.org ) say that everyone should have some basic preparations. Things like a minimum of 3 gallons of drinking water stored per person and a lot more that you may not know about. Everyone, especially those of us who are responsible for others should have some level of emergency preparation.

Most Police Officers never fire their gun in the line of duty. Despite this, they still wear a bulletproof vest because the consequences of being shot can be severe (death) even though the likely hood of it happening is very low. The chances of a crisis or life-changing “Event” occurring are small, but the consequences could be fatal if not prepared, much like the Police Officer not wearing a bullet proof vest.

In these examples, we see preparing as just good sense, not prepping. But it IS Prepping. However, we are less likely to have any preparations for more severe Events & consequences. So what happened to good sense now? Shouldn’t we have our own “bullet proof vest” (figuratively speaking) or some sort of low-cost insurance for serious events? Perhaps we should have a few basic preparations like extra food, water and ammo?

So how do we start prepping? The answer is by reading this book or blog, assessing your current level of preparedness, and then developing a sensible plan that will help protect you and your family from potentially real Events that are beyond your control. The Beginner Prepper List offers a good starting list of how to prep.  Next look at the Prepper Incremental Strategy.

Take this test by National Geographic’s Dooms Day Preppers as a starter. http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/doomsday-preppers/interactives/how-prepped-are-you1/

Remember your initial score and make a list of your findings, and then read on and remember:
The Rule of 3 – you can die in:

1. 3 seconds without security
2. 3 minutes without air;
3. 3 hours without shelter (in hostile weather);
4. 3 days without water &
5. 3 weeks without food.

This rule will help us set our priorities.

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents

Beginners:

Beginner Prepper List

The Rule of 3 (set priorities by this)

US Government Recommended Preparations