Bug-Out Bag

mood: accomplished

This is a presentation I put together for my Fire Instructor course. I've modified it a bit to include sections I had to edit out due to time constraints, and to widen the target audience. If you'll allow me to indulge myself - the presentation went very well, and it was the only presentation for which members of the audience (my peers) stayed after class to ask questions. I was pretty stoked. More importantly, I hope it convinces you to collect some kind of emergency preparedness kit for your home. I hope you all enjoy it, but be forewarned: it's kinda long and full of pictures.

Nerd note: I first discovered the concept of a bug-out bag when daydreaming about my capability to survive if the dead were to rise from the grave and attack the living - the zombie apocalypse. Don't let that dorky detail turn you off, though - I guarantee that if you put one of these bags together, you WILL use it in the very near future.







Topic: Bug-Out Bags

Learning Objectives: The audience shall be able to recognize the potential for global and local disaster scenarios, understand the importance and utility of a bug-out bag, and know the options available when choosing their own bug-out bag and disaster preparedness inventory.

Resources Needed: Complete bug-out bag. Seven presentation handouts. Two presentation outlines.

Summary: As public safety workers, we all recognize the importance of emergency prevention. Natural and man-made disasters present the potential for illness and injury far beyond the initial event. Preparation for the challenges that will present themselves after the primary disaster will help avoid over-taxing local emergency response resources.

Outline:

I) Introduction

A) Name, job, experience: I am a firefighter/paramedic who works for a city of 180,000 in 65 square miles. We respond to more than 30,000 calls per year. I have 6 years of fire experience and 12 years of EMS experience.

II) Acronyms

If you are interested in researching this subject, you may find that the use of acronyms is very prevalent and can lead to confusion (influence of military?). Here's a list of common acronyms:

- B.O.B. Bug Out Bag
- B.O.L. Bug Out Location
- B.O.V. Bug Out Vehicle
- G.H.B. Get Home Bag (power outage summer of ‘03, affected 8 states, 55 million people)
- I.N.C.H. I'm Never Coming Home Bag
- E.D.C. Every Day Carry
- P.A.W. Post-Apocalypse World
- T.E.O.T.W.A.W.K.I. The End Of The World As We Know It
- S.H.T.F. (when the) Shit Hits The Fan
- M.R.E. Meals Ready to Eat
- F.A.K. First Aid Kit
- C.C.W. Concealed Carry Weapon

III) Why should I build a bug-out bag?

A) Local Potential: This is possibly one of the most important sections of the presentation. The audience must be able to recognize the potential for disasters in their specific geographical region. Is there a railway nearby that regularly serves trains carrying tanks of methylethyldeathyl? Interstate or roadways nearby that may have tractor trailers carrying hazardous materials? Fault zones? Dangers of sink holes or landslides? Hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanoes, wildfires? Refineries, munition factories? Disasters, natural or man-made, can happen anywhere. What are some hazards in your area?

1) Hurricane Isabelle: Deadliest and costliest hurricane of 2003 (09/18/03). Sixteen deaths were directly related to the storm and 35 indirectly, the majority of them in VA. It caused 3.6 billion dollars in damages. Six million people were left without power, many for up to a month.
A bug-out bag should not really be tested in this type of event due to ample warning and time to prepare, but it does afford a centralized, pre-planned source of supplies.


2) Tornado: Three touched down in central and SE VA (Suffolk) on April 28, 2008 - overturned cars and destroyed homes. A bug-out bag is very relevant in this situation; homes may be placarded as uninhabitable, local municipalities may order mandatory evacuations, vehicles may be destroyed, roads may be blocked by fallen trees and debris. Having an easily portable source of food, water and shelter would be very useful.


3) Nuclear fallout: In my area, local potential includes a nuclear power station and a shipyard that services vessels utilizing nuclear reactors. A disaster event is extremely unlikely to hear the nuclear power advocates tell it. Yet...

April 1, 1979, Three-Mile Island Nuclear Power Station experienced a partial reactor melt-down. A pilot-operated relief valve was stuck open - workers didn't recognize the problem due to lack of training and poorly marked panel indicators in the control room. The nuclear power industry claimed there were no deaths, injuries or adverse health effects from the accident, although a peer-reviewed study by Steven Wing of the University of North Carolina found lung cancer and leukemia rates were two to 10 times higher downwind of Three-Mile Island than upwind and showed that there was plant and animal chromosomal damage. Also, the Radiation and Public Health Project, a nonprofit educational and scientific organization, reported a spike in infant mortality in the downwind communities two years after the accident.


4) House fires, HazMat: What can you grab while running out the door, or being forced out by emergency service workers?


B) Global Potential

1) Domestic Terrorism/Foreign Military Actions: Terrorists tend to go for densely populated civilian areas rather than hardened military targets. The former provides a larger kill-to-effort ratio.

In my area, however, I also have several major naval weapons stations and a large shipyard - all would make excellent military targets.


2) Earthquakes: New Madrid Seismic Zone - source of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1812. Runs primarily along the Mississippi River from Illinois to Arkansas. This earthquake was estimated at an 8.0 Richter; big enough to ring church bells in Boston and crack sidewalks in DC. The probability of magnitude 6.0 or greater in the near future is considered significant; a 90% chance of such an earthquake by 2040 has been given. In the June 23, 2005 issue of the journal Nature, the odds of another 8.0 event within 50 years were estimated to be between 7 and 10 percent. This fault will slip in the near future - it is not a threat; it is a statistical certainty. When it does, it will be catastrophic for most of the East Coast and all of the Mississippi basin.


Oceanic earthquakes are capable of producing tsunami, such as the one on December 26, 2004 that struck Indonesia and Thailand, killing 225,000 people and hitting coastal villages with waves 30-yards high.


3) Asteroids: March 2 of this year, asteroid 2009 DD45 passed within 38,000 miles of Earth. That may seem like a long distance, but many of our orbiting satellites are only 20,000 miles above the Earth. This was basically a shot across the bow. DD45 was 40 yards wide, which is roughly the same size of the asteroid that hit Russia in 1908 (Tunguska Event). The Tunguska event produced an air burst 3-6 miles above the surface in the 10-15 megaton range (1,000 times stronger than Hiroshima), setting off an estimated 5.0 Richter earthquake. It flattened trees in an 830 square mile area. Another strike of that size in a populated area could easily kill a million people. Development of sky tracking programs has led to the discovery of nearly 100 "potentially dangerous" asteroids in the last few years. This illustrates the existence of hazards for which we have few mitigation strategies. Asteroid strikes are well documented in the fossil record - this is another threat that is a statistical certainty.


IV) Choosing the bag

A) Consider your application: HOW prepared do you want to be? Just enough to leave the area for a few days? Or enough to be self-sufficient for 3 days without any modern facilities (Hurricane Katrina)?

B) Military vs. Civilian? Conspicuous vs. inconspicuous? Is it durable? Has it been tested? Generally speaking, the advantages of military bags are that they are very durable and very rigorously tested. The disadvantage is that they are often conspicuous and widely recognizable as military. A hostile observer may make note of this. Will he assume you are military? Will he assume you are well prepared and have military-grade gear? Is he willing to kill to get that gear?

C) Examples: ALICE, MOLLE, Kelty, Kifaru

1) A.L.I.C.E. - All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment, first started development in the 1960s.

Advantages: heavily tested, durable, modular, the medium A.L.I.C.E. can be used with or without an external frame, available in different colors and camo patterns, frame keeps the pack off your back.

Disadvantages: Slim padding on shoulder and hip straps, still has a military look, modularity is limited.
Available for between $20-$90 depending on condition and manufacturer. My outfit was available for $30 at a local gunshow.


2) MO.L.L.E. - MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Current US Army standard.

Advantages: biggest is how modular it is. Many add-on pouches of different sizes and uses available. Heavily tested and durable.

Disadvantages: widely recognized as military; very conspicuous. External plastic frame breaks easily, zippers burst when overstuffed.
Goes for around $150-$250.


3) Kifaru - private company that builds packs designed to be compatible for modern military use. Also builds civilian hunting and camping packs. Widely considered to be top of the line.

Advantages: extremely modular. Reasonably well tested and durable. Lifetime warranty.

Disadvantages: very conspicuous and LOOKS expensive. Lay person is going to be able to recognize that it's expensive or, at the very least, full of "stuff." Cost-prohibitive. Depending on size, the mini-packs cost $200-$300, the large packs $600-$1200. I.N.C.H.


4) Civilian (Kelty) - popular civilian brand of backpacks.

Advantages: very wide range of sizes, colors and uses; day packs, overnight packs, multi-day packs, internal and external frame. Moderately conspicuous. $100-$200.

Disadvantages: less durable; built for hobby, not war. Not as modular.


5) Wal-Mart Special

Advantages: the height of inconspicuousness. This bag will disappear into the urban landscape. Many EDC pouches - these make excellent GHBs. Cheap. $20-$40.

Disadvantages: untested, not durable, no frame, very small. A bug-out bag CAN be made from one, but it's difficult.


V) Bug-out bag contents

Six basic categories: Depending on what emergency preparedness organization you are referencing: water, food, clothes/shelter, first aid, tools, specialty/personal items.

Sources: There are many good sources available when compiling a list of the items you want in your bug-out bag, but keep in mind that most of these national-scope agencies like the Red Cross and FEMA are oriented to fixed-site survival kits (bugging in). The bug OUT bag is geared towards evacuation; escaping the disaster.

1) http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/checklist.pdf
Department of Homeland Security
"Individuals should also consider having at least two emergency supply kits, one full kit at home and smaller portable kits in their workplace, vehicle or other places they spend time." Checklist is designed more for a bug-in.

2) http://www.fema.gov/
Gives preparation considerations specific to potential disaster. Also details how to prepare water storage with 2-liter soda bottles. Not very clear on water purification.

3) http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm
Church of Latter Day Saints - apparently they're big on self-sustainability and emergency preparedness; they have a pretty good checklist.

4) http://www.bt.cdc.gov/preparedness/kit/disasters/
CDC - another bug-in list with focus on chemical and biological threats.

A) Water

The standard requirement is 1 gallon of water per person per day; ½ gallon just for drinking. For 72 hours, that's 3 gallons which equals 25 pounds. It's not feasible to carry that much. Try to carry 2 or 3 liters of water and means of making more.

1) Treating water - Potable Aqua (iodine pills). Very inexpensive - about $6.00. Two pills treats 1 liter of water in 30 minutes. Does not kill cryptosporidium, a parasitic protozoa that causes diarrhea. Keep some powdered Gatorade handy for amending the taste of treated water.

Bleach: 8 drops in 1 gallon of clear water. 16 drops if the water is cloudy. Mix and allow to sit for 30 minutes. Water should have a slight chlorine smell to it. If it tastes too strongly of bleach, allow it to breathe for several hours. One gallon of bleach = 3,800 gallons of treated water. Don't use scented or color-safe bleach because the added chemicals could make you sick. Bleach does not kill cryptosporidium.

UV light pens: expensive and requires batteries but it is fast (treats 1 liter per minute) and does kill cryptosporidium.

Boiling; denatures proteins, killing all organisms.

2) Filtering water - most will effectively eliminate all protozoa, including giardia and cryptosporidium. Leaves some taste; if you filter water from a stream in the Shenandoah Mountains, it's likely going to taste a little like oak leaf tea.

3) Carrying water: Don't carry Aquafina or Deer Park-type water bottles. The plastic is made thin on purpose to reduce the cost of production. As a result, they break or crack very easily, and that will just leave you wet and thirsty. Gatorade bottles are made from much tougher plastic. The corrugated molding further increases their strength. Plus, they're free and you'll be recycling! Nalgene bottles are extremely popular - they're practically unbreakable, you can put boiling water in them and they won't deform, and they're made to be compatible with several mainstream brand water filters, like the Katadyn filter pictured below.



You can also consider a water bladder. They allow you to carry water without having to set down your pack or open a bottle to drink - you can just sip from a drinking tube.



B) Food

1) Mainstay/Datrex compressed ration bars

Advantages: most economic in terms of price, calories, weight and space. Three days worth of food is compressed into a package the size of a single box of granola bars. These items have a five year shelf life and can be stored in temperature extremes; outside, in the shed, in the car, etc.

Disadvantages: Doesn't take long to get tired of eating coconut-flavored wheat bars. A real meal goes a long way for morale.



2) MREs

Advantages: complete, multi-course, heated meal. Includes comfort items like matches, toilet paper and condiments. Very high calorie (1200). Three year shelf life.

Disadvantages: not a lot of fiber, which tends to cause constipation. Bulky, produce a very large amount of packaging waste. You can open the MRE and remove most of the cardboard packaging for transport, but that reduces the shelf life by two years.



3) Mountainhouse Meals

Advantages: very light weight, easily compressed. Able to be cooked in the bag. Available OTC. Very wide menu selection. Seven year shelf life – the canned meals (also dehydrated, but in larger amounts) have a 30 year shelf life.

Disadvantages: lower calorie count. Requires ability to boil water.



4) Knorr/Lipton meals, Ramen, other otc food items

Advantages: readily available, inexpensive, probably taste the best of all.

Disadvantages: low calorie, longer cook time, require you to pack a pan or pot to cook them in, very limited shelf life.



C) Clothing and shelter

1) Clothing – the type of clothing you choose depends largely on the environment, but remember this mantra when it's cold: COTTON KILLS. Cotton loses all of its insulating properties as soon as it gets wet. You're better off naked in the snow than wearing wet jeans in the snow. Cotton is really only suitable in a bug-out situation if you live in an arid environment.

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Wool, on the other hand, retains ALL of its insulating properties when wet. Polyester and nylon (like fleece and Dickies) shed water and dry quickly.

You should have: polyester or nylon underwear, 2 or 3 pairs. Synthetic fiber socks, at least 3 pairs, one pair of heavy wool socks if it's cold. You only need one change of pants and overshirt for a 3-day kit. Hat, bandanna, gloves, polypropylene thermals, sunglasses, rain gear, wool blanket, poncho liner.



The bandannas double as a dust mask, tourniquet, water pre-filter, pot holder, and many other uses. Cowboys didn't carry them just to show their gang affiliation. The black items are my polypro thermals; I've removed them from my pack now that we're having warmer temperatures. I have Dickies for pants. They're 65% polyester, durable, low profile, and dry quickly if they get wet. Dickies makes cargo pants, so those are on my to-buy list. I wish they made a coyote brown or olive drab color, but I think I'll go with the charcoal color since it's a little more muted than navy (pictured at the top of the post). I'm avoiding BDUs because the ALICE already has enough of a military look without adding to it.

2) Shelter - again, depends largely on the environment. Your biggest decision is if you want to have a tarp shelter or a complete tent.
Tarp shelters are lightweight and inexpensive, but give limited protection from insects and the elements. Wind and rain protection can be improved based on how much time you invest when setting up the shelter. Tents provide complete protection from insects and better protection from the elements, but are bulky, heavy and expensive.



From top to bottom: a USGI style poncho, which will double as a tarp shelter. The green poly tarp is a footprint I cut out for my tent, but I'm using it for a ground cloth now. Below that is an orange Thermarest mattress pad, a wool blanket, and a USGI poncho liner. The poncho liner is basically a poly/nylon blanket with lanyards along the edge so it can be tied up and used as a sleeping bag.

D) First Aid Kit

As a medic I really had to resist the urge to get squirrely here; this portion of the bug-out bag can quickly grow out of control. You need:

Bandages for heavy bleeding like kerlix or abdominal pads, bandaids, ace bandages, cravats, tape, gloves, mylar blanket, tweezers, triple antibiotic, crazy glue for sealing small lacerations.
Meds: Tylenol (fever reducer), Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory), Aspirin (headaches), Benadryl (histamine reactions), and perhaps most importantly, Imodium. An anti-diarrheal is imperative. Dysentery in a survival situation is lethal. Don't forget to pack extra prescription medications - most doctors will provide you with extra meds for this specific purpose, even pain killers. You should keep a hard copy of your medical conditions in your wallet, purse, pocket, etc.

I've also included a month supply of ioSAT, since I live in some nuclear plume zones and I like my thyroid gland.



The following are some additional items to consider, if you have the money and space for them in your bag. Izzy bandages were developed by an Israeli doctor and designed for combat or rural use. They are a combined pressure bandage/tourniquet and are ideal for hemorrhage control. The Combat Application Tourniquet is a similar item, with a more specialized purpose. The Structural Aluminum Malleable (SAM) Splint is another useful device that is fairly compact. I've omitted it in my pack because I'm fairly comfortable improvising splints. A blood pressure cuff and stethoscope are relatively heavy, but I've included them in my B.O.B. because I'm trained enough that they make useful diagnostic tools. I have not packed my CPR mask - family and friends I can do mouth-to-mouth on. If I don't know them that well...they're just not getting ventilated.



Personal sanitation: hand sanitizer, toilet paper, camp soap/shampoo, bug spray, sun screen, lip balm, toothpaste, toothbrush, dental floss, feminine hygiene, Wet Ones



E) Tools - this is a pretty all inclusive category. I've broken it down a bit.

1) Means of cooking food and boiling water - there are hundreds of compact, commercial camp stoves available. Most are expensive and have specialized fuel needs. I've included instructions for a stove that will cost about $12 to build, and can use either denatured alcohol (easily obtained at any hardware store or Wal-Mart) or wood for fuel. Don't forget to pack a spork and scrubbing pad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage-can_stove

So this consists of the pepsi can stove, a 28 oz tomato sauce can, an Olicamp cup, which is designed to nest with a Nalgene bottle, and a couple tent stakes. As you can see, the cup fits onto the bottom of the Nalgene bottle, and the tomato sauce can (which is used as a windscreen/pot stand) slips over the top of the Nalgene bottle. That way, the whole contraption takes up very little room. You fill the stove with fuel, put it in the bottom of the windscreen, light it, and then the Olicamp cup sits on top of the tent stakes. It will boil 500 mL of water in 7 minutes with 30 mL of fuel, which is pretty damn efficient.



Or, you could buy one of these sexy MSR stoves, but it will cost you $150.00, not including the fuel bottle:



2) Tools: As you can see, this next category is pretty large, so I've broken it up a little. Note the camp knife and the machete at the top of the image. A knife is a must-have. The machete could be replaced with a hatchet or camp saw - those are luxury items if you want to be prepared for cutting wood for a camp fire.

Fire starting tools - lighters, waterproof matches, a film canister with vaseline-soaked cotton balls in it (tinder), a block of magnesium with a ferro-striker insert, and a separate ferro-rod with striker attached. You want to carry multiple means of starting a fire in case the lighter runs out of fuel, it's too windy to use the matches, etc. Depending on the severity of the disaster, a campfire - a way to cook food, keep warm, or boil water - could save your life.

Notepad and writing utensils.

Cash, $50.00 in small bills.

Fishing gear in a tobacco tin.

Cordlocks.

Razor blades.

Caribiners.

Duct tape, 25' wrapped around a business card to reduce the space and weight of a cardboard roll.

Pre-paid phone card.

Thumb drive containing the following: home, auto and medical insurance, mortgage, emergency phone numbers, birth certificates, latest W2, family photos, photos of your house and its contents, auto titles and registration, record of mortgage, car and utility bill payments.

Spork.

Two compasses.

A whistle with thermometer insert.

Camp towel, made of synthetic fibers which dry quicker than cotton.

I.D.

Zip ties.

Multi-tool.

Heavy-duty tin foil, 3' folded.

Local map.

Paracord, also known as 550 cord because its breaking strength is 550 pounds. I have two rolls - the larger one is 50' and the shorter one is sections at lengths of 10', 15', and 20' so that I don't need to cut up my long section.

Crank powered and battery back-up radio with weather channel.

Tent stakes.

LED light that clips onto hat brim, extra batteries, and a throw-down LED flashlight. Some form of headlamp is very important - if you've ever tried to rummage through a bag in the dark with one hand holding the flashlight, you know what I mean. Get rid of all your old flashlights that have incandescent or Xenon bulbs; LED bulbs prolong battery life by 20-40 times. You'll get even more light if you use lithium batteries over alkaline. I intend to eventually replace the clip-on light with a proper head lamp.

Sunglasses that are also ANSI approved safety goggles. Available at any hardware store.

Heavy-mil garbage bag.

The black bag is what I use to hold most of the smaller tools in these pictures.

F) Specialty Items - these include any items that may be idiosyncratic to your life - diapers, bottles and formula for a child, prescription meds, dog food, contact lenses, hearing aid batteries, condoms, etc.

One thing missing from this write up that is worth addressing: firearms. Many people who are experienced with building B.O.B.s will tell you that a firearm is essential, but I found the subject to be a little too large to tackle; that's a separate post altogether. The type of gun to have (rifle/pistol/shotgun, caliber, mag, enbloc, bolt action, etc), the moral and legal implications of carrying a firearm, the ability to open-carry depending on the disaster...all these subjects are too large to tackle and would derail the purpose of this post.

Well folks, that's about it! My thanks to anyone who read through the whole thing - I'd love to hear any questions or suggestions. My B.O.B. is mostly complete but I'm always interested in finding ways to tweak and improve it. I hope this post helps you think about some important disaster-preparedness items you might like in your home, or even get you thinking about building a bug-out bag of your own!

ETA: deleted comments from spambots