.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

How Do You Prepare for Coronavirus? Just Follow These 6 Steps

Coronavirus cases in the US have now risen to 60, including 42 passengers who were aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, three people repatriated from China and 15 on US soil
CDC confirms first ‘unknown origin’ coronavirus case in northern California
Right now, many Americans are starting to realize that coronavirus isn’t so much an “over there” thing, but is already an “over here” thing as well. When you see Italians emptying shelves, stocking up on toilet paper, respirators and food instead of chilling with some pasta and wine in the town’s plaza you know shit is getting real.
The WHO directives (like WHO general director Tedros Adhanom) and doctors with good intentions going online and begging people “Don’t panic!” while wearing faces that look as if they’ve just been told their puppy was thrown into a wood chipper, that´s not very encouraging either.
The good news is that you don’t have to go nuts over this either, ESPECIALLY if you are a true survivalist or prepper. If that the case, then you have ALREADY been doing many of the key things you should be doing to prepare for a pandemic.

Common sense Preparedness

There’s a methodology, a logic to preparedness. You analyze which things you need to do so as to survive and sustain a certain quality of life, you research potential threats given your location and personal circumstances and you prepare so as to be in a better position to deal with them. It’s as simple as that.

This is the kind of mythology I used for my book “Street Survival Skills”. I need it to live? I need to cook? To purify water? Or, I need to defend myself? Fine, which no BS method or strategy should I apply? Because of this methodical approach, I explain the importance of having at least one month worth of food stored (one month minimum, 12 would be ideal), and means of cooking it. Water is critical too, as well as means of filtering and purifying it.
One of those supplies to have listed were N95 respirators. Why? Because of pandemics, volcano or fire ash, sand storms and dust after structures have collapsed. Because you can’t live more than three minutes average without breathable air, that’s why you need to take care of air. As it so happens, anyone that took that advice seriously has a supply of respirators already stocked, those that didn’t are rushing and looking at $200 for a pack of 5. Hand sanitation was also explained in the book, including means of making your own hand sanitizer in case it sells out. Why? Because dirty hands kill more people than bullets, especially during a disaster.

Staying healthy and in shape is also an essential aspect of preparedness and it covers most of the key aspects to survival such as being strong and healthy, capable of working, fighting, bugging out or in this case boosting your immune system. Even basic aspects of financial preparedness such as the importance of precious metals plays a role, with gold again going up as investors seek shelter because of the impact of coronavirus.
Preparedness done wrong can be a lot of fun. You can focus only on guns for shooting zombies and building bonfires, we all love that stuff, but real, methodical preparedness, while not always a lot of fun is something else: it WORKS. When shit does indeed hit the fan like we are now seeing with coronavirus, it works.

What to do

1) Don’t panic. Coronavirus is basically a very strong flu. Yes, it will most likely reach wherever it is that you live. No, there’s a good chance it won’t kill you. In fact, there’s a good chance you’ll hardly distinguish it from any other flu if you are young and in good health. It is still a highly contagious deadly virus and needs to be taken seriously. It’s also a “new” virus and a big concern are recent reports that people that recovered from the disease can have relapses and may even fall sick again.

2) Who is more vulnerable?  The older you are, the more likely you are to suffer complications. Fatality is as high as 15% for those 80 year old or older and it drops the younger that patient is. Smokers and people with preexisting cardiovascular conditions are a lot more vulnerable too. Children, teenager and young adults seem to deal with it a lot better. Past 40, the older you are, the higher the mortality rate is.

3) It is HIGHLY contagious. This is why officials are having such a hard time containing it. When people sneeze, cough or even talk, they spit small droplets of saliva that stay in the air for some time and people can just breathe them in. This seems to be the more common form of contagion rather than touching contaminated surfaces and then touching our mouths, nose or eyes which is more common with the common flu. People may also be asymptomatic, but still spreading the disease for two weeks before showing signs or maybe dealing with the virus well and not showing signs at all.
4) Do prepare. Remember to wash your hands very often, use hand sanitizer when out and about. Eat well, sleep well and work out. Take lots of vitamin C. Once believed to be hype, recent studies show it does boost the immune system and helps fight flu like viruses. Prepare to shelter in place if you have to. No matter where you live (some of the towns quarantined in Italy are 1k population towns, one of the infected is a farmer) you may be asked to stay quarantined so you need to have a reasonable food stockpile.  If the disease spreads and you are seeing more “community spread” cases in your area, you want to take extra precautions such as wearing an N95 respirator or proper NBC mask when around other people that may be infected. Remember that you need to SHAVE to get a good seal on a respirator. Forget about disposable respirators, they are impossible to find and way to expesive anyway. Get an actual full face mask while you still can!

3M Full Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6800
5) Stay informed. Information is key at this point and will be the data you use so as to make the decision that is best for you and your family. Should we stay put, shelter in place? Should I work from home? Should the kids not go to school for some time? What precautions do we start taking now?

6) Make your own decisions. In “Street Survival Skills”, page 219, I quote a great line from Hippocrates, “If you are not your own doctor, you are a fool”. I wish I had known and understood the implications of this quote a long time ago. Doctors can give you, literally what is only an educated opinion, but you know you, you know what’s best for you and what risks you want to take and how you want to live your life. Ultimately, it’s your responsibility. Also, you need to know that sometimes you are simply being LIED by those that believe to know what’s best for you. When a WHO or other health officials say “you don’t NEED respirators” I think “fine, that’s your opinion”. Now when they say respirators don’t “work” to prevent the disease, then that’s just BS and I don’t like being lied to. If respirators don’t “work” then why would people treating those infected use them? The WHO and CDC want to control the panic and most of all, they want to stop people from buying this equipment because they need it themselves and the emergency personnel in the communities. That is still not enough of a reason to lie and trick people.

Learn to read between the lines and know where the information you are receiving is coming from. It’s likely not all in your best interest.

Folks, stay calm. After all, this is the kind of thing we prepare for.
FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Coronavirus Update and How to Prepare for It

Monday, February 24, 2020

Coronavirus: Time to get ready is running out.


Resultado de imagen de coronavirus soldado italia
The WHO alerts of a possible "pandemic"

Hundreds infected and at least 7 dead in Italy. 10 communities with restricted travel, schools closed and people are already stocking up and leaving shelves empty.
If you still dont have full face respirators, nitrile gloves, and face masks, (links inlcuded) Get them while you can. Dont forget the alcohol based hand sanitizer. These will all run out once people see on the news that there's an outbreak near by.

And food! You should have a respectable stockpile already in case you have to Shelter in Place.
If you dont, check out this video list so as to know what to buy and head to the store as soon as possible.

Chances are there's not much more time and a pandemic will be declared soon.
Now is not the time to panic, but it is the time to take those steps if you havent taken them already.
Dont wait until the last minute.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Several GREAT Lessons in this Police Shooting Video (Bodycam)

Take the time to watch this one, several lessons here:

1)Why some people are better off with a revolver than with an auto
2)Why an auto has many advantages, but only if you train so as to run it properly when under stress.
3)Why you want to keep your distance.
4)Why we shoot center of mass.
5)Why you dont want to mess too much with your service/carry gun

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Seven of the Best Survival Knives in the Market 2020 (so far...)



“Fernando… is this a good survival knife?” is a question I get a LOT, usually by someone showing a knife that is rather mediocre if not downright bad for a survival role. The problem is that with so many offers, it’s easy to get lost and end up with a tool that will not perform well.


Knives have been around since the beginning of time, and there’s been countless blade shapes and designs, but a survival knife, at least the way I conceive one, needs to be more than just an edged cutting tool. A steak knife, a razor blade, even a butter knife can cut, but a survival knife is something else. It’s a tool that cuts, chops, carves, digs, pokes, pries, scraps and hammers. It’s a tool that fills in not only as a knife, but as a shovel, crowbar, axe and hammer, plus working as a deadly weapon if needed. To me, that’s a survival knife, and not just any knife will do. It needs to be of a certain size and length. It needs to be as a tough as they come, yet sharp. Not too big that it won’t be with you when you need it, not to small that it fails in some critical role. In spite of the huge number of blades in the market, few of them fulfil this role well enough so as to be survival knives I would recommend.

Of those commercially available, these are the ones I feel most comfortable recommending:

Glock Knife

Glock, OEM Field Knife, 6.5" Fixed Blade, 1095 steel
This is my go-to advice for anyone looking for a solid survival knife. Few people know that Austria’s service bayonet preceded Gaston Glock´s famous pistol but it did indeed, the Glock of the knife world. Tough as they come, yet light weight, minimalistic yet tremendously practical. You can fight with this thing, you can baton, you can put a mean edge if its not all it should be right out of the box (it usually is, but Ive come across some that could use a bit of touching up). Thanks to its great design and light handle, it even chops better than you´d expect. 1095 steel, 55RC, perfect for a utility blade. These are made in Austria and maybe the best value in the list.
Eickhorn FK2000

Fk2000, 7 inch blade, black finish 55Si7 spring steel
Think of this one as the Glock knife’s fancier, German brother, with somewhat of an Heckler & Koch attitude. It’s made in German in the fabled city of Solingen, as tough and finely crafted as any bayonet I’ve ever seen and it’s reflected in the price. Great blade and sheath (works as a wire cutter) and very comfortable handle.
Becker BK7

BK7 Knife 7" Blade, 1095 Cro-Van  HRC 56-58
The BK7 is a knife Ethan Becker didn’t care for much. They asked him to make fighting/utility knife, basically his version of a Kabar and the BK7 was his answer to that. No problem, even if he doesn’t care much for it, it’s still a great blade, tougher than a Kabar for sure and just a fgreat medium sized survival knife, with the thin tip being its only minor weakness. That and the textured finish I don’t care for much.
Cold Steel SRK

Cold Steel SRK, 6 inch blade, sk-5 Steel

The Cold Steel SRK has been around for a long time and slowly gained a reputation as a no-nonsense survival/rescue knife that is just as home in the bug out bag as it is in a navy SEALs kit, which by the way are currently issuing it.
Mora Bushcraft Black

Morakniv Bushcraft Knife, 4.3 inch carbon steel
The Bushcraft black is the smallest and lightest survival knife I would go for. Many believe it to be ideal, and it is in fact a typical Mora on steroids: Ticker stock and bigger tang with an outstanding tacky grip and smooth black finish. Given its size and weight, it wont do much chopping and even for battoning the lengh limits is quite a bit, but it carves and cuts beautifully and is solid enough to pry with. Just a great pukko style knife.
ESEE Junglas

ESEE Junglas  Blade Length: 10.375", 1095 Carbon Steel
On the other end of the spectrum you have the Junglas, not so much a machete as it is a big full tang knife. This blade will chop, and cut and pry or even dig if needed. The size and weight is there, but this is without a doubt a large, solid survival knife and I’d gladly grab it if this will be my only tool for long term survival in a wooded area.
Cold Steel Bowie Machete

Cold Steel bowie machete 12 inch, 1055 carbon steel
Now this is a real machete right here, cheap, thin and fast, yet plenty of steel to go around. Big knives are usualy expensive but not this one. Fantastic value and you can put a mean edge on it. Light weight too and a good chopper.

FerFAL

Check out my new Book “Street Survival Skills” . Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”

Monday, February 17, 2020

Five Survival Questions With FerFAL and Selco


Guys, this was a GREAT conversation with Selco, covering some key important points regarding survival and preparedness.
  • Your Thoughts on Sweden’s “If Crisis or War Comes” brochure (link to free Pdf)
  • What important points is it missing?
  • Which 5 items and 2 Skills would you rather have before war starts?
  • Which are the early signs to look for?
  • If you see those signs, what’s the first thing you do?

For those of you in Sweden, remember we are doing an event in Uppsala, , April 4th. (link for tickets)

Also, if you haven’t done so already, check out my latest book “Street Survival Skills” which already has over 30 positive reviews in Amazon. The Spanish version of this book “Manual de Supervivencia Urbana” is the #1 best-selling survival book in Amazon.es, best selling survival book in spanish!

Sunday, February 9, 2020

TMS Podcast #6 - Interview with Selco Begovic, April 4h Event in Sweden


Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Interview with Selco and Event in Sweden in April!


Monday, February 3, 2020

Coronavirus: What happens when you get Sick? Mortality Rate?