Category: Latest Additions

Are you an expert when it comes to first aid?

Probably not! If that’s the case, you are exactly in the right place. These three first aid books can help you become MORE expert!

Every prepper, survivalist, camper, boy scout and emergency manager needs some basic training in first aid. Heck, every parent needs training in first aid! The problem is, we just don’t get it as part of regular schooling. It’s up to each of us to use what we learned ourselves as children. . . to try something we watched on TV, or follow some “advice” on the internet – which invariably turns out to be an ad.

In other words, we mostly do the best we can and hope for the best.

Hoping for the best just didn’t work for me so I started doing some real research.

And after reading many articles, watching many videos, and getting a variety of hands-on trainings, it became clear that . . .

• I needed a good medical reference book written by a credentialed person.
• For my go-bags, I needed a handy not-too-heavy pocket-sized guide.
• I wanted to write a book for other “citizen responders” who are in my same insecure position!

So here are the three first aid books hat I feel very confident recommending. Click on the links and you can get to Amazon — where we are Associates — for more info.

My Go-to Reference

I sat down and pretty much read this book from cover to cover, all 311 pages of it! It is that good and that interesting! Lots of real medical jargon but so clearly described that you’ll find yourself saying, “Oh, so THAT’s what that is!” Hands down, this is my go-to reference. I have used it every week since I got it!

The book above is, unfortunately, quite heavy. So to meet my need for a handier, easier to carry book, I searched further.

The Handy Pocket Guide

This one was a bit harder to find. Many of the first aid books are meant for people in the wilderness, and I was looking for something for people in an urban setting, too. This guide fits the bill: it’s a good size to tuck into a backpack or car glove compartment, big enough print to read in low light.

Organizing to Save More Lives

At our website, EmergencyPlanGuide.org, our emphasis is on helping people build stronger and more resilient communities. I was looking for a book that would help a neighborhood leader approach a disaster and organize response. Didn’t find it, so I wrote my own, which became the 12th booklet in our Emergency Preparedness Q&A Mini-Series.

The booklet that comes in your first aid kit probably won’t do the job.

Of course, you won’t become an expert reading any of these books, or even reading ALL of them. But you will likely be surprised, as I was, at how much you already know — and what a good feeling it is to have developed a new level of understanding.

Don’t deny yourself and your family this knowledge!

The Q&A Mini-Series can serve two different functions.

For the person committed to preparedness basics: feel confident you haven’t overlooked anything.

The series is made up of 14 different titles — from Custom Go-Bags and Evacuation, from First Aid to Crisis Communications, from Power Outage to Protecting Pets. Plus 8 more.

Each is an easy read, 35-55 pages in length, introducing a dozen or so common questions with common-sense answers. Room for you to take notes about your own next steps. At around $5 per booklet, you’ll feel more secure knowing you haven’t overlooked any of the basics.

Make a bigger splash! Share preparedness skills by building a group around the series.

Some readers are leaders. They are looking for a tool they can use as a study theme for their group. The Series is appropriate for church groups, HOAs, teen-aged scout troops. Pick a title for each meeting, assign members of the group to “host” that meeting as experts. Members build community, getting to know each other better all while picking up important survival information. The 15th booklet, Prepare & Share, gives more details on using the Q&A Mini-Series with a group..

You can read more about each title at Emergency Plan Guide or go directly to the collection on Amazon.

Keep on your shelf, pass along to others, give to your local library!

by Paulette Jiles

I’m getting pickier . . .

The more I read (and the more I write), the pickier I get about spending time with a book. When I picked up Lighthouse Island, I ran it through my list. Well written? Check. (It only takes a couple of pages to confirm that!) A new word every so often as a bonus. Action along with conversation or contemplation. A setting that’s new to me.

And lately, I’ve looked to mix in some books dealing with preparedness, emergencies, etc., just because.

Lighthouse Island checks all the boxes. And it’s absolutely compelling!

The story starts out simply, with a main character who has sort of given in to the constant burdens of life in her time – a future time where society has morphed into great masses of people being constantly manipulated by a few at the top of the heap.

Crowds of people being moved, directed, even sent off to . . .?. Meaningless bureaucracies designed to chain some to desks and factory floors, working to develop and manufacture – who really knows what?

It’s a gray and amorphous world where hope is pretty much dead.

Our hero emerges from this murky mess.

She decides there’s more to life and she’s prepared to claim it. Her quest is to reach “Lighthouse Island” – a mystical green place which may or may not be real, but which becomes her beacon.

Her journey involves many traditional “survival tactics:” foraging for food, finding shelter, outsmarting or avoiding the enemy.

She is clever – and becomes cleverer!

I admired her ability to be “gray” when necessary. And I loved how she talked her way into safe places – and talked her way out of trouble! (Delicious!)

If you’re somewhat of a jaded reader, this book will grab you and renew your interest in books – and your hope for humankind.

Not bad for a New Year’s read, eh???

Lighthouse Island is a book you get for yourself. It’s at Amazon:

Lighthouse Island: A Novel (P.S.)

Hot off the presses!

Of course, these days when you order a paperback book from Amazon or other online service, they are most often produced by print on demand. No clattering presses, no dripping oil, nothing like the old movies we’ve all seen!

Yes, one at a time is the way we get books today.

But Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideas is a book I hope you will consider buying multiple copies of! Why? Well, because I wrote it. But mostly because if you are one of the committed activists out there, you are trying to build more awareness and skills into your neighbors.

Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideas is precisely for people working hard to build a neighborhood group!

When I started in my neighborhood, there were no resources for planning meetings for people who weren’t necessarily CERT trained. People like my neighbors – who mostly still are not CERT trained! (You’ll find more about my history with preparedness groups in the other books of the Neighborhood Disaster Survival series.)

Even 5 years into our group-building effort, I couldn’t find any help. So, I started collecting ideas from my own team, which met monthly, and from other activists who wrote in on my blog to tell me what they were doing. After a few years I drafted a first, and then a second edition. And finally, this year, I put the best ideas into a book that would be available to all.

Consider multiple copies so your group will always have one.

Emergency Preparedness Meeting Ideas is full sized (8 1/2 x 11″), well over 100 pages of meeting agendas, tips, suggestions, checklists, and diagrams. It includes links to valuable online resources including YouTube videos that we’ve tested.

There’s also a Meeting Planner Page for each separate topic so you can plan your meeting as you go.

I’ve included everything I have that I think would make it easier for you to plan effective meetings — and tried to give suggestions for how to engage other members of your group in the planning and execution, too.

Get the book now so you’ll have it for your next meeting! Here’s the direct link to Amazon.

By Dr John Watson & Alan Pearce

The Sherlock Holmes Handbook for the Digital Age: Elementary Cyber Security

I quote from the back cover of this great book: “Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective of all time. He is driven to right the wrongs of the world. It is only natural that he should turn his attention to the internet.”

If only all the books we are required to read could be as engaging as this one!

Yes, The Sherlock Holmes Handbook for the Digital Age: Elementary Cyber Security is full of the acronyms and made-up words associated with the technology of cyber security and privacy. But oh, how it’s presented!

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson start their eminently civilized conversation (a French phrase thrown in from time to time) in Holmes’ living room. Over the course of the book the conversation continues over dinners, in Kensington Gardens, in front of the British Museum. The two friends eat and smoke. They stroll. The observe the delights around them. You get the idea.

Throughout, slowly and steadily, master Detective Sherlock Holmes reveals just how the innocent Doctor Watson is wide-open to being hacked, tracked and compromised.

I learned so much! And in such pleasant fashion!

If it’s time you reviewed or refreshed the way your personal communications are set up — your phone. computers, other devices and home network, you will love reading this book! I suggest you have a pen and paper nearby so you can take notes of all the settings and the security and privacy software that Sherlock Holmes — uh, excuse me, author Pearce — suggests.

When it gets to the DarkWeb, the tone and the subject matter get darker. But as a knowledgeable consumer, you want to know this stuff, too.

I recommend this book heartily.

Virginia Nicols
Your Emergency Preparedness Team

Here’s the link to Amazon:

The Sherlock Holmes Handbook for the Digital Age: Elementary Cyber Security

P.S. Get the paperback because you’ll want to mark up some of the pages and attach colored flags. You’ll surely be returning more than once to improve your personal digital set-up.

by Jan Glarum

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I first heard about Thunderbird and Whale. I had been following Jan Glarum’s professional comments about disaster recovery on LinkedIn for quite a while, and appreciated them, so I felt obliged to check out the book. (After all, I’m a fellow author. And I really liked the cover art.)

What a pleasure it was to read – and, frankly, to keep remembering because the information in his STORY keeps being referenced in other industry REPORTS!

And there’s the beauty of fiction. Good fiction captures the imagination, tugs at emotions, and pulls you in all while doing a great job of teaching.

Thunderbird and Whale is a story of what might happen along the Oregon coast following the Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake and tsunami.

But far more than just the science, the book weaves in the destinies of a small group of neighbors – how they prepare, how they are separated, how some of them survive. Oh, and there’s some romance along the way to make it more fun – and more poignant.

It took me a while to get into the story, but once I was in, I didn’t put the book down. And even weeks after I finished it, certain of the dramatic disaster images that Jan paints keep resurfacing, again and again.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, or are a student of emergency preparedness, you’ll appreciate Thunderbird and Whale for what you’ll learn.  You may be inspired to apply some of its suggestions in your own community, no matter where you’re located. And maybe, like me, you’ll carry some of the important images with you for a while.

Find out more and buy the book by clicking on the cover image or on the Amazon link below:

DEADLY SKILLS Puzzle & Activity Book

What could be better or more fun — page after page and hour after hour of activities to keep your brain active. These Deadly Skills exercises are a companion to Clint Emerson’s other survival books. In it you’ll find :

• Puzzles
• Mazes
• “What’s wrong with this picture?”
• Word Search
• Cross Word puzzles
• Sudoku
• Shikaku
• Morse Code
• Logic
• More, more, and more!

All the activities are based on survival lingo, facts and tips.

Keep your Brain Active is the best under $10 gift for every SURVIVALIST and PREPPER you know!

Really, if you are looking for a change of pace, something for yourself or something to share with others, a great book for the coffee table or for a long road trip — just click on the image and it will take you directly to Amazon where you can order immediately. Start anticipating the enjoyment!

As I have often lamented, most survival guides assume you will be escaping to some sort of wilderness setting. They assume you are in great shape. They assume you have had training as a boy scout or have at least spent time camping. They don’t seem to accommodate small children, pets or whiners.

That’s why I was pleased to dig into Urban Survival Guide. Yes, it has a lot of the expected suggestions for assembling a supply of food, tools, etc. But it has other themes that aren’t always expected. They really appealed to me.

• First, as the title suggests, this is a guide for surviving a disaster in an urban setting. Not exactly high-rise-condo-downtown-New-York-City urban, but certainly somewhere where you can’t just strap on your pack and set off for the wilderness. (If wilderness survival skills are what you’re looking for, check out last month’s favorite, The Survival Handbook.)
• Second, as to me seems most logical for an urban disaster scenario, the Urban Survival Guide stresses shelter in place instead of bugging out. In fact, the author has trade-marked his own term: SurviveInPlace ™
• Third, David Morris spends a lot of time on the Psychology of Survival. In fact, he threads this throughout — not just how to be physically prepared for the disaster when it hits, but what to expect and how to cope when things don’t get better, and in fact get worse. He addresses not just social issues (thieves, muggings) but also economic (money) and medical disaster possibilities (chemical, biological, pandemics). With over 400 pages, he has the room to develop these themes in sobering and useful, not just theoretical, detail.

Two other aspects of Urban Survival Guide that I value

Morris created a course that was the basis for the book. He assumed the reader would work through the course and the book chapter by chapter, taking advantage of “assignments” for each section. I’m a big believer in the step-by-step approach myself, so this was exactly the way I would have written the Urban Survival Guide if I had that particular knowledge!

Finally, for all the excellent suggestions for hiding your supplies, dodging threatening gangs, and generally keeping a very low profile (He terms it “boring.”), Morris does admit that getting neighbors on board is important. In fact, the whole of Chapter 7 is devoted to that.

And, as you know if you’ve been keeping up with our adventures at EmergencyPlanGuide.org, our entire thesis is that we are all in this together, so the better prepared we all are, the safer we all will be!

And one intriguing fact . . .

I bet you’re like me in that you like to find out more about the authors you read. After finding the Urban Survival Guide I searched for more about David Morris.

And ran right into a wall.

No picture on Amazon. No real info on LinkedIn. I finally put a few vague clues together to surmise that David Morris is a firearms expert having developed training techniques used by law enforcement and the military. But I couldn’t swear to it . . .!

Get the book and see what you discover! Here’s the link to Amazon:

The Survival Handbook — Outdoor Adventure on the Coffee Table!

You’re not likely to find yourself in every situation described in this book. But if you find yourself in even one of these situations, you’ll be glad you know what to do next!

The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure

Survival Beginner?

Like every other skill, you need to learn survival skills. Much as we like to think of ourselves as hardy pioneering types, this is stuff we may have never encountered.

You need a book to learn this stuff — and this one makes it easier than most!

Why?

Beginners will be engaged by all the step-by-step instructions. The lists. And you’ll LOVE the illustrations! Take advantage of them to introduce some survival lore to your children. They are not finding this online . . .

Had a bit of experience?

If you’ve camped, been a scout or perhaps served in the military, some of this should be mighty familiar. (The author served — and taught — military seals, among others.) For sure, reading the Handbook will jog a few memories.

You’ll find it a pleasure to review, be reminded — and be encouraged to get back outdoors for health and fun, not to mention practice of survival skills.

A book to keep at home

At about two pounds, this isn’t a book you’ll carry around, although some aficionados remove and pack just the sections that apply to the current trip! (If that sounds like a good idea, you may want to get two copies.)

Good for your coffee table, good as a gift for others’ tables.  (The more we all know, the safer we all will be.)

A pleasure to browse through

I don’t go camping every weekend. I don’t get out even once a month! But this survival information carries me right out of my living room and across the world to completely different environments!

The table of contents is complete, and there’s a detailed index — missing in many survival books — that makes The Survival Handbook a really useful reference book, too.

Unlike some of the other books on our list, this is one you’ll pick up over and over again.

You can get it in hardback or paperback at Amazon by clicking the link below:

The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure

For some reason I missed this book when it first came out in 1987. So last weekend, when my grandchildren donated some books for our garage sale, and I saw the Newberry Award medallion on the cover of Hatchet, I picked it up “just to see.”

I didn’t really put it down until I’d finished it!

Hatchet is a great story for young readers ages 7 or so, up to 12 or 13!

The story is simple. Thirteen-year-old Brian is traveling by small plane to join his Dad in Canada. The pilot has a heart attack, the plane crash lands, and Brian has to figure out how to survive in the wilderness using his brain and just one tool – a hatchet.

I daresay we’ve all imagined what it would be like to be stranded in the wilderness.  Even if we’ve never actually had to, we have vague notions about how to build shelter, start a fire, etc. Brian has to overcome fear and confusion to convert his own 13-year-old notions into action – and we are right there step by step as he ultimately succeeds!

Hatchet is perfect as a conversation starter.

Readers are captured by the problems Brain faces and his often imperfect solutions, and they share in his accomplishments. All these – problems, solutions, belief in oneself – could make for great conversations between your kids and you. If you are a skilled survivalist, you’ll be able to add many details to this basic story. (The author says he has experienced everything he wrote about  . . .) Even if you’re just a weekend camper, it will sound familiar and you may be inspired to learn more — and learn with your youngster!

Whether your kids or grandkids read the book themselves, or you read it to/with them, you’ll find it a solid and engaging adventure even though it is now over 30 years old!

P.S. If I were getting this book as a gift for an older child, I’d consider adding a real hatchet to the package, too! Just be sure to get a well designed tool. Cheap tools are always a disappointment and can be very dangerous. Here are a couple as examples. Click on the images to go directly to Amazon for current prices.

Eastwing manufactures a number of models. You’ve probably seen this popular one before. It’s the 12″ hatchet, one of the smaller and lighter models.

This axe, made by Schrade, is also a smaller size. It even has a fire-lighter rod built into the handle. (Brian of Hatchet sure could have used this! You’ll see why when you find out what he had to go through to get a fire started!)

Fourth in the Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide series.

Emergency Preparedness for Small Business is a fourth book to our Neighborhood Disaster Survival Series. It is aimed at helping business owners (and employees) get a workable Business Contingency Plan in place before the disaster hits. Statistics make it very clear that without a plan, most small businesses will fail within a year.

And when a small business fails, that means employees and owner are out of work, and usually the entire business investment is lost.

Small business loss impacts the entire community.

Like our other books, Emergency Preparedness for Small Business focuses on a “wholistic” approach to survival, taking advantage of in-house skills and neighborhood resources.

Of course, every business is unique. But all can benefit from having a proven process for emergency planning. In this case, as in the other books in the series, some of the solutions are based on CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training principles from FEMA.

Here’s the Emergency Preparedness for Small Business Table of Contents, to give you an idea of what you’ll find:

Want more info? Head directly to Amazon where you can take a look at sample pages and pick the format you prefer.

Do it now. When the disaster strikes, there’s no time for preparedness planning or training!

Joe Krueger and Virginia Nicols

P.S. The other three Neighborhood books are also at Amazon. Here are direct links:

• Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Communities
• Emergency Preparedness for Mobilehome Communities
• Emergency Preparedness for Homeowner Communities

101 Easy Things You Can Do To Ready Your Home For a Disaster

Some of the suggestions in the Prepper’s Pocket Guide really ARE easy!

And other suggestions, like the very first one, never seem to quite get accomplished. Bernie Carr puts as Number 1: “De-Clutter Your Home.”

Realistically, if you already have Number 1 conquered, you probably don’t NEED this book!

But for the rest of us, and particularly for those who live in apartments, it’s a great place to start on emergency preparedness. The full title:

The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster

The minute I saw that Bernie Carr had been through the Northridge quake in 1991, I felt a real kinship with her. After all, I had been through the San Francisco quake just two years earlier. (Remember that one? It pancaked the double-decker Oakland freeway and broke out a section of the Oakland Bay Bridge. For over a year thereafter I found I simply had to get up and get out of brick buildings.)

When I saw Bernie was a technical writer, and had written (as I have) about personal finance, insurance and health care, I knew this book would be top quality.

I was right!

And that makes it such a pleasure to recommend The Prepper’s Pocket Guide.

Some of what I really appreciate about the book:

Size. It really is a pocket guide, 5″ x 7″, lightweight and easy to carry in a backpack or purse.

A Quick Read. If you like to absorb info in easy chunks, this is for you. Use the Table of Contents to jump right to the topic that interests you. Most of the “101 Easy Things” are truly easy, and their explanations take up just one page.

Helpful illustrations. Evan Wondolowski has created some very attractive and useful grayscale illustrations to help explain a few more complex things. (I particularly liked the illustrations in Chapter 3, having to do with collecting water when regular sources have been cut off.)

Action Oriented. If you are eager to add some skills to your family, or are looking for a topic for a classroom exercise or a neighborhood group meeting, you’ll find ideas throughout the book. Several of the “show and tell” topics have already worked well for my neighborhood emergency response team. The Prepper’s Pocket Guide is actually a perfect companion to each of the community titles in our own Neighborhood Disaster Survival series!

Great Gift. Looking for a gift for a young adult or new parent? Or even for yourself? This is perfect for people like us whose lifestyle is busy but who feel the need “to build a sense of security and control over their surroundings.”

You can get the book today at Amazon for less than $10.

After years of writing articles and Advisories on all aspects of emergency preparedness, it simply was time to publish a collection of honest-to-gosh BOOKS! And here they are — the first three books in our Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide series!

Disasters have surged 400% over the past 20 years, bringing emergency preparedness into ever greater focus. Community Emergency Response Team training is now offered by more than 2,700 local communities, usually at no cost to participants. Instructors, following a nationally-approved curriculum, have delivered more than 600,000 trained citizens back into their communities. The Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide series builds on the knowledge and leadership skills  of CERT graduates.

Each book begins by looking at your community in depth. We’ve lived in all three types so we’re familiar with the important differences.

Then, we guide you step-by-step in building a Neighborhood Emergency Response Team. This doesn’t mean all neighbors have to take any formal training. They just have to be interested and willing to work together. It’s not something accomplished overnight – we’ve been at it for 15 years! But there’s a big payoff for everyone involved. A prepared  group of neighbors can accomplish a whole lot more in an emergency than a single prepared person.

Pick your neighborhood or get the whole collection and share with people you care about.

Want to get your hands on a Disaster Survival Guide right away?

Here are direct links to Amazon! When you get there, choose between downloadable ebook or paperback.

• Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Communities
• Emergency Preparedness for Mobilehome Communities
• Emergency Preparedness for Homeowner Communities

Looking for a bit more info?

You may find talking about disasters to be difficult. Certainly, we have! But if you’ve read this far, you are past that initial uncertainty. In fact, you probably have questions like the ones that follow . . .!

“I’ve been meaning to spend more time on pulling together my emergency supplies. How will this help?”

Part One of each book is devoted to selecting and organizing your personal and family emergency supplies. (You’ll probably find most of this very familiar — but you may have overlooked one or two things!) And there’s a comprehensive Emergency Supplies List in the Appendix. In fact, there are 3 such lists, because we find that one just isn’t sufficient!

“How do I go about talking to neighbors — some of whom I don’t even know?”

Always a challenge! But “Making sure your loved ones are safe” is a message that appeals to nearly everyone. Start with that!

The key, though, is to get the credibility you need by taking free CERT (Community Emergency Preparedness Team) training. CERT is what started our team off, and what has helped keep it going year after year.

Your neighborhood, of course, is unique. So you’ll welcome the detailed step-by-step process of building a team to suit YOUR neighborhood. Over time, your team members will find out all the “behind the scenes” facts about where you live. That will include the location, buildings, property management, utility infrastructure, likely threats . . . you name it! Pick and choose from many suggestions so your activities fit your team’s needs and interests.

We also include a whole chapter on recruiting, based on years of being active volunteers ourselves. Working together gives every member of the group what may be a rare sense of satisfaction. And you’ll have the comfort of knowing family will be able to count on neighbors even if you aren’t there.

“Do we really need a written disaster survival plan in our neighborhood?”

Neighbors come and go. If you want to keep your program going for more than just a few months, you’ll need some written guidelines. Part Three of the books lays out a sample table of contents for your plan, and makes suggestions about how to get it completed.  And updated!

A written plan works also wonders when you are looking for speakers, for insurance coverage, and for financial assistance.

“Sounds like a lot of work!”

What’s your family worth? What’s your home worth? What’s peace of mind worth?  There are no guarantees here, but what we know is that

Whatever preparing and planning you do in advance gives you a better chance of making it through. Counting on “the authorities” just doesn’t doesn’t make sense.

Here are the full links to the books:

• Emergency Preparedness for Apartment Communities: A Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide (Survival Guide Series Book 1)
• Emergency Preparedness for Mobilehome Communities: A Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide (Survival Guide Series Book 2)
• Emergency Preparedness for Homeowner Communities: A Neighborhood Disaster Survival Guide (Survival Guide Series)

Don’t put off getting this valuable info. Share it with the people around you. The more prepared we all are, the safer we all will be!

Thank you.

Virginia Nicols

P.S. For more about me and about our preparedness activities, check out our website: EmergencyPlanGuide.org.