Field Notes

After the Storm: The Week Nobody Preps For
After the Storm: The Week Nobody Preps For
Everybody preps for the storm. Almost nobody preps for what comes after it — and after is when I see people get hurt. The wind gets the headlines, but the... Read more...
Building a 72-Hour Kit Without Going Broke
I've spent a good part of my adult life showing up to other people's worst days. First as a Marine, and now as a working firefighter and EMT. I've been on the calls where the power's been out for two days, the roads are closed, and it's slowly dawning on a family that nobody is coming for a while. So when I tell you a 72-hour kit doesn't have to cost a fortune, I'm not selling you a fantasy. I'm telling you what I've actually watched work, and what I've... Read more...
When the Towers Go Down: Keeping Your Family in Contact Off-Grid
I'll be honest with you. The first thing people reach for in an emergency is their phone, and the phone is usually the first thing that fails them. I've worked the calls. When a real event rolls through — the kind that knocks out power for days — the cell network goes down in two stages. First it gets overwhelmed. Everyone in the county is calling, texting, and streaming all at once, and the towers choke. Then the deeper problem sets in. Those towers run on grid power with battery... Read more...
The First Aid Kit Most Families Get Wrong (An EMT’s Take)
I'll be honest with you. Most families own a first aid kit that is very good at exactly one thing: making them feel prepared. It sits in a closet, still shrink-wrapped, full of butterfly closures and one pair of tweezers. Then the day comes when somebody actually needs it, and it turns out the kit was built to solve a problem they didn't have. I work as a firefighter and an EMT. I run these calls for a living. So let me tell you where I see families get this... Read more...
How Much Water to Actually Store for an Emergency
I'll be honest with you: water is the thing people get wrong. They stack up food, buy a flashlight, maybe grab a first aid kit, and then figure they'll "deal with water" when the time comes. I've been on the calls where the power's been out for days and the taps are either dry or under a boil notice. Water is the first thing to go and the hardest thing to improvise. So let's talk real numbers about how much water to store, because almost everyone lowballs it. Not prepper-fantasy... Read more...
What a Firefighter Packs for Hurricane Season
I've spent hurricane seasons on the response side of the storm — as a Marine, and now as a working firefighter and EMT. I've knocked on doors that nobody answered. I've handed water to families who ran out on day two. And I've watched the difference between the households that were ready and the ones that weren't, up close, more times than I'd like. So this isn't a listicle I pulled off the internet. This is what I actually keep ready for my own family, and why. If you read... Read more...