The NCTSP Meet Presents: Tip of the Day

[ColdHaven]

Tip #1 Car Safety

If you are feeling sleepy while driving it is always good to roll down the window. Some cars after awhile can actually vent carbon monoxide into the car compartment and has been known to cause people to feel tired. With prolonged breathing of carbon monoxide you could fall asleep at the wheel and crash. Always question if your alert status changes while operating machinery. Remember that situational awareness includes your awareness.

Also, while traveling, and feeling sleepy realize that it is your comfort as a driver that is the most important. If granny thinks its too cold, well, she is not the one who is driving and could potentially fall asleep and kill everyone inside either.

And if you are getting dangerously sleepy remember to stop at a hotel and rest. It may cost you a little if you do, but it could cost you a lot more not to.

[ColdHaven]

Tip #2 Home Safety

Always check your lint traps in your dryer, and never leave your dryer on while you are away from the house. Lint traps can become so heated that they can catch on fire. I remember hearing a story while I was stationed in Ft. Rucker where the family had left the dryer on while they were away and their lint trap caught on fire. It is never good to leave appliances running while you are away from your home, but especially if they generate heat in any way.

Bonus tip: Don't start a load of wet laundry in the dryer and then stop it later so you can leave. It sounds impossible, but the generated heat inside of the center mass of clothing can cause the laudry to catch on fire. Several years ago I worked at a laundry and someone disregarded this and stopped the load while it was wet or damp. The heat inside of the clothing was such that it caught on fire and burned our laundry center down. The whole laundry was burnt to a cinder.

[ColdHaven]

Tip #3 Weather Safety

Storm windows can save you money and the mental agony of having to deal with insurance companies when disaster strikes. These days you see many houses that have mock storm windows which do nothing but sit there plastered to the side of your house. Installing storm windows can be a big step to saving your windows from distruction. A few years ago there was a bad storm that hit. The hail was the size of golfballs in some areas, but in ours the largest I found was the size of a half dollar. You can imagine what it did to my windows. Everyones windows in the area that was effected were nothing more than swiss cheese.

We had to have the windows replaced and a few other repairs. If we would have had storm windows then we could have locked them down and secured them so that there would have been minimal damage. Now I know there are some tornadoes and hurricanes that can pull these off of your home. If you are in the middle of that then you have more to worry about than just your windows. In this case an ounce of preparation would have been worth a ten pounds of cure.

[ColdHaven]

Tip #4 Electrolyte Displacement

Many of the old heads around here know about this, but I post this for those who may not. Water is necessary for life, and most of us agree with this. Those who do not agree we usually hear about in the news having died from dehydration. As we approach the warmer months lets remember that there is something else vital to your body and that is electrolytes.

When I was in Basic Training at Ft. Sill, our Drill Sergeant told us about something that had happened to a Private at another Fort, and passed it along to us. A Private had drank plently of water, but she had drank so much water at one time it flushed all of her electrolytes out of her body, and she died. The moral of the story is to have salt on you, or to have some kind of powder/pill/mix that has electrolytes in them.

You see, the reason our bodies move, and we are able to think is because of electo-impulses that move along nerves and muscles. Saline, or a specific ratio of salt to water, allows for this electric impulse to move through the body efficiently. If there is no salt in the water then our bodies do not work well. Our muscles do not perform as they should, and even our brains are not able to think well. Electric impulses travel down from our brains, to our nerves, and then to our muscles which allow us to move. There must be sufficient levels of electrolytes in our bodies for those electric impulses to get to where they are going. The brain itself needs this because our thoughts are also discharges of electrical energy.

I have experienced this, and I am sure others have as well. When working out on a hot sunny day in the garden I realized I had drank about half a gallon of water, but I still felt 'off' and started not feeling well. I took some powdered Gatorade mix and put it in my canteen. When I had finished that I felt revitalized. So remember, if you carry water, keep some electrolytes with you too. You never know when you will need them.

[ColdHaven]

Tip #5 Curiosity Killed the Cat

I am sure most of you have heard this saying. How many times have you been near an accident and traffic slows because of everyone rubbernecking? Now add an disaster and you have a recipe for an even bigger disaster. Some people tend to defy logic and when something amiss occurs have this natural inclination to go towards the source of the ruckus. This is not a lack of situational awareness, but actually being aware and curious about the situation. Well, many times curiosity kills the cat. Yes, I know how the rest of it goes, but none of us have more than one life.

So the next time you hear a loud explosion, hear angry shouts, or the situation doesn't feel right...use your gut and get out of there. Very few times has investigating something like that led to something good.

This video is from Kings of Comedy to express my point in a funny way. It may not be safe for work. Curse words and what not.

Original Kings of Comedy - Cedric the Entertainer

[ColdHaven]

Tip #6 Surviving Sickness

If you are like me and many others this sinusitis season then you may be having trouble with upper respiratory problems. This is caused by sinus leakage going down your airway and into your respiratory system. This can cause infection to set in. If this is the case then you can rapidly develop bronchitis or pneumonia. Since this seems to happen to me fairly regularly I am going to share my methods for staving this off once upper respiratory problems set in.

First, I start taking guaifenesin. Musinex with decongestant is good. Drinking plenty of water. I stress....PLENTY of water. The purpose of guaifenesin is to help loosen mucus in your throat. Water helps this considerably.

Secondly, take your vitamins. You should be taking them anyway, but that is beside the point. Among the list to take that will help your immune system out are: Vitamin A, C, D, E, Daily Vitamin, and Zinc. It would also behoove you to take Echinecea and Goldenseal herbs. They boost your immune system and act as a mild form of antibiotic. Drink hot tea. It soothes the throat and provides antioxidants.

Lastly, get pillows so you can elevate the upper portion of your body in bed. Elevating your body in this way slows down the rate that mucus can get into your lungs. I know it is a pain, and somewhat uncomfortable, but it is a damn sight better than getting pneumonia or bronchitis.

Some comfort measures for me include: Humidifier, vapor rub, nose strips, and a netti pot.

If any of you are suffering like I am then I hope this helps you get through it.

[ColdHaven]

Tip #7 Food and Survival

A quick little tip here if you are caught in a survival situation where food is scarce. During our everyday sedentary lives we are advised to intake only 2,000 calories. During a survival situation we are advised to intake 3,000 and above. Why is this? When you are sitting at a computer all day like I do there is very little exertion and therefore the less calories your body needs. When you are fighting for survival you will burn calories relatively quickly. You will start to lose weight. The reason for that is because there are only 3,500 calories in one pound. If you do not take in at least that much when you are burning a lot of calories then you will start to lose pounds.

Just remember this before you start rationing food.

[ColdHaven]

Tip # 8  Fire Skills

Always carry a lighter, even if you do not smoke, and you should have an easy method for creating fire. Sure it is not as survival sexy as starting a fire with a magnesium stone or a fire drill, but most of the time you will really want the quickest method available to you. Carrying cheap lighters in your BOB, car, jacket, and anywhere else you can think of will help you immensely should you ever need to start a fire.

Even better idea is to have a zippo lighter. You can use more than just lighter fluid in it, but be careful what kind of fuel you use in it. Some can be too strong. Test your fuel first and if it blows up quick and does not burn steadily then most likely the fuel is too strong to put in your zippo.