I have been quietly preparing for almost a year now, and have gotten alot of good information here. Recently, and very reluctantly, i also acquired a gun and ammunition for self defense. I have a family with 2 small children and i finally came to the conclusion that this was something i had to do, what with all the people around here who are not making any preparations.

Recently, the subject of y2k preps came up in a discussion with some neighbors. I have never told them about my preps because i didn't want anyone to know. They were all laughing at the people who are preparing - that's ok, i'm used to it and i don't care what they think anyways. But someone said something which caused me alot of concern. This guy said that "they" (the people preparing) are stupid thinking they can defend their "hoard". He said that having a gun wouldn't help them, that the easiest thing to do is "burn them out". I don't want to have to go to extremes, but can anyone suggest any defense against something like this?

-- LouS. (preparing@home.com), August 10, 1999

Answers

12 guage?

-- rambo (rambo@thewoods.com), August 10, 1999.

Burning them out would also burn up their "hoard", not exactly a productive move.

Best thing to do is get lots of fire extinguishers. I also plan on covering my roof and exterior walls with ice once the weather gets cold enough to keep it from melting every day. Should make it much harder to catch fire whatever the cause.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), August 10, 1999.

Fire extinguishers are a good idea. I got mine at Home Depot.

A second alternative depends on your location. If you are on a well, you can do this.

1) you need a generator to power the well.

2) go buy hoses and nozzels (both spray and attachment). If your not sure of the exact configuration, ask the salesperson.

3) you need to install the attachment nozzel at one of the outdoor faucets near your house (not attached to the house).

This is what we did. Not just for Y2K, but also because we live 10 minutes from the nearest fire department. It only takes us 2 minutes to unroll the hose, screw on the attachments and start the water.

Good luck.

-- DJ (reality@check.com), August 10, 1999.

well the ice thing sounds real stupid!!!! the 12 ga works every time!!

-- Ron (mongo@earthling.net), August 10, 1999.

I would recommend you go chat with a fire captain/chief and ask him/her in general terms about making your home more resistant to fires - if he pushes then say with all the gang crap going on, etc....

My first thoughts are if you have a wood shake roof or siding that's trouble. The next is if their are openings under the eaves and foundation where burning/flammable material could be placed - screens should be securely protecting those areas. Keep shubs/trees trimmed back from the house as much as possible - these are common problems with fire. I would consider a fire extinguisher in every room so that if something should start (molotov cocktail comes to mind) then it can be attacked quickly. Baking soda in big boxes are also fairly effective at smothering a fire. Get info from the fire dept. on developing an evacuation plan for your family. Put smoke detectors in every room.

Ahhhhhh..... good luck. This has kept me wondering, especially in the wee hours of the morning. My grandmother's house was firebombed (molotov cocktail through the d.r. window), almost killed her. Hero firefighter saved her as she was going unconscious. Bars on windows and doors made it very difficult for her to get out or firefighters to get in to help her.....

-- Kristi (securxsys@cs.com), August 10, 1999.

If you have a large source of water such as a swimming pool in the backyard, then buy a small Honda pump from the Northern catalogue. These water pumps will douse most flames if you get to them quickly enough. Of course, in this situation you'll probably be under fire from multiple directions. That is the problem with trying to survive in a densely populated area where anarchy reigns. Good luck.

-- brett45 (brett45@bigfoot.com), August 10, 1999.

I have also been concerned about the risk of fire in the comming year. Not so much from the risk of rioting but from the general lack of response of response by emergency services. This can also be a problem during earthquakes or forest fires. On a news story sometime ago I heard about a fire suppression gel that can be sprayed on the house. following is some information from their site. BARRICADE.

Fire Blocking Gel Fire Protection Through Technology Barricade. Home Defense System The BARRICADE. Home Defense System is a compact, one gallon package. It can be stored in a laundry room, underneath a kitchen sink, or just inside a garage or shed door. This keeps BARRICADE. conveniently stored, yet readily accessible whenever it is needed.

The BARRICADE. Home Defense System comes with a specially designed sprayer that attaches easily to any garden hose. Simply open the BARRICADE., snap in the sprayer, attach the hose, turn on the water, and spray BARRICADE'S. thick, fire protection gel onto the exterior walls, roof and windows of the home. A fire break can also be created quickly and easily. The BARRICADE. Home Defense System can be used to extinquish an existing fire, as well as offer protection from an oncoming threat.

When the danger of fire has passed, rinse the BARRICADE. gel off with plain water. The gel will be slippery on the ground, but will quickly dissipate into the soil with absolutely no environmental hazards. BARRICADE. Fire Protection Gel will provide a thick coating of protection to homes and property when properly applied in the event of an advancing fire. Each gallon of BARRICADE. will cover approximately 1000 square feet. Complete home and fire-break coverage may require additional BARRICADE.. We recommend that homeowners living in high-risk areas consider purchasing the BARRICADE. Home Defense System along with one or two additional gallons, depending on the size of the home and property. I don't work for the company but I did buy their product.

-- Guns, Grub & Gold (home@the city.com), August 10, 1999.

there is a salt (I think) solution that fire retardants fabric, available at craft shops.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), August 10, 1999.

My main concern is a brush/forest/jungle fire...even more so than angry invaders. My main defense (after using the hoses as much as (I can) would be to evacuate. However, I will definitely look into the BARRICADE(R) mentioned above! We normally don't have much of a fire problem, we do get an occasional dry spell...which could cause the jungle to be dry enough to burn.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), August 11, 1999.

Got a website for the Barricade stuff?

Seriously, having lots of extinguishers would be handy. Also, perhaps attaching thick plastic netting over the windows might help prevent Molotovs from breaking, or at least from breaking the window. If you have aluminum siding (not vinyl), it MIGHT keep the house from being burnt.

Seriously, if someone appears to have a Molotov, or some incindiary device, and is approaching your home, shoot them immediately.

-- Bill (billclo@msgbox.com), August 11, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

This doesn't exactly apply to a situation involving a long term danger of violence or surprise attacks, but since someone asked I've written a letter to Barricade as follows:

Could one pump water from a barrel with a hand pump to use your product? Would we be able to attain enough pressure? Would we have to go up onto the roof to spray, in that case? How much water is used in the process?

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 12, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey, California

oops, typo... was supposed to read like this--- This doesn't exactly apply to a situation involving a long term danger of violence or surprise attacks, but since someone asked I've written a letter to Barricade as follows:

Could one pump water from a barrel with a hand pump to use your product? Would we be able to attain enough pressure? Would we have to go up onto the roof to spray, in that case? How much water is used in the process?

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage.neener.autospammers--regrets.greenspun), August 12, 1999.