CODE 3 Introduction to a SAR team – Search and Rescue

As long as people have been venturing out into the wilderness and getting lost, there have been those that have felt compelled to go save them. Usually these are individuals that have specialized training, skills, equipment, and the courage to venture into the worst possible terrain, at the worst possible times, in the worst possible weather. As with a lot of our first responder organizations, the systematic approach we have here in the US was born out of war. Early in the 20^th century, several nations needed to develop an approach to find and recover downed aircraft, ships, and missing soldiers. According to NASAR; “Contemporary SAR systems provide response for overdue, lost, injured, or stranded people in many environments.” My experience has all been in rural “wilderness” which is generally considered to be a region that is generally uninhabited and devoid of any manmade amenities. However, this can also describe other locations (even urban) that have suffered a disaster either manmade or natural, or a terrorist attack.

Search and Rescue was my first foray into my life as a first responder and it remains one of my favorites. There are SAR Teams (Search and Rescue) throughout the world, most of them run by the national military or government agencies. Here, in the US, we have a combination of local county, state, and federal agencies that work in a mutual support model for search and rescue responsibilities. According to Wikipedia; “In January 2008, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the National Response Framework (NRF) which serves as the guiding document for a federal response during a national emergency. In addition to the NRF there are 15 annexes relating to Emergency Support Functions (ESF) which includes other federal agencies that contain resources or expertise to support an emergency. Search and Rescue is included as ESF-9 and divides SAR into 4 primary elements while assigning a federal agency with the lead role for each of the 4 elements.

• Structural Collapse-USAR: Department of Homeland Security, FEMA


• Waterborne: US Coast Guard, USCG Auxiliary


• Inland-wilderness: United States Department of Interior, National Park Service


• Aeronautical: United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center, Civil Air Patrol, United States Air Force Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, US Navy (secondary missions for helicopter squadrons.)

In the US SAR standards are developed primarily by ASTM International and the US NFPA which are then used by organizations such as NASAR (National Association of Search and Rescue) to develop training that will meet or exceed those standards.”

In all reality, it would take a HUGE event for the federal agencies to step in and take over the incident command of a local SAR operation, possibly a Yellowstone caldera eruption or 9-11 type event. Usually, it is the local SAR teams in conjunction with other local first responder agencies that will be involved in a mutual aid scenario . In my neck of the woods, that can include local EMS, city PD, county sheriff deputies, border patrol, US Forest Service, and maybe the state patrol. We also have access to a couple of helicopter units, one that is a part of a life flight type service and one that specializes in SAR operations.

OK OK OK…. I know that was very dry, but we had to get that out of the way. Because in all reality being part of a local volunteer SAR team can be one of the most exciting parts of your life! Seriously, where else are you going to get to train and work with 4×4’s, quads, horses, K9’s, jet boats, snow mobiles, snow cats, rappelling, land navigation, austere emergency medicine, tracking, and maybe get to possibly save lives? You get this training from some of the best sources out there. I myself, have trained with county sheriff, local PD, EMS (to be fair I am on both teams), US Border Patrol, US Forest Service, and the Joel Hardin Visual Tracking System. These activities/trainings are things that many adrenaline-fueled personalities (like myself) would actually pay money for and yet they are almost always paid for by the team!

So, each SAR team in each local area is going to be organized differently as far as equipment and skill sets depending on their unique needs for their local area. I can only speak upon my experience on my own SAR team. Generally, a local volunteer SAR team is going to be a non-profit that falls under the jurisdiction of the local Sherriff as a volunteer organization. Being a non-profit it will have a board of directors, a training officer, and a safety officer. It will then be broken down into teams. For our team this consists of:

• 4×4 team


• boat team


• dive team


• swift water rescue team


• snowmobile team


• tracking team


• avalanche rescue


• rope team (rappelling)


• communications


• Incident Command

In order to become involved in my local SAR team, I first talked with a friend of mine that was already on the team. From him, I learned when the monthly membership meeting was and also found their web site. On the website, I down loaded and filled out a membership application.  I would suggest going to any of the meetings or trainings that they may have, that are open to the public. As part of my application process I had to go through a background check. Generally, if you have no felonies or recent lesser convictions you should be ok, but check with your local SAR team for their local protocols. I then went through an interview process talking about what sort of relevant experience I already had. For me most of that experience came from my involvement and training with the local CPT team in our area where we had covered land navigation, wilderness first aid, etc. They also asked if I would commit to getting my first aid/CPR certification and also study and test for my SAR Tech III certification and go through a year long probationary period before I would become a full voting member of the team. The SAR Tech certification system was first developed in 1991 by NASAR to evaluate three levels of search responders to that a measureable, consistent set of standards, and skills for both individual responders and teams could be had by incident commanders. The three levels are SAR Tech III, SAR Tech II and SAR Tech I / Crew-leader 3.

Again, the decision to join my local SAR team has been one of the most rewarding life choices I have made. It has lead me to a career as first responder among several teams. If you are already a member of your local CPT team I would strongly encourage you to look into plugging in and volunteering with one of your own local volunteer first responder teams.

I will be discussing in further articles the fundamentals that actually go into a Search and Rescue call out.

Spyder Thompson

The post CODE 3 Introduction to a SAR team – Search and Rescue appeared first on Oath Keepers.

1st Gear First Responder gear review –CATI Body Armor EMS Package AR600 with the multi-curve CQB lvl 3+ plates

1^st Gear — First Responder gear review

CATI Body Armor EMS Package AR600 with the multi-curve CQB lvl 3+ plates

 

Body armor really is one of those things that truly falls into the category of equipment and skill sets it is far better to have and never need than need and not have. Because the one and only day that you really do need it and don’t have it, could be your last. It’s really a pretty simple insurance plan. But that’s really how the 1^st responder community really approaches most things. It’s the reason we take the time to completely refuel, check oil and fluids, oxygen levels and completely clean and restock the ambulance when get done with what is usually several back to back bad calls at 03:30 in the morning. Because 1^st responders know that one of the fates named Murphy, is just watching and waiting with a Cheshire cat grin for you to not to just once to teach you in, no indefinite terms, that you really should have. It’s best just not to tempt the fates when one already works so closely to death.

 

So, I work in a VERY rural district in the Rocky Mountains. There are times that runs can take up to 6 hours’ round trip. There are times that even running code 3 (with lights and sirens) it will take us an hour to get to our patient. When you live in such a remote community you must rely on yourself and your team, simply put, because there is no one else to call for timely back up. Often, we are called out to remote back country locations that are way out in the middle of nowhere and we may be the only 1^st responder team going (as in no law enforcement) even if we request law enforcement there are times they just cannot get out to you in time. It is times like these that being self-reliant is the best prescription. There are also a ridiculous number of (jregistered) firearms per household. Don’t get me wrong here, I am a huge support of our rights to arms for self-protection (pretty much every fellow first responder I know are) but there are times that you may be dealing with a mentally unstable individual with a large amount of high caliber firearms back in the middle of nowhere that needs medical help but you could be walking into a potentially an unsafe situation. It is times like these that I have my own EMS body armor on hand.

 

My personal choice in this equipment is CATI armor’s EMS package using the AR600 with the multi-curve CQB. According to their website: AR600 Armor Plate is an Ultra High Harness (UHH) steel used in the most demanding of armor applications.  While it is not a true NIJ rating, it achieves the level of Level 3+.  What this means is that in addition to performing at NIJ Level 3 standards, it also is Special Threat tested to the 5.56 round of M193 up to 3100 feet per second.  Level 3 steels to not protect against that velocity.  Defeats all lower threats and special threat tested for M193.

 

 

You can ask yourself well how do I know if these plates will really hold up under fire? Well some crazy vets from the NITC Training Center(think 12^th Mountain Division and Army Ranger types…not desk jockeys and cooks) out of Idaho have put these though paces, they put over 250 rounds onto a single plate consecutively from 9mm FMJ all the way through 3 rounds with a 50 cal. It was only the last three rounds from the 50 cal. That were able to penetrate! But judge for your-self how they held up here’s the video.

 

 

I also have the trauma pads inserted as well. This is actually a very light set up for the amount of protection and with curved plates that contour your body lines it makes them noticeably thinner than traditional plates. This comes in handy when you have to kneel down or fit through confined spaces while giving care to your patient. It stays more out of the way. I have my carrier in navy blue with highly reflective white EMS, the Star of Life patches on both the front and back. I have not ever been shot at in the line of duty working with the ambulance. (It has only happened once while I was working as a fire-line EMT on the wildland fires last year.) I hope I will never have need of this equipment in the future, but I can’t count on that.

 

You can get into the exact same setup I personally use from CATI Armor for about $385 with everything; plates, trauma pads, carrier, ems patches. Shipping will be extra. But I can guarantee that it will be immensely less expensive than the ambulance ride, ER, surgery and recovery that if you are lucky enough to survive you will have to pay for! You can make a very, very bad day a little better with the addition of this gear.

 

 

There’s also one other big reason that I can think of to support CATI Armor, they have so far unpublicized program where they are donating full sets of armor to rural local law enforcement agencies that are in need of and cannot afford to outfit their LEO’s with this life saving equipment. I personally know officers from two different states that now have their back covered thanks to the generous donations from CATI Armor!

 

Check out CATI armor at www.catiarmor.com tell them Spyder sent you.

 

If you are a manufacturer of equipment or supplies for the 1^st responder community and would like to have your gear reviewed please email me at spydersthompson@gmail.com to set it up.

 

I’ll have another review for you next week.

 

Spyder Thompson

 

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The Code 3, Beginning My Journey as a 1st Responder

by Spyder Thompson

There is an unsung warrior class right here amongst us. They answer the call of duty at the worst possible times, traveling to the worst possible places, quite often during the worst weather that mother nature can muster. They are the ones that run towards the columns of smoke and disaster, are ushered through road blocks to go do battle with the dragons of accidents, attacks, and natural disasters. All “so that others may live,” and while these warriors do wear uniforms, they are not multi-cam. There are no holidays dinners, birthday parties of loved ones, or Christmas mornings that are off duty. Many of them are not paid for their service, yet they put their lives on the line every time they are called out.

They are the men and women of the EMS (Emergency Medical Services,) SAR (Search and Rescue,) Firefighters (both structural and wild-land,) and Police. They are America’s first responder communities.

I, at one time, came from the mindset that all government employees were to be looked at with suspicion and mistrust. That was before I joined the ranks of the 1^st responders. But now, I have knowledge from direct experience, and it has dramatically changed my view of the men and women who serve these agencies. That’s not to say that there are not bad people who are members of these communities, it just means that we must look at the greater picture and recognize them as the bad apples that they are. That, and we must be diligent in calling out the bad apples and hold them to account for their actions.

My journey started a couple of years back when I was working as a writer for a political website. In my work, I had come across Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers, after he had just launched his CPT (Community Preparedness Teams) initiative. This, I thought, was a great idea. I joined my local CPT and began training regularly with them.   The Oath Keepers national call to action and official guidance on CPT urges them to join their local first responder community and integrate with it.  This, I think, is crucial and there are CPT teams across the country that do this very well and those where it really needs to be focused on.

The original purpose and intent of the CPT program is to prepare the community, not just the teams. This is the driving concept that each CPT team across the country needs to keep in the forefront of their training and activities. If they (the CPT team) do not keep this as part of the mission it can cause problems at the local level. If there has been not enough, or no contact with the existing first responder teams before an event happens it can, for all intense purposes, cause the 1st responder community to look at CPT with suspicion and possibly worse – believe the erroneous message of the main stream media that CPT and the Oath Keepers are “anti-government.” If this were the case, then when a large-scale incident were to happen, there would not be the trust and rapport needed to call on them for assistance. How could we fix this problem? By taking our existing skill sets and eagerness to learn and join the existing first responder communities.

Living in the mountains of the west, I thought that joining my local Search and Rescue team might be a good start. It would further the skills I already had in land navigation, communications, wilderness survival, and medical care, all while helping me to get into better shape, which at the time I was in desperate need of. The process was pretty straight forward, I found their website and submitted an online application. Within a month, I was contacted by the team’s president and an interview was set up for after the next monthly meeting of the membership. During the interview, they asked about my past experience and what my motivation was for wanting to join the team. Really, for me, my main motivation was to give back to my local community in a tangible way. I remember thinking that if one of my three daughters was cold, hurt, alone, and lost in the wilderness, what kind of person would I want to be out there searching for her and in the end the answer to that question was someone like me.

It was in the next month, I was made a probationary member of the team. I needed to get my CPR license updated and also needed to take and pass the SAR Tech 1 certification through NASAR (The National Association for Search and Rescue.) NASAR was founded in 1972 for the training of search and rescue, disaster relief, emergency medicine, and awareness education. NASAR is interested in search and rescue as a humanitarian mission. They also provide a national standard for training and skills. Once I accomplished these, I was able to be called out for missions.

I really cannot believe that more people are not interested in being a part of their local SAR team. During the first year of training, I was able to train with and become competent in several areas that are incredibly exciting. Rappelling, 4×4 riding, snowmobiles/snow cats, and boats are just a few of the types of experiences you will get to have. All this while building team dynamics and really getting a sense that you are really helping people on some of the worst days of their lives.

After being a member of the SAR team for about a year, I went on to join the local ambulance service. This, I really kind of fell into. I had heard from a fellow member of the CPT team that the ambulance service was having their 24-hour refresher course once a week and that it was free and open to the public. I began attending their trainings, hoping just to get some emergency medical training that would be of use in my SAR callouts. I found that I had a keen interest in Emergency Medicine and within in 2 months of training I began driving for the ambulance service. A month later I was working on attaining my own EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) license. That summer I was brought on to the service as a full member. That would be a very busy summer for me as I also applied for, and was accepted to be a wildland fire fighter (as a fire-line qualified EMT). A week after passing my NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians,) I was living out of a tent on an isolated mountain side going through the USFS (United States Forest Service) Guard School. This is the training one must go through to become a type 2 wildland fire fighter. That summer would prove to be one of the most intense fire seasons in history and I would travel to 6 different fires.

I now have an immense feeling of pride in serving and giving back what I can to my community. I have an ever-evolving skill set that is continuously being added to and I am in the best shape of my life!


In this new series of articles “Code 3”, I will be discussing different aspects of the first responder communities and what it is like to live the life of a first responder. Additionally, I will also be putting out gear reviews, going over new tools and tech that can help in the fight “so that others may live.”

 

If you believe in the mission of Oath Keepers, to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, please make a donation to support our work.  
You can donate HERE.

 

 

 

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Oath Keepers Webinar Monday March 5, 2018 8PM CST Police Experts on Improving School Safety

 

Please register for Oath Keepers Police Experts on Improving School Security and Guidance for Our Volunteers in Operation We Got Your Six on Mar 5, 2018 9:00 PM EST.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR WEBINAR

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1750339337641336579

A panel of our most experienced veteran street cops and SWAT officers, some still current serving, as well as Special Warfare and combat arms veterans, will present on:

1. Their analysis and findings on what policies, programs, and TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures), need to be put in place by schools and local LEOs to most effectively protect the students, as well as what legislative and regulatory changes would need to take place at the local and federal level to facilitate those changes. What will keep the students safe? What needs to change, what needs to be done, and how do we do it for long term, lasting solutions to the threat of “active shooter” mass murderer and terrorist attacks against our schools?

2. Their recommendations, advice, and guidelines for our Oath Keepers volunteers in Operation We Got Your Six (WGY6), who are volunteering to serve on campus with school permission, if possible, and are also posting off campus to overwatch schools to spot and report to local LEOs any potential threats, with the expectation that only our most well trained, experienced, and qualified professional police and military members will be expected to be prepared to directly respond to a worst case scenario of an ongoing mass murder attack such as recently happened in Florida.  Emphasis will be on effective coordination with local LEOs, with the schools, and with each other to avoid blue-on-blue tragedies, and emphasis will be on putting a primary on effective observation and overwatch, with direct action being the last resort, and only by our most skilled designated responders.  This webinar will help you do it right.

As always, you will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

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Oath Keepers National Call to Action: Help Us Protect the Future by Standing Guard Outside Schools Nationwide

Oath Keeper Army veteran Mark Gowan Stands Guard Outside Fort Wayne, Indiana High School

Oath Keepers message to the school-children of America: “We Got Your Six.”

Oath Keepers, an association of military, police, fire-fighters and other first-responders, launches “Operation We Got You Six” to let the children of America know that our well-trained retired police officers and military veterans will protect the kids while they are in school against any madman or terrorist who tries to attack them.

 

CALL TO ACTION:  Oath Keepers, in the wake of the horrific attack on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, it is time to step up nationwide and defend our schools against the threat of mass murder.  Enough is enough.   We call on you to post up armed outside your local school, as close as the local laws allow, and stand guard in defense of the children of your community.

 

 

Oath Keepers National Call to Action Video

 

Oath Keepers in Indiana, such as the outstanding Army veteran, Mark Cowan, are already standing guard outside schools in their state.  Mark has set the example for you to follow, so now it is time for you to also step up and get it done where you live.  Mark calls his effort “Operation We Got Your Six” and we are adopting that same name for this national effort.  Hat’s off to Mark for leading the way.  Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle?  Let’s roll. 

 

Video interview with Indiana Oath Keeper Mark Cowan, who is standing guard outside a high school in Fort Wayne, IN

Clearly, as President Trump stated, what should be done is to arm and train the teachers, just as is done in Israel.   That would provide the most effective deterrent and the fastest defense, since the teachers and staff are right there with the intended victims, and are already tasked with taking care of the kids.

Armed teacher protecting children in Israel.  If it’s right for Israel, why isn’t it right for America? 

But until the idiotic laws and policies that demand disarmed teacher zones full of helpless children are changed here in the U.S., we military and police veteran Oath Keepers will fill the void by being as close to the schools as we can be, just as we filled the void by standing guard outside recruiting centers across the nation in the wake of the Chattenooga, TN terror attack when even well trained military recruiters were not allowed to carry firearms for their own defense.

 Guarding Recruitment Centers in NH

Rick Delapp, a member of Oath Keepers, stands guard outside the Armed Forces Career Center in Kalispell, MT.

We stood guard over adults who were left unarmed by idiotic policy.  How much more of a duty do we have to stand guard over our children while their teachers are left unarmed by idiotic policy?  We have a duty under our oath to step up and stand in the gap, by posting outside our schools in every community nationwide, standing guard as close to the schools as the local laws allow, so we are ready and able to be a quick reaction force to decisively stop any mass murderer or terrorist intent on killing children.    As we have seen over and over again, the police cannot be everywhere and they also cannot possibly respond fast enough to put an immediate end to the killing.   When second count, the police are minutes away.

Be sure to alert local law enforcement of what you will be doing, where you will post outside the school, how to easily identify you (such as with your Oath Keepers shirts and hats and any additional methods of identification you decide on), and also notify the school of your intent.  Notice the key word there is “notify,” rather than asking for permission.   When it comes to standing outside schools within the limits of the law to defend  the lives of our children, you don’t need to ask permission of bureaucrats or politicians.  Their Alice-in-Wonderland thinking – insisting on turning our schools into soft target kill boxes full of helpless kids, with disarmed teachers and staff who are not equipped to stop the attack – has created a terrorist’s dream setup on a silver platter.

Stand on your rights and your duty and get it done.   Please also stay within the law, such as being only as close to the school as state and federal law allows (each state is different, so be sure you know the local rules) so as to deny our anti-gun/ anti-veteran/ anti-cop politically motivated leftist enemies an easy way to shut you down or even try to prosecute you for doing the right thing.  The same goes for whether to be armed with a handgun or a long arm, and whether to go open carry or concealed.  Know your local laws and use your own best judgment on what is the best method and posture for you to use in your local community.

President Trump recently declared that he would have run into that school even if unarmed to try to stop the killing.  That’s the spirit!  We who are trained and equipped to do it right have the highest duty, and the highest honor, of stepping in between the children and evil incarnate.

As we said in Army Airborne, the time has come to stand up, hook up, and shuffle to the door.  Let’s get it done.   If not us, then who?   We must lead the way.

For the Republic,

Stewart Rhodes

Founder of Oath Keepers

 

PS- We will post up more details on our advice on how to most effectively coordinate with local law enforcement and how to best secure the schools.  Our experienced LEO and special warfare veterans will lead the way in providing that advice.   Note that we also call on you to do all you can to influence a change in Federal, state and local laws, and in your local school administration policies to allow well trained military and police veterans to serve as armed volunteers inside the schools, and to also allow the teachers and school staff to get trained and then carry concealed handguns inside the school.  And then you will need to train those teachers and school staff members.   Time to fix this.

Also, join us tonight, Feb 26, 2018 at 9pm Eastern for a special online webinar on this topic.  Go here to register for that webinar.

Oath Keepers Webinar Monday Feb 26, 2018 8:00 PM CST

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1749714814829483266

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Farmstead Meatsmith: Lamb Harvest and Butchering

Brandon Sheard is a Farmstead Meatsmith. He slaughters and butchers animals for homesteaders and small farmers. In these videos, from the Grass-fed Homestead, we see him harvest lambs.

If you raise animals for meat, and have considered slaughtering and butchering them yourself, these videos may be of value to you. They include links to the Farmstead Meatsmith’s books and website where you can learn about his workshops.

Farmstead Meatsmith: A Discussion with Brandon Sheard

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Controlled Collapse? Rothschilds Have Sold Massive Amounts of U.S. Assets

This video, from Dahboo77, in August of last year, shows that the Rothschild family businesses have sold almost half of their US assets. The question becomes: Why?

The richest of the rich, who are the Rothschilds and their associates, control the Central Banks of most, if not all, of the countries in the world. Why this was allowed to happen is a story for another time, but they can destroy a nations economy at their whim. They created the Great Depression in the US, and have done so in other countries.

As Dahboo77 points out, the new craze for cryptocurrencies is not an answer, as every transaction in a cryptocurrency is traceable. With Bitcoin, or any of these cryptocurrencies, you have no privacy. Nothing that is digital is private. Nothing.

What can you do to safeguard your family? Buy gold and silver, for one. Or buy real assets, such as real estate that produces something for you, be it a farm or forest land that gives you cordwood and lumber. Hoard useful goods, such as tools and supplies for making necessities. Learn skills, such as gardening, herbal medicine, animal husbandry, blacksmithing, canning or drying food.

Learning to produce many of your needs for your family is a start. The next step is to form relationships with other families whose skills complement yours. No one can do everything. No man is an island, as the saying goes.

You can store food and supplies in your house, but there will come a time when those supplies run out. You need to consider what comes next. That is where the ability to garden, can food, raise animals, cut firewood for your home, or other skills come into play. You will need to trade with others, which means you will need something to trade with. It can be goods, food, or even skills. Skills can be traded for necessities.

During the Great Depression, my grandfather had a small homestead farm. He grew a lot of food for the family on that homestead, raised chickens, had a horse and cut firewood for his family and for sale to others. Times were lean, but they survived. So did most of their neighbors. They had the skills for survival.

You can believe it can’t happen again, but that belief won’t help you, or your family, if it does. You can sneer at Preppers, or Homesteaders, but they will have a better chance of survival if another Depression is brought down upon us.

As for gathering together with others, for survival sake, that is what Oath Keepers Community Preparedness Teams (CPT) is all about. CPT is about the survival of a community, by sharing expertise, by joining together for security, for teaching new skills. I encourage you to form your own CPT community, whether it be an Oath Keeper group or a group of your own design. There is strength in numbers. More people means more skills. Having more available skills increases your chance of survival. Civilization is not about “lone wolves” hiding out. It is about like-minded people working together for a common goal.

 

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Home Canning Basics

For those of you who are new to the idea of home canning, I have two videos for you that should be helpful in getting you started. Canning your own food is the best way of ensuring your family gets quality food to eat. You grow it; you can it; you eat it. All year long! It is you taking responsibility for your own food needs.

Esther Emery has a video about the basics of home canning. She is an off-grid homesteader who has quite a following on YouTube.

Guildbrook Farm another YouTube homesteading channel has another video on basic home canning.

 

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Organic Pest Control – End Problems with Bugs Forever in Your Garden

Starry Hilder is an Off-Grid homesteader who posts helpful videos on YouTube. In this video Starry tells us how to have a pest-free, organic garden using three techniques: Back-to-Eden gardening method, Companion Planting and Perma Culture. If you don’t know about these methods you can Google them for instruction. There are a lot of videos and books on these subjects.

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Florida church warns at every door ‘we are heavily armed’

By Travis Fedschun | Fox News  11/19/2017

A Florida church has a stark warning to all who enter who may wish to do harm–“we are heavily armed.”

The River at Tampa Bay Church regularly broadcasts its services live on social media, and in the wake of the Texas church massacre where 26 people were killed, a leader of the congregation made a splash on social media when he posted a photo of the sign.

“Welcome to The River at Tampa Bay Church — right of admission reserved — this is private property,” it reads. “Please know this is not a gun free zone — we are heavily armed — any attempt will be dealt with deadly force — yes we are a church and will protect our people.” The message is signed “The Pastors.”

 

 

Associate Pastor Allen Hawes told FOX 13 Tampa the sign has been up for over a year at the non-denominational church, but garnered attention after Senior Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne posted it on his Instagram account.

Hawes has his own concealed-carry weapons permit, and said those armed during services that draw over 1,000 could include parishioners with concealed-carry permits, private plainclothes guards, or uniformed deputies hired for security.

“If you think you are going to come here and do that, this is a deterrent for you because it is everywhere, it’s not like we hide these signs,” Hawes said. “They’re big signs, and it’s going to tell these people, we will protect our people.”

Read more here: foxnews.com

If you believe in the mission of Oath Keepers, to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, please make a donation to support our work.  
You can donate HERE.

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Please Help Support Our Church Security Team in Sutherland Springs, TX

Oath Keepers Security Volunteers on Duty Outside First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas

We still have Oath Keepers volunteers on the ground in Sutherland Springs, TX, helping provide security for the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs as they recover and rebuild after the horrendous mass shooting on November 5. A secondary mission for our team is to offer free security assessments to South Texas churches, and to offer free training for their security teams (helping them form a team if they have none, or helping them train the team they have).

Our men have been on the ground for the past week, at the invitation of the church pastors, and have done a superb job in helping to preserve the privacy and security of the church and its members as they go through the heart wrenching grieving, memorial, and healing process. And we will be part of the long term solution to help prevent this from happening again, which will also help to defend our gun rights by denying the enemies of the Second Amendment the victims they need to push their agenda.

We still need volunteers, per our CALL TO ACTION.

If you can’t volunteer, please help support those who can. You can DONATE to help us continue this vital mission.  

Not everyone can attend these events, but we could use your help with the ongoing expenses. Our unpaid volunteers need to be reimbursed for gas money spent on travel and food, and we have also spent money on airfare and a rental car to bring in one of our key team leaders, retired Washington D.C. Metro police officer and Army Ranger veteran, Brian Krogmann, who flew in from Arizona.

We appreciate all who have supported our recent disaster relief efforts in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, and we will do our best to not stretch our donors too thin. But the anti-gunners are doing all they can to use this tragedy, as well as the recent Las Vegas mass shooting, to further erode and destroy your right to bear arms. When the pastors of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs reached out to us and asked us for help, we didn’t hesitate because it was the right thing to do. And by stepping up when called, we will also be part of the long term solution of increased security for churches, not just in Texas, but all across the nation. 

Because of this operation, we can now speak with direct knowledge of what happened there in Sutherland Springs since we have seen the aftermath with our own eyes, and we have spoken directly with the church members and their pastors. We have also had the honor to meet and speak at length with the man who put a stop to the killing, Stephen Willeford. And all of that will make a real difference as we counsel and advise churches across the nation on what they must do to prevent the same thing from happening to them – they must have robust armed security that is prepared for active shooter attacks like this.  

We all know that until churches go from being soft targets to being hard targets, terrorists and madmen will take advantage of that softness to work their evil. Oath Keepers is playing a direct, key part in making that necessary change, across this nation. Please donate to support this effort. 

DONATE

If you prefer to send a check, the mailing address is:

Oath Keepers
5130 S. Fort Apache Road, Ste. 215
Las Vegas, NV  89148

A donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated by our Oath Keepers on the ground in Sutherland Springs, TX and will help us in our mission to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, going forward.  

Thank you,

Oath Keepers

 

 

 

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Please Help Support Our Church Security Team in Sutherland Springs Texas

Oath Keepers Security Volunteers on Duty Outside First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas

We still have Oath Keepers volunteers on the ground in Sutherland Springs, TX, helping provide security for the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs as they recover and rebuild after the horrendous mass shooting on November 5.    A secondary mission for our team is to offer free security assessments to South Texas churches, and to offer free training for their security teams (helping them form a team if they have none, or helping them train the team they have).  Our men have been on the ground for the past week, at the invitation of the church pastors, and have done a superb job in helping to preserve the privacy and security of the church and its members as they go through the heart wrenching grieving, memorial, and healing process.  And we will be part of the long term solution to help prevent this from happening again, which will also help to defend our gun rights by denying the enemies of the Second Amendment the victims they need to push their agenda.

We still need volunteers, per our CALL TO ACTION.

If you can’t volunteer, please help support those who can. You can DONATE to help us continue this vital mission.  

Not everyone can attend these events, but we could use your help with the ongoing expenses.   Our unpaid volunteers need to be reimbursed for gas money spent on travel and food, and we have also spent money on airfare and a rental car to bring in one of our key team leaders, retired Washington D.C. Metro police officer and Army Ranger veteran, Brian Krogmann, who flew in from Arizona.   

We appreciate all who have supported our recent disaster relief efforts in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, and we will do our best to not stretch our donors too thin.   But the anti-gunners are doing all they can to use this tragedy, as well as the recent Las Vegas mass shooting, to further erode and destroy your right to bear arms.   When the pastors of the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs reached out to us and asked us for help, we didn’t hesitate because it was the right thing to do.  And by stepping up when called, we will also be part of the long term solution of increased security for churches, not just in Texas, but all across the nation.  Because of this operation, we can now speak with direct knowledge of what happened there in Sutherland Springs since we have seen the aftermath with our own eyes, we have spoken directly with the church members and their pastors, and we have also had the honor to meet  and speak at length with the man who put a stop to the killing, Stephen Willeford.   And all of that will make a real difference as we counsel and advise churches across the nation on what they must do to prevent the same thing from happening to them – they must have robust armed security that is prepared for active shooter attacks like this.  

We all know that until churches go from being soft targets to being hard targets, terrorists and madmen will take advantage of that softness to work their evil.   Oath Keepers is playing a direct, key part in making that necessary change, across this nation.   Please donate to support this effort. 

DONATE

A donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated by our men on the ground in Sutherland Springs, TX and will help us in our mission to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, going forward.  

Thank you,

Oath Keepers

 

 

 

The post Please Help Support Our Church Security Team in Sutherland Springs Texas appeared first on Oath Keepers.

First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas

By Andrea E.

Oath Keepers was requested by leaders of First Baptist Church to help with the tragedy. A small group of volunteer Oath Keepers are assessing the situation, assisting with security and beginning to formulate training plans to help church congregations protect themselves from this kind of attack in the future.

Some of our followers and members have asked what we are doing here and what we are guarding against. As expected, the media is out in full force. We are here to help ensure the victims’ families, congregation and the town are left to grieve in peace. We are here to help prevent a copy-cat incident. We are here to provide peace of mind that they are protected from any more acts of evil. Oath Keepers have also found themselves pressed into other duties including removing bullet riddled church pews, doors and a playground. We have been a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on for this small tightly knit community.

 

Oath Keepers on our security detail in Sutherland, Texas

 

The First Baptist Church was cleaned up and painted as a memorial to twenty six members of the congregation. Each chair represents a church member and where they were sitting on Sunday, November 5th. The memorial was opened to families at 5 PM on Sunday, November 12th. The memorial is scheduled to be open all week.

 

 

 

Photo credit: Andrea E.

When Oath Keepers participate in a mission like this one, they do so as volunteers.

If you can donate to help with travel expenses, etc, that would be greatly appreciated.

We currently have Oath Keepers in Sutherland Springs, Texas from several states, including Arizona, Montana, and Florida.

Please donate HERE. Thank you very much!

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The coming civil war: We lose

(Be sure to read ’till the end.)

By Earick Ward  November 2, 2017

As America’s Civil War is being re-litigated, do not the conditions for our next great struggle appear at hand?

Father against son?  Brother against brother?  Right against left?

The tension is palpable.  The rhetoric, from both sides, is ratcheting up to a fever pitch.  Short of some type of intervention, the tension, the rhetoric could turn to bloodshed.

While most of my conservative friends don’t seek this pursuit, they note that they will not shy away from defending their families, their homes, their values, and their country.  They also note that, as historic defenders of our Second Amendment right, they are prepared to go to war if it comes to it.  While these facts are true, let me suggest that in this coming battle, we lose, even if we win.

The (hard) left wants war.  The leftists’ attempts to divide us (Americans) by race, class, ideology are tactical.  They want for us to hate each other.  America’s experiment of liberty and self-rule stands in the way of their re-imposing authoritarian control over our populace, subsequently bringing about the long sought after one-world (Marxist) government.  Hate and strife are strong motivators.  If one can be convinced that “that rich man didn’t build that,” the logical conclusion is that what he has should be mine, and if government is not going to redistribute his stuff to me, then I am within my rights to take it by force.

[snip]

Why do we lose?  We, today, are America.  All of us.  We are a nation founded on self-rule, protected by our ideals and our Constitution.  As self-rulers, we exist because we deem it so.  If and when we reach the point that we are literally at each other’s throats, we are no longer a nation, but warring factions, set on a course toward imminent destruction.

The left’s desire for a second Civil War is but a precursor for their attempts to have the U.N. deem that our Constitution is not the defense against war, but its cause.  The oppressed will clamor for justice.  The oppressors will be deemed enemies of mankind.  The American left and its globalist counterparts will announce that the American experiment has failed.

Yes, we will still have our guns, and we individually will still work to protect our families and our values, but our nation will be inexorably changed.  This is a win for the left.

The answer, then, is portrayed in the epic 1980s movie War Games: 
“Strange game Professor. The only winning move is not to play.”

 

The left is working overtime to incite America’s Second Civil War.  While it might seem tempting to take on Antifa’s pajama boys, take caution: this is exactly what they want.  

In fact, don’t be surprised to see a false flag-type event this weekend, structured to give the Antifas the moral high ground.

Our victory comes from not playing the left’s game.

Read more at American Thinker

If you believe in the mission of Oath Keepers, to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, please make a donation to support our work.  You can donate HERE.

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PUERTO RICO PART II – MEDICAL ISSUES

By Faye Higbee – Oct 28, 2017 – Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children

Puerto Rico is struggling under a desperate need for medical help, that in some cases is not happening. We spoke with a disaster relief worker who explained some of the issues that are creating havoc…they were described to us as “humanitarian crimes.”

The fight to get medical care  

An example: a veteran and his son – who had serious medical issues – were in area that had flooding and no communication.  Relief workers were trying to find a way to help the son, and it became extremely difficult. The son was so sick he could not communicate.

“He was wasting away in front of my eyes.”

They did manage to get 2 doctors out to him, but they advised the the relief workers that there was “no way” the man would get better in that environment. Hence, evacuation was necessary.

They got an ambulance to take him to a field hospital, where they hoped he could get assistance to allow him intake on the USNS Comfort. (Patients must have the approval of a hospital and proper paperwork to board the hospital ship). Aid workers were able to finally get him that approval.

By then the man had spent several hours in an ambulance. Officials directed him to a MASH unit that was only open from 9 a.m.- 9 p.m. – by the time he got there they were closed.

Members of the military volunteered to watch him overnight.  When morning came, the process did not work as originally communicated, and the intake to the USNS Comfort was cancelled.

Amateur civilian ham radio operators had created a network of communication between hospitals for about 3 weeks. By this time, they had left, which made a difficult situation even worse.

Relief workers have involved a variety of  federal agencies, NGOs,and legislators to work on this case. Disaster relief flights are difficult to obtain, in part because they are expensive. His situation is not totally resolved as of this writing. The man has been to no less than 5 hospitals, only the last of which has made a solid effort to help him – they are thoroughly overwhelmed. But he still needs to be taken to a hospital on the mainland, which is something the relief workers are attempting to handle at this time.

The pressure on relief workers

Many of the relief workers receive calls incessantly from people stranded in the mountains, children who are acutely ill, water purification issues, the need for gas to power generators, veterans that need supplies, even the need for more body bags at the morgue [Note: we have information that the death toll from various issues from landslides to Leptospirosis is far higher than is being reported], and many other critical situations too numerous to count. Then there are the accusations that FEMA is stockpiling food and water and not releasing it.

It never ends. Relief workers are exhausted both emotionally and physically. In Part III some revelations about the reasons Puerto Rico is still in the throes of desperation.

 Follow

David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

#UnitedforPuertoRico raises 12.5M dollars, & questions about the organizations effectiveness

More with Governor: https://www.facebook.com/108679513654/videos/10155266589328655/ …

6:57 PM – Oct 24, 2017

 Follow

David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

As of tonight, the U.S. Naval Ship “Comfort” has:

*31 registered patients onboard *85% of the beds are empty

*169 beds are available

5:00 PM – Oct 24, 2017

 Follow

David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

Medical examiner in Puerto Rico has authorized 911 cremations

of “natural deaths” since Hurricane Maria https://www.buzzfeed.com/nidhiprakash/puerto-rico-cremations …

10:44 AM – Oct 27, 2017

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David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

Puerto Rico death toll: 51

3 of the 51 died from Leptospirosis

76 other cases of Lepto are suspected (most are alive & being treated)

10:57 AM – Oct 26, 2017

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David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

Puerto Death toll now 51

2 most recent deaths are from Leptospirosis, there 74 other “suspected” cases which need @CDCgov confirmation

9:45 AM – Oct 24, 2017

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David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

“OFF THE GRID NOW!!” was the text message I just received from an engineer standing in front of the generators https://twitter.com/davidbegnaud/status/922301158667960320 …

8:25 PM – Oct 22, 2017

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David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

Two Navy ships used for helicopter support are leaving Puerto Rico: USS WASP & USS OAK HILL; “assets no longer needed” says @USNavy

7:20 AM – Oct 26, 2017

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David Begnaud 

✔@DavidBegnaud

Maria disrupted production at Puerto Rican factories making drugs; hospitals are seeing shortages @DrLaPook reports https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/hurricane-maria-disrupted-production-of-medical-supplies/ …

8:23 PM – Oct 25, 2017

Hurricane Maria disrupted production of medical supplies

Hurricane Maria disrupted production at Puerto Rican factories that make critical drugs and medical supplies. Dr. Jon LaPook found that hospitals on the U.S. mainland are already seeing shortages.

cbsnews.com

 Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children

This is the second in a series of articles by Faye Higbee on the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

 

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