Where’s the Heat? – The Essentials of Heat and Shelter

“And now for something completely different” – Monty Python’s Flying Circus

To date I have written about food & water, the basis for a preparedness triangle. Today I am going to write about an essential leg of that triangle – shelter and fire. What was a caveman without a cave and fire? Extinct.

Shelter is rather self-explanatory. Shelter keeps the elements off of you. It is the only barrier between you and the outside world. Without intact shelter, you will eventually succumb to extremes in weather. Without shelter, you are completely exposed to the other “elements” which may seek to harm you or your family – the criminal element. Lets face it – in an economic collapse, crime will run rampant before full out societal collapse occurs. So shelter is important for more than keeping the rain off of your head.

Ideally, shelter is not a 4 season tent out in the boondocks. It is your home. A place both comfortable and familiar, a defensible place that keeps you and your family dry, safe and warm.

“Oh, my liver is killing me…” – Prometheus

Fire is the second most important element, after water. Without fire, we have no civilization. Without fire we have no electricity. Without fire we have no industry. Without fire, we freeze in the winter, possibly to death, and eat raw food, and some foods if left uncooked are poisonous.

Fire is heat, light, and life. While you could technically survive for some time without fire, the comfort level will be exceptionally low. Fire gives comfort. These articles I am writing address being prepared so you live in a level of comfort beyond “survival” and hopefully into “thriving”.

“Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire” - Metallica “Fuel”

Fire needs three things fuel, oxygen, and spark. Fuel can be as simple as cut wood and as complex as LPG systems. If you live in an “all electric” home, propane heaters and camp stoves are (currently) inexpensive. However, you need fuel no matter your heat/cooking source. In an economic collapse, you would need enough fuel on hand to feasibly last you a full year. Much like Argentina, when the economy collapses, the infrastructure remains, but utilities such as electricity are sporadic and unreliable at best. This means you should have enough fuel to cook food and heat your home for one full year without electricity.

Another thing to consider, if you have the space and wish to be as prepared as possible, is providing yourself with multiple ways to heat your home and cook food. A fireplace, propane or kerosene heaters, and propane or multi-fuel stove would be a good selection to have. Some even serve two purposes. You can heat your home and cook with a fireplace. Some kerosene heaters are stoves as well. Select and prepare with a variety of methods to ensure you will not go without when you need it most.

An additional consideration to make – do you have adequate, safe storage for whatever fuel you will need? Some homeowners associations have some very strict rules on how much firewood you can store or how much propane you can have on your property. Safe storage of fuels, especially the volatile ones, is an extremely important consideration to make.

One last note – from a safety aspect: never, ever burn charcoal briquettes in an indoor fireplace. They are loaded with chemicals and give off huge amounts of carbon monoxide that may not vent out of your home properly and could kill you and your loved ones.

“Come on baby light my fire” – The Doors “Light My Fire”

Spark – the second component of fire. Matches, lighters, magnesium fire starter sticks, fire pistons. All devices used to create sparks and flames. Make sure you have at least three different ways to make fire, and enough of each to last a year. We have lighters, matches, and magnesium fires starter sticks on stock at my house – enough of each one to last nearly a year each. That is a years worth of matches, flints, and lighter fluid.

Learn to light a fire without a match. Last winter I lit every single fire with a magnesium fire starter stick. It was a challenge and by winters end, I felt fairly confident if I had nothing else except the starter stick I could not eat cold food or be cold.

Being reliant on igniters and piezoelectric starters found in most propane systems is fine, until it stops working. The wires fall off. The ceramic breaks, a hundred different things can happen to that spark generator. For example, most older (pre-1970’s 1980’s) natural gas stoves used a pilot light to light the stovetop burners. The more modern stoves have an electric igniter (that “snapsnapsnap” you hear when lighting your gas stove is an electrical spark arcing through the stream of natural gas). When the power goes off, you best have a way to light that stove or you have a big problem on your hands.

“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire” – Torme and Wells “The Christmas Song”

The image of a roaring fire and the sound of the fire crackling bring forth memories of comfort and family. Once, the home was based around the hearth, because that was the center of the home. It was where the home was heated from and where the food was prepared. It may soon be the same way again. We are headed for a very serious economic reckoning and if you are not ready for it, you and your family may be victims of the economic perils rather than the survivors. The next leg of the preparedness triangle is security. Without any of these things: water/food, shelter/heat, security, you will be a victim.

Prepare for the worst and pray for the best!