One of the sisters I visit teach gave me a Heater in a Can as a gift. Thank you! I love it so much that I am going to post how to make one here. I am sure we’ll have a group buy for this and activity to put it together in 2009, but for now I am just putting the instructions on the site so we don’t forget. Enjoy!

Uses:
Heater in Home
Heater in Car during winter months.
Heater for Camping
Heater for your 72 hour kit.

Supplies:
1 empty quart can (you can purchase at any paint store)
1 bottle of rubbing alcohol
1 roll of toilet paper (with cardboard removed)
paint can opener (you can purchase at any paint store or mini philips screwdriver. )
pack of matches or lighter.

To make as a gift: Remove core of toilet paper. Fold the roll of toilet paper in half and stuff into the empty quart can. Put the can and the rest of the items in a ziploc bag separately so the recipient may pour the alcohol in the can when heat is needed. Copy the text below and include it with the kit.

Assembly for Use:

1. Remove core of toilet paper
2. Fold the roll of toilet paper in half and stuff into the empty quart can.
3. Slowly pour 1 pint alcohol into can.
4. Light w/ lighter or match.
5. To extinguish, replace the lid.
6. Put the following instructions in with the rest of the items.

Instructions for using Emergency Car Heater:
Use 70% isopropyl alcohol-any higher percent the flames could be too high. Do not use scented alcohol, it will smell awful in your car. 4 pints of isopropyl will keep a car 60 to 70 degrees for 24 hours. They are extremely safe and don’t produce carbon monoxide.

Warnings: Be careful the can rim will be hot to touch during and for a while after burning, although the can could be held from the bottom even while the heater is burning. It is suggested that you carry a metal pan or cookie sheet or fold a square of tin foil into fourths to set the heater on. Do not pour more alcohol on the heater while burning. Wait for it to burn out or smother with metal lid.

**It is recommended that you keep a window cracked open while burning the heater.**

This heater is NOT recommended for cooking!

Submitted by: Chris & Jessica Gainer

In order to properly “shelter-in-place” find a place that you can shut yourself in and stay put. (Hopefully the place you shelter in is really close or where you already are.) This would be necessary to do when something catastrophic happens and it is no longer safe to stay outside. Examples of this could be a natural disaster, hazardous materials release, highly volatile airborne pathogens, zombie incursion, etc. Really, this is the safest thing to do in most cases unless you are told by authorities to leave. (Remember when your mom told you “If you get lost, stay put.” Same idea-you’re easier to locate and things usually go better if you’re not out wandering with the undead or highly radioactive materials. All jesting aside, when you shelter in place properly, you’ll end up being a lot safer until you know for sure what’s going on. A lot of panicking people=crowded freeways, mass hysteria, and bad stuff happening outside. Stay put, stay calm, and stay safe.

When told to shelter in place (you’ll normally hear this on the radio or TV, one of those “this is not a test, this is an actually emergency, this is not a test” broadcasts), you should:

1. Close and lock windows and doors to the outside.
2. Turn off anything that circulates air or vents to the outside (heater, AC, fans, fireplace etc.) also tape up little cracks and openings to the outside with tape and put damp towels on door bottoms.
3. If accessible, get your 72 hour kit.
4. Go to an above ground interior room with no windows.
5. Don’t panic and don’t call 911 unless there is an immediate threat to life. For example, if someone has lost an appendage it would be OK to call; on the other hand if they’ve got a paper cut or are just scared, don’t call.
6. Keep the radio on and wait for further instructions.

For more information, see diagram A and here are some really good websites I found.

http://www.cityofvancouver.us/preparedness.asp?itemID=23927 (there’s a video on this one, too-it’s free, you just have to navigate through a couple pages to get there)
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_589_,00.html
http://www.nicsinfo.org/SIP%20Center.htm

Emergency mylar blankets can be a useful tool for keeping warm under the right conditions, but they do have their limitations. Under certain circumstances they may not be as effective as expected and when used under the wrong conditions, the result can be death. Their primary purpose is to keep you warm under limited conditions, not get you warm.

How They Work
It is important to understand that these emergency blankets work by reflecting a portion of your body heat. Therefore, you must have sufficient body heat to begin with for them to be effective. The colder you become before using the blanket, the less effective it will be. They are not as effective in long-term use or when in severe weather. They are completely ineffective in the case of hypothermia. In the case of hypothermia, external sources of heat are required for survival. Again, they will keep you warm under limited conditions, but not get you warm.

Things to Keep In Mind
With this in mind, it is prudent to use the blanket early in an emergency situation before body heat is lost. Most of your body heat is lost through your head, so keep your head covered with a good hat or alternative covering. Also, you can create body heat by exercising before covering yourself with the blanket. You will need to use prudence here, however, as moisture created from sweat and physical exhaustion are contributing factors to hypothermia. Dry clothing is also essential for maintaining body warmth. Do all that you can to keep dry or to change into dry clothes. Keep yourself hydrated. Try out the blanket in various conditions and for various lengths of time before needing one in an emergency.

Other Ideas for Keeping Warm
Be prepared to engage an alternative plan for creating heat and/or insulating. Other things that you may want to include in your 72-hour kit are waterproof matches, a can of Sterno, a change of clothes, a hat, mittens, and hand/body warmers. Keep warm blankets in your car for additional insulation. Should you get stranded in your car, you can use the foam in your seats to insulate your body by stuffing it inside your clothing.

Additional Uses
Besides keeping you warm under the right and limited conditions, your emergency blanket can provide some limited protection from the elements, be useful as a ground cover, as a reflector to signal for help, to collect water or for reflecting the sun away from you or toward something you want heated. Emergency mylar blankets can be a useful tool…just remember that any tool is only useful when used correctly and safely.

Click here for a printable PDF file of these warnings to insert into your 72 Hour Kits.

HEAT: Have battery & solar operated fans, spray bottles, sunglasses, hats & sunscreen.
COLD: Have gloves, hats, coats, boots, & scarves.
RAIN: Have waterproof ponchos & waterproof boots, with extra clothing.

Find out in advance where you can take your pets when an emergency happens in your community.