Survive In Place
The Ultimate Step-By-Step guide to creating your Urban Survival Plan
This came to me from my bio-weapons expert who studied under Ken Alibek. It is a basic procedure for how to go into and out of your safe room in the event of a bio event.
I’ve considered the possibility that I may have to get OUT of that safe room to perhaps retrieve medicine, shut off utilities, or heaven-forbid, draw someone away from my family.
My method consists of the following. After building the safe room, sealing it, and getting everyone inside, I divide the remaing space into a larger living zone, and a smaller ‘warm’ zone. The warm zone should be easy to seal to facilitate access.
Everything outside the room is a ‘hot zone’. To be more specific, think of an airlock in a spaceship. You want to do a space walk and need to get out. The inside of the ship is the cold zone which leads to a sealed door which opens onto the warm zone.
Once inside, the cold door is re-sealed behind you and at that point you open the door to the outside . In this chamber, you have your Tyvek suit, HANGING UP, for reasons I’ll explain in a moment, your gas mask, a bottle of bleach solution in a spray bottle, roll of duct tape, box of latex (or nitrile) gloves, and an extra gallon of bleach and water to mix it.
Going out, all you have to do is put on the suit, gas mask, and latex gloves, duct tape your wrists and ankles, and place the duct tape roll on one wrist. The reason you do this is so that if you tear your suit while in the hot zone, you can instantly re-seal it.
Coming back in, this procedure must be followed exactly: Both latex gloves come off and you don’t touch anything except the bleach bottle. If you didn’t use latex gloves, you’ll contaminate your bottle. You take the spray bottle and start at the top of your suit on the hood. This works easier if two people go out, so that you can get hard to reach spots, but in a pinch it can be done alone. Working down, you saturate and make sure that no part of your suit is dry, remembering the bottoms or your feet. Once, done, you unzip the suit, let it fall to your ankles, step out, and hang it up with the back towards you, and without touching the back because this part is still ‘hot’. Now you can spray the back. You are almost done.
Retake the spray bottle and mist over the walls and floor and then, making sure the door to the hot zone is closed and sprayed, you open your inner door, enter, and then re-seal it. No door shoud ever be open without the one preceding it being shut and sealed.
This antechamber is also important in that you can use it to decon other occupants if they’ve been exposed, and also decon people who come in from the outside after you’re already in there. It must be insisted upon that those entering remove all clothing and be sprayed with bleach and then rinsed off. Modesty is trivial in this situation and a pair of scrubs will fit just about anyone. These need to be kept in the cold zone so people will just have to turn away while they dress. As for the bleach bath, it need not irritate the skin, because a 10 to 1 water to bleach ratio is extremely effective.
Note from David:
The same concept of “hot”, “warm”, and “cold” areas can be used for a chlorine gas incident or other non-weaponized chemical incidents, except you do not need to use bleach. Depending on the chemical agent, it may or may not make sense to do this. If you have specific chemical threats in your area, you will want to find out the concentrations that are lethal, what kind of mask you need to filter the chemical out, and what you need to have on hand in your “warm” area to neutralize it.
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Thanks,
David Morris
Things like this most of us do not think about till it’s to lat to really do so. Knowing how ahead of time is so important in your protection.
This is good information, but what if you live in an older mobile home? There isn’t any centralized space that can be converted to a safe room. Or is that covered in the full 12 week lessons?
Keep the info comming please. Thanks!
The above article was fairly interesting but in your course dies how many types of biochemical toxins does it cover and does it show a different anti-substance and ratio of that substance to spray or use?
I don’t think that a safe room is something that a lot of people can work into their homes, backyards. Maybe one room in their house but it’s not practical for everyone. So what does someone do if they don’t have this? And if I go buy masks and chemical suits won’t that be considered suspicious activity? This one tip for now is unpractical………I know until I need it but there’s got to be some things I can do if I don’t have this type of room in my home. Any suggestions?
Thank-you for the info on safe rooms. I live in a basement/groundfloor apt. that is quite small. Chemicals are heavier than air, I am guessing it would be better to be up a story or two. The article has me thinking about what to do! I appreciate your insights, and information.
This can be done even in a one bedroom apartment by making your living room the warm room and your bedroom your cold room, or vice versa.
Thanks mike anderson – you answered muy question about purchasing suits and gas masks.
This is very useful info. Keep it coming!
When I bought a box of tyvex suits and gas masks, I told them I was remediating mold from an old house and they were quite helpful without the suspicion. Not that it is anyone elses business anyway.
Good information for deconning loved ones and others u choose to let in. Will look for info on what to do if those not invited in come in anyway and you survive. Keep the info coming, it is great.
interesting, its similar to our decon system at work, but what about vitamins, foods, herbs, etc that u can take to keep the insides clean until u find an antidote or assuming u wont get one? U live too far away perhaps? Economy collapsed? Etc?
Thanks dave, good infromation. I have a 40hr.Hazmat,iam a heavy equipment operator(union) an suites an the books that go with the 40 hr course, iam going back for my 2yr update next mo.
We set up our room 1 year ago when I first bought the urban suvival book. Everything is in place. As said above we told people we were remediating mold and no further questions ask. But at this time we write congress so much about all the issues they are most likely watching anyway.
Very good information,
Thanks this is more great information. I got a dozen Tyvek suits given to me and wondered what to do with them. Now I know! I don’t live far from a power plant and the ideas here are something I can put to use. Thanks for these lessons.
Unfortunately one item is never brought up. Not everybody is financially able to do all the things that are always brought up. Everyone needs to prioritize everything according to their situation and location.
We live on an island, and having survived the WWII invasions, the basics of survival at that time are still applicable, however, I see some updated thoughts and suggestions that are excellent. Thank you. Looking for more to come.
When my daughter was younger, I had a separate bag for her to carry. In it I also put a picture of the family, a 4 generation group sheet, a small wallet size copy of her birth certificate and a letter to her. If we were ever to be separated, I wanted her to know these things. Fortunately, we never needed them and she is now married with children.
The information is right on with NBC (Nuclear,Biological,Chemical)procedures for entering/exiting a chemical environment along with deconing your protective equipment. Thanks for the reminder! I trained for years doing the operation above while in the U.S.Army.
One thing that will be needed to apply the plastic, is spray adhesive.
This will take care of any irregularities in construction.
Duct tape will work for all other applications.
Thanks Dave for making us THINK!!
Excellent information and definitely sage advice.
To Rainbow ^^ above I offer this:
No house is ever going to be 100% airtight. In fact its dangerous for it to be as then the exhaust gases that leak into the house from heating/cooling/cooking/cleaning and even exhalation would build and become dangerous or fatal. So while talking about a safe room that’s airtight is good in theory, there are some realities that need to be realized. In the above scenario, I think it would be just as acceptable to determine a region in your house that you would seal as tight as possible using sheeting, tape, sealant, whatever. It’s obviously not going to be 100% airtight, but aiming for that is good. Now, when moving from cold to warm, and then warm to hot, part of the air that was inside the house (including stale air in need of circulation) is moved out of the house and vice versa. Because when you open the door from cold to warm, this will disturb the air, causing some of the air in the warm zone to be drawn into the cold zone and vice versa. Then that door is sealed and the warm/hot door is opened, and the same thing occurs. That hot zone air that is now in your warm zone sits there until someone comes back in, exchanging even more, or if nothing else remains the same with hot zone air in your warm zone. then the process is reversed and that hot/warm zone air is partially distributed into your cold zone. Without a true airlock system that’s the way it works, period. That’s why you have strict discipline on not opening the cold/warm door till the folks come in from the outside and decon properly and make sure they always spray down the warm zone as part of the decon procedure. Or you could add a step to have them spray the warm zone down as they’re leaving into the hot zone and the shut the door behind them, allowing the agent to do its thing and allows folks still in the cold zone to move into the warm zone (say if those in the hot zone need help)while also mitigating the risk of hot zone air making into the cold zone.
In the end, realize that unless a room was built to that exacting specification custom built to being airtight, even what’s indicated above is not 100% airtight. It’s a huge improvement on what most houses currently are, but realize no one’s gonna be able to get it 100% sealed. So plan to do the best you can, and work up contingencies for situations where you have confirmed compromised seals (re-decontamintating a section or all of the safe room and its occupants).
I am reading it and saving it. Thank you so much for your time, effort and concern for others. “…when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17
My grown daughter had a dream to buy heavy plastic and duck tape. Now I have a better idea what to do with it. Thanks
I hope I never need to use this info. It’s scary to think this is even a possibility. I work for a medium/large size city and we have been getting mandarory (FEMA training.) It started last year and this is the third mandatory class we have had to take. I hope that people take this seriously. Not sure if higher ups know something we don’t. But being prepared is never a bad thing. Thank you for doing this if I knew how I would do it too…….
Cant get enough of this info keep it coming…always pays to be prepared…
HAZMAT and cleanroom protocals are very similar to your method described above. A cleanroom (class 100, 10, or 1) is an environment, typically used in manufacturing or scientific research, that has a low level of environmental pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particals and chemical vapors. Most of the R&D, semi-conductor and flat panel display cleanroom I have served in have staging chambers starting from the outside environment to the greater level’s of ‘clean’. There are many vendors with off the self protable fab clean room systems with air-locks on the market.
Are air purifiers any help and are there some that can help filter out bio agents? Also, what is the shelf life of bleach?
Thanks for the helpful info. I hope i never need to use it!
I don’t know…it’s not very practical for me. I live in a 1200 sq. foot ranch-style home in Florida (which means no storage areas – no basement and an extremely hot attic). We have surplus food/supplies spread out all over the house. I’m beginning to feel like one of those hoarders you hear about who have pathways between the “stuff”.
good info, very helpful thanks
Great info, I thank you. I have dogs, any specific info regarding them? Appreciate it!
REALLY GOOD INFO. I had wondered about a situation like the & what to do. I PRAY I don’t have to do this. But, ya nevur know!
REALLY GOOD INFO. I had wondered about a situation like that & what to do. I PRAY I don’t have to do this. But, ya nevur know!
I am concerned about air quality in a “safe room” that is sealed from the outside. If it is well sealed, and the outside air is highly contaminated, filtering the incoming air may not provide enough oxygen. What then?
thank you, george
I am glad to have found a source of info that is reliable and a group of people who do not think I am paranoid for trying to be prepared!
I live far away from nuclear reactors, but there are chemical plants near me that could rupture in a disaster. And how far can killer radiation from a ruptured reactor mess travel? There are probably a lot more dangers than I realize. I have a lot of plastic and duct tape around, but I will need the masks and suits. I live in a back split and I think it will be adaptable to the set-up. Thanks, Brian.
Thanks Dave for all your information. I just want to say, however, that I would like people to consider that all this energy they are giving to FEAR is not helping the general energetic atmosphere. My husband always says “Be alert, not alarmed.” and I think it’s pretty good advice for any situation.
Please stop insisting that some catastrophy is absolutely going to happen. I’m certainly going to take basic precautions (mainly for weather and natural disaster issues), continue gardening and canning (for saving money, as well as keeping a food stock for leaner financial times ‘just in case’), and I am also allowing myself a FEW precautions for civil unrest.
This civil unrest, however, will come from people who either did not prepare for events, or who are taking advantage of a chaotic situation. Just think about your ‘civil unrest’ precautions as ones you’d consider taking just in case there is an earthquake in your area (and miraculously your home still is standing). You’ll be worrying about the folks whose homes are NOT still standing, and you probably have a good reason to be.
In those situations, survival in place might not be your best option! I personally would recommend a good bug out location, keep your to go bags ready, and find a really great way to hide your surplus food (randsack your kitchen so looters think you’ve already been hit). One idea a friend of mine had was to create a false wall with storage shelves behind it just wide enough for food storage (ie. jars and cans). Then put pegs on the outside of it and hang old jackets and beat up baseball hats from it on your way out the door. No one will suspect anything else is behind that wall (try beadboard, it’ll be easier to hide seams because…well…it’s full of seams already!).
If your food is gone when you finally return, well hopefully you already had a buried store of food (we are planning to dig out a spot near our tree line, line it in concrete, and then plant pricker bushes all around the opening….planting one in a container that will be atop the moss-covered hatch. Before bugging out, we could try to slip over to the hatch, open it up, and store a stash of food in there for our return…if we ever do return).
Anyway, back to my point about energy. We all…each of us…helps create the energy field around our community. Build an aura of peace, cooperation and a believe in the ability of our country to avoid catastrophy if we put our minds to it. Stay alert, not alarmed people. That alarm feeds that negative energy. Be joyful about your preparations, and then try to put them somewhat out of your mind as you live your life.
Don’t feed the FEAR. Nourish the belief that a great energetic shift is upon us, and we can choose a more positive outlook on life.
Do what you can with what you have, and then just live your life. What is a life worth if it is spent in constant FEAR and stress about something that may or may not happen??
I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYONE MENTION KEEPING A LOT OF INDOOR PLANTS THAT TAKE IN A LOT OF CO2 AND GIVE OUT A LOT OF OXYGEN INSIDE THOSE SEALED UP ROOMS, OR ARE YOU GONNA STORE SOME OXYGEN TANKS????
Like all things this sounds good in theory, it’s better than nothing. But you know someone will take a skip a procedure,for whatever reason, and screw things up. Then you will have to dig a grave. I agree with Merle with no incoming air where’s the oxygen going to come from? Dosen’t take long to use up a room full of oxygen. Do you also buy oxygen tanks? The machines that make oxygen out of room air need electricity to work. And even if you had a way to run one of the machines wouldn’t it eventually create a vacuum of it’s own?
Still alive, David! Thanks for the information! Locked and loaded here…
“Windage and elevation, Mrs. Langdon”. John Wayne, The Undefeated
Dave, As a WMD instructor and HAZ-MAT tech your info. is somewhat correct but leaves alot of holes that people need to be aware of. First of all its nice to have a gas mask BUT there are ALOT of considerations to understand before someone purchases one. There is no one size fits all when it comes to a mask and you need to have one that fits your face in orcder for it ti function correctly. Too small or too large and the mask will not seal. No seal means no protection. Then there is the issue of filters. Again there is no one magic bullet regarding filters. If you buy a mask with a Bio filter and go into a chen=mical agaent environment, ouu will die while wearig a gas mask! Same goes for entering a bio agent environment with a chem agent filter. It has to be specific to the threat! Another thing people MUST relaize is that a gas mask IS NOT a breathing apprataus. It does not provide you air like the tanks and masks firefighters wear. What we taught responders at the Homeland Security training facility I worked at was that you MUST have a sufficent quanity of air AND know the concentration of the agent your dealing with in order for the masks to work. There have been incidents where wrokers wearing a gas masks went into manholes or sewer systems to rescue a buddy and died because there was an oxygen deficient environment.
The other piece that was missing was that the gas mask is THE VERY LAST thing to come off when conducting decon. It is important for people to remember to ONLY touch the inside of their suit when removing it because as you stated the outside is contaminated. Once everythig is removed and your ready to enter your cold zone is the mask removed and left in the warm zone. The issue is IF you were actually in a true contaminated HOT zone you would need to don your protective gear again in order to decon the gear you just took off.
DUCT Tape IS NOT recommended for use in a chemical environment!!! First of all when you go to remove it from a Tyvek suit it will adhere to the suit and rip it as you try to remove it from the cuffs and ankles. This now makes the suit unusable. Additionally duct tape WILL degrade (read MELT) when it come into contact with certain agents. For instance if you you were to use it as a means of protection in a chlorine spill, it will literall mely within a few minutes of exposure to the gas. Again you now have NO protection at all. The second point is that you dont have to carry an entire roll of duct tape on your wrist. Think of how heavy and cumbersome that would be. All you have to do is tear a long strip and place one strip on each arm and each leg as a means of emerency repair.
The last point is that if at all possible a safe room should be considered on an upper floor. This is because MOST (read NOT ALL)chemical agents and toxic industrial chemicals (TICS) are heavire then air, forcing them into or below ground level. If a amily made their basement a safe room for a chemical attack this may actually lead to thier demise, as the agent is going to see the lowest point.
These are just a few of the issues that people should be aware of when considering a protective posture.
Thanks for your site and the great information,
Bill S.
This is really great info. I have been prepping for years for economic collapse, government takeover, and even natural disasters and never thought about this kind of attack. The material as well as comments are very helpful.
Do Tyvek suits with built in booties work good or should I look for the suits without them?
Thank you I am reading and saving with my emergency information. Also making my plans. Bless you.
I didn’t read eveybodys opinion , but i a christian and i believe if you and those in fear of circumstanse as you and others whom are preparing for , should read their bibles , and God promises he will never forsake us whom believe in his Son jesus ! There is where you began coming to know Jesus and what he has prepared for us . Now in theory it won’t work if it is a chemical spill or a chemical leak , or chemcial attack ! there is no safe room the is going to filter out those chemicals in the air , once you open a door , there is a thing that any good mechanic could tell you , there is a think you would create and that is a vacuum , the out side pressure would rush in to equalize the pressure that is greater , which would be the outside air , and the chemicals in the air would only fill the room and the cycle would continue . The only filter would be for the chemical to disburse in to the air or in to the soil , which would mean that it may take months for the conctration of chemicals in the water soil and anythine exposed to the air will be contaminated and if , you or i were to open a sealed can of food then i would be contaminate as well . Then all you perperation is for not , you or i just injested the very same chemicals you trying to avoid ! Now i don’t know anyone who would stay in a cold room for months on end , until they believe it is safe to come out . In the mean time what are you going to breath , i would guess air the same air that is saturated with the chemical you’ve attempted to keep out of you safe zone . It sound good in theory , but i suggest you be come a person of faith and leave up to God whom has everything in comtrol , where you believe it or not !