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Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Emergency

Top 10 travel Safety and Security Tips for a Worry-Free Travel Experience

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

TL;DR: Discover essential travel safety tips, from researching your destination's culture and customs to securing transportation and protecting your valuables, for a worry-free and enjoyable journey.

  1. Prepare for your journey by researching your destination's culture, customs, and current events. As a result, you will be able to understand better potential safety concerns and the appropriate behaviour and attire to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

  2. Make digital copies of your passport, visa, and other important travel documents. Put them in a secure, password-protected cloud storage account or encrypted device. Physical copies should be kept in a concealed money belt or neck pouch.

  3. Ensure your transportation is secure and reputable: Avoid using unregistered taxis or ride-sharing services. Take public transportation or hire a reputable taxi or car service. Ensure you are familiar with the route and know how much the fare should be.

  4. Stay in touch: Share your travel itinerary with family or friends and details about your accommodations and daily schedule. Stay in touch with them regularly to keep them informed of your whereabouts. In an emergency, carry a fully charged phone with a local SIM card or a roaming plan.

  5. Stay alert and trust your instincts. Always be aware of your surroundings, especially in crowded or unfamiliar areas. If something feels wrong, remove yourself from the situation.

  6. Keep valuable items, such as jewelry and electronics, hidden to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Store your belongings in a slash-proof and lockable bag when you are on the go.

  7. Travel insurance covers emergency medical expenses, trip cancellations, and lost or stolen items. As a result, you will have peace of mind and financial protection in unforeseen circumstances.

  8. Take advantage of hotel safety features like in-room safes, deadbolts, and peepholes. Do not open your door to strangers, and always lock it. Ask the hotel staff about safe areas to visit and any areas to avoid.

  9. Use public Wi-Fi with caution. Avoid using public Wi-Fi for sensitive tasks such as online banking or accessing personal information. To ensure the security of your connection, you should use a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

  10. Prepare for emergencies by familiarizing yourself with local emergency numbers and the location of the nearest embassy or consulate. You should carry a basic first aid kit and any necessary medications. Know your evacuation routes in emergencies, such as natural disasters or political unrest.


Keywords : Journey preparation, Destination research, Cultural customs, Travel safety, Digital copies, Secure transportation



OPSEC : What should I include in my bug-out bag

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Search Google for "Bug-out bag," and you will get 137M results. YouTube has a 144K videos discussing it. A Bug-out bag (also called Go Bag, BOB, 72-hour kit, grab bag, a battle box, personal emergency relocation kit) is a small personal maintenance kit that would allow you to survive 72-hours when faced with an emergency. 

Most emergency agencies reconnect you prepare some kind of emergency kit. Emergency Preparedness Canada has a website dedicated to building basic bug-out kits. The US Department of Homeland security offers similar suggestions on their website. 

Without going overboard, the purpose of this article is to provide general guidelines for the average Joe interested in being better prepared (not for a survivalist or extreme prepper).

Where should I keep it?

Location, location, location... You Bug-out bag is useless if you cannot quickly grab it during an emergency and quickly leave the risk region. 

Your bug-out bag should be kept close to the main exit for your dwelling so you can grab it and go. 

An operational security expert will typically run several scenarios to evaluate possible calamities and what the best exits would be (it isn't always your front door). Spent some time thinking about this and place your bug-out bag close to the exit you are most likely to use (garage, front door, back door, bedroom windows, etc).

Basic bug-out bag items

In security, you can spend a little or a lot, it really depends on your level of paranoia. Most people don't need a 200lb bug-out bag that contains $500 of survival items. So here are the basic everyone should have in their kit:

Documents

  1. National identification documents (originals or copies). These can include drivers licenses, passports, medical identification cards, etc
  2. Keep a couple hundred dollars of cash money in different denominations (assume the electronic payment networks may be unavailable)
  3. A printed list of emergency contacts (local hospitals, police stations, family members, friends, etc) 

Personal Items

  1. A basic $20 first aid kit (from the pharmacy or Costco)
  2. A couple of litres of drinking water in sealed containers
  3. High calorie easy to eat snacks (that do not require preparation)
  4. Head covering (in case you have to walk in the sun, rain or snow), I keep a buff multiuse scarf
  5. Bug repellent
  6. Sunblock
  7. Prescription medication, glasses and contact lenses

Communication Gear

  1. A mobile phone (if possible an extra pre-paid SIM on a different network)
  2. Hand crank powered emergency radio 
  3. Small notebook, pen and pencil
  4. Printed local maps (street and topographic)
  5. A large (at least 20,000 mAh) external battery to charge your electronic gear. My battery of choice right now is the OmniChage Pro

General Gear

  1. A multipurpose knife (my choice is the Victorinox SwissChamp)
  2. Flashlight (ideally something that can be charged with your external battery via USB).
  3. "Normal" candle and weather resistant matches
  4. 550-lb paracord
  5. Handheld mirror
  6. Phrasebook if travelling abroad

The Pack

Talking about Bug-out bags is like discussing religion. Everyone has strong opinions about that the "best" bag is. My recommendation is to choose a backpack (since these balance the weight better and are easier to carry over long distances). 

My only recommendation is to choose something that is as light as possible while being resistant.

Stove In A Can - Be ready for the next emergency

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Anyone preparing for disaster / emergency knows that in addition to having easy to prepare food on hand, fire is an indispensable tool. Fire allows you to disinfect a tool, boil water (to sanitize it) or prepare different types of food. Fire is critical but difficult to make without preparation during an emergency. This is where Stove In A Can comes in.

What is Stove In A Can?

The Stove In a Can is a simple self contained stove with everything you need from the support frame, fuel and even matches. It is a self contained cooking solution. 

In the can, you get:

  • The can which becomes the stove frame
  • 4 fuel pucks (lasting 1 hour each)
  • The cooking ring
  • The fuel ring
  • Matches

Use

Simplicity and speed is critical during an emergency and the Stove In A Can doesn't fail to satisfy. It can be lit and used in under a minute and is relatively fool proof.

The good

  • It is self contained and everything you need is included
  • Soot is contained inside the can which makes storage and carry much better
  • The fuel cells are waterproof
  • The fuel is solid so you are not worried about spilling or overfilling
  • The fuel is reusable. Once your water is boiled or food is cooked, you can put out the fire with the lid and reuse it
  • The fuel does not expire so you don't have to worry about rotating it

The bad

  • The fuel doesn't burn clean and leaves soot on anything you use
  • The included matches are relatively cheap and I recommend you replace them with better waterproof strike anywhere survival matches

Where can I buy A Stove In A Can?

Amazon sells it for $22 + shipping. You can also get additional fuel cartridges there. 

Beartooth will allow you to use your cell off-grid

technologyEdward Kiledjian

There are times when you will be off-grid (camping, disasters, remote location work, etc). You could use satellite phones to stay in touch with your team but that can get costly very quickly. A company called BearTooth claims to have built a smartphone sleeve that turns it into an FRS style radio that uses unlicensed bands to communicate (it seems to convert your cell into a high priced software controlled FRS radio).

It will allow you to have voice conversations, send text messages and send your geolocation information. 

The company claims it will have similar range to "normal" unlicensed band style radios (which means it should work over a couple of miles depending on the terrain). The magic is encased in aircraft grade aluminium and contains the radio and battery. The company says the device will will be controlled by custom built software that will be available for both  IOS (iphone) and Android (Samsung, HTC, Nexus, etc).

It will be available "sometime" next year and pricing hasn't been announced yet. You can checkout the company's website for more information (link).

 

Canadian carriers ready for t-911 but emergency centres aren't

technologyEdward Kiledjian
Image by UCL Mathematical and physical services under creative commons license

Image by UCL Mathematical and physical services under creative commons license

The Canadian wireless Telecommunications Association has been spearheading a 911 initiative to allow those with hearing or speech impairments to text 911 emergency response services. The trial, started in 2012, was such a success that CWTA members (all major carriers and their sub-brands) have been busy upgrading their networks to support the service nationwide.

On January 24 2014, the CWTA announced that its member carriers have completed the required upgrades but that the 911 control centres themselves haven't implemented the required technologies. 

“At this time, the T9-1-1 service is not available in any region of the country. The service will be implemented by 9-1-1 call centres in different municipalities or regions at different time periods over the next several years.”

Once the regional 911 control centres upgrade their equipment, carriers will be ready to act  act as an intermediary link between the affected user and the 911 emergency control centre. To use the service, a user will have to register with their carrier for it and have a compatible device.