off grid on guard. help

When living off-grid or managing remote sites, fire and water hazards pose immediate, life-threatening risks. accidental blazes, improper usage,  contaminated water sources claim lives every year. Ignorance and negligence not only jeopardize your family and equipment, but also invalidate insurance coverage and could lead to criminal prosecution. This web site is to make everyone aware and prepared before the realities of nature and careless thoughtlessness invites deadly and costly realities 

FIRE and life giving WATER can kill and maim for life.

Obviously fire safety is the most heavily legislated aspect of everyday life to the point of criminal convictions even for being ignorant of the laws and regulations.

Fire

The main fire brigade advice is if the fire is not or can not be immediately extinguished get as far away from fire as possible.

Dial 999 fire using “what three words” for exact off grid geographic location so the fire services can to get to you as quick as possible.

Naked flame situations such as camp fires and BBQ’s are very dangerous. Plus our weather is becoming hotter causing drought making our countryside very dry. All together making our countryside instant fire engulfing environments for all types of camping. Be sure water buckets are close by as seconds matter. This type of open fire is the only type to use water on.

Water can electrocute and spread the fire. Throwing water on a fire involving a generator, caravan or camper van can cause electrocution over a wide area. Electric wire insulation is usually burned away. If petrol or diesel is burning it floats on top of water spreading flames.

Generators; large static or small mobile law is that they must never be used in a building or any type of enclosure such as a garden storage unit or in weather protection coverings.

Large static generators must be funneled upwards to at least 1.1 meters above the highest roof line of buildings in the vicinity. Be placed the legal distance away from buildings and fences. Not placed under over hangings such as trees.

Mobile generator placing for camping must be 5 meters away from tents, motorhomes, caravans and awnings and buildings with exhaust outlet facing away. Be placed the same 5 meter distance away from buildings and fences. Not placed under over hangings such as trees.

Thanks to constant changes and developments there are now far safer solutions without the hazards of traditional generators.

Solar fed very mobile power units giving 12 and 24 volts outputs that can also be plug in charged at home just like an electric kettle. The known one is “Jackery” but there are others.

Thanks again to changes over the recent decades the limits and dangers of using water to kill fires in modern camping have evolved. For fires of complex and toxic materials even in tent camping dry powder extinguishers have been the main type used. They are heavy if back packing and now comparatively slow and limited in types of fire. 

Today we now have Fire Safety Sticks 

Simple, lightweight and an easy way to ensure that you are prepared in the event of a fire in your home, vehicle, caravan or boat and off grid. This product was originally developed to extinguish fires in spacecraft! It is certified to extinguish early fires of

A class solid combustibles e.g. plastics, wood, textiles.

B class flammable liquids e.g. petrol, diesel.

C class flammable gases e.g. propane, butane, methane. Plus electrical fire up to 100,000 volts

F class cooking oils, deep fat fryers.

If this does not put the fire out ... get out and away.. They are available on line but shop around as they are not cheap just like your life. 

Not so long ago we all gambled that the water would be OK to drink and cook with. Many of us found out that the reality proved very different. Thanks to all the changes and improvements of testing water once impossible without a lab and money is easy. Now we can buy DIY testing kits that check for a wide range of water contaminations such as legionnaire's disease.  That's it. So simple and easy to carry and use now.

Insurance and liabilities cover will include or rather exclude any adverse occurrences that do not comply to all the laws, regulations and manufacturer warnings, instructions and  conditions that would result in them withdrawing their guarantees. Plus whatever insurance companies include in their own additional exclusions. 

As with doing anything ensure your or your organisations activities, equipment and usage insurances covers the terrain you plan to be in.

For individuals accidental damage insurance with third party indemnity insurance you may invalidate everything and end up having to pay for all damage and claims against you on top of any legal action against you. If you are self employed and a limited company your assets and home would be safe guarded if your business insurance covers off grid leisure activities. Still best to double check you have coverage.

For unlimited groups and clubs all members are liable for everything without protection even with third party liability if the terms and conditions are breached there will be no protection from insurances. If an occurrence is small and contained there will probably not generate third party claims made. 

Where third party claims are made and legally upheld in court unlimited organisations are typically approached for financial fulfillment the originator of the cause be charged to pay all the costs etc. Plus any other person within the organisation with specific responsibilities such as a fire safety member. Any outstanding amounts will be confiscated from the supervising group or committee. Any further outstanding  amount will be confiscated from all the remaining group or members. 

There is available protection for members to protect their assets money and home. If their group or club is a limited entity. The most simplest way for a group or club to become a limited entity is to form themselves into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation "CIO" through the Charities Commission. 

Not only being a CIO protecting individual members wealth  the organisation or club would be able to apply for grants to assist the organisation to improve and increase effectiveness in their endeavors to thrive into the future.

The devil is in the detail so too is avoidance and happy days of being off grid and doing everything nature provides us with. 

Be OFF GRID be ON GUARD and HELP yourselves and our global community of nature lovers with or without dressings. 

Send details of your experiences and feed back about this HELP web site.