In the 1770s, while the USA was wriggling out of the womb of British rule, there was a movement of abolition taking place in the UK. This movement to end the Brits’ role in the slave trade was so powerful that in 1807, Parliament passed the abolition of the Slave Trade Act. The US was 300,000 deaths and nearly sixty years away from reaching that civil ascension.
The British have built an incredible society and culture. It is of the highest order, with such incredible historical figures and contributions to all on the planet. Looking at all the U.K. has to offer, it can hit you like a dip in the North Sea.
Fast forward to the modern day, and we find a nation that is just as tangled in the throes of social, cultural, and historical revolution as all the rest.
As such, UK preppers are not just responding to the changing demographics and internal attacks, but also the condition of the world and the bloody, swelling wars, happening not far from the island.
With so much change, is it time to build the bug-out bags and begin prepping for CBRN threats?
Table of Contents
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01
All Types of Radiological Tomfoolery
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02
What Did They Find on the Body of a Hamas Terrorist?
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03
UK Health Security Agency is Preparing for the Next Pandemic?
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04
The Russians Would like to Sink Her Once and for All!
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05
The British People’s Most Powerful Prepping Plan
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06
Effy’s UK Bug In Prepping Checklist
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07
Final Thoughts
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08
Frequently Asked Questions
All Types of Radiological Tomfoolery
Life on a radioactive island that is 300 miles at its widest point sounds like a movie plot–and yet the U.K. is all too real. With twenty-eight nuclear power sites on the island, Britain has some serious targets. Many are shutdown or decommissioning reactors.
The largest collection of nuclear sites sits on the coast of the Irish Sea. Though the southern part of the nation has Magnox power stations, AGR power stations and a fusion research facility amongst the decommissioning sites.
For perspective, 6.5 GW of nuclear capacity generates 15% of the nation’s power using nine active reactors. The goal is to be at 30% of power generation through nuclear and the deadline is 2050. That means nuclear reactors aren’t going anywhere, and neither are the threats associated with them.
All of this raises the questions: How’s your evacuation plan? Can you leave at a moment’s notice? Where would you go, and what would you take to get there safely?
And on that note, remember: both what you put in the body and what you wear on the outside can protect you from radiological threats.
Begin with the former, taking the powerful supplement potassium iodide to protect you from radioactive iodide. With sixty tablets at 65 milligrams, this product will remain effective for ten years! So stock your first aid kits and caches with these protective tablets that can be taken the moment you realize there has been some kind of radiological disaster near you.
For protective gear, check out MIRA Safety’s line of gas masks, haz-suits, top tier filters, and radiation detection, which are all part of radiological preparedness.
Map of all radiological sites in the UK. Image courtesy of Cyberphysics.co.uk
What Did They Find on the Body of a Hamas Terrorist?
Just a few weeks ago, Central London saw a massive pro-Palestinian protest that amassed hundreds of thousands of people. The Metro police reported 300,000 in attendance, while the organizers claimed it was more than double that, at 800,000.
In the past, we have seen radical Islamic terror in the streets of London, so the question is: Are jihadists 1 in 300,000? 1 in 800,000? Veiled in the sea of 8 million Londoners is undoubtedly some serious evil. The likes of Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale come to mind–two converts who hit Lee Rigby with their car in 2013, before trying to behead him with cleavers and kitchen knives.
To be sure, it wasn’t all blue-haired girls from Westminster in that crowd of 300,000.
Which brings us back to the body of the dead Hamas terrorist. A USB drive was discovered on one of the October 7 killers by the Israeli military, and Israeli president Issac Herzog said it contained information on how to weaponize cyanide.
The greatest threat of a chemical weapons attack in the U.K. is 100% coming from within the nation. This is a threat you literally cannot see coming, as something like cyanide is odorless and colorless.
The NBC survival kit by MIRA Safety can protect you against many CBRN threats.
On that note, it’s important to remember that escaping an area that has been affected by a chemical weapons attack is only safe if you have a respirator to filter the air and a way to protect your skin from direct contact. The NBC Survival Kit has your airways covered in a chemical attack with the top tier NBC SOF-77 filters and a CM-6M gas mask.
UK Health Security Agency is Preparing for the Next Pandemic?
Image of H5N1 under a microscope. Image courtesy of bbc.com.
The H5N1 Avian Flu is popular fear fodder in the world of prepping. Not to downplay the potential, but currently there have been very few cases of bird flu jumping to people. Regardless, Drew Miller from Fortitude Ranch, an American survivalism retreat, believes that this pandemic is right around the corner, and it will kill lots of people.
For perspective, four poultry workers have contracted the virus this year. In Cambodia, two people have died from the avian flu. Officials assess the virus as a low threat, but they are still taking action.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Health Security Agency is currently exploring a new H5N1 vaccine that could be administered to poultry workers and stockpiled in case the virus mutates to better spread between people.
To date, we have not seen the last head of the Hydra pandemic threat. It could be H5N1, or it could be something we are totally unprepared for. With shady Chinese operations like the biolab in California, which had freezers full of viruses and blood, we cannot know what people are cooking up down the street.
MIRA’s CM-I01 full face respirator is perfect for pandemic preparedness.
In the end, pandemic preparedness is all about steering clear of infection. As such, avoiding contact with others is a good first step until you learn more about the virus. And if you need real protection from viral spread, then the CMI01 all around prepping gas mask is an affordable option for anyone looking to prepare for biological threatsThe Russians Would like to Sink Her Once and for All!
The Russians Would Like to Sink Her Once and for All
Vladimir Putin made it very clear. He said that if NATO interfered in any way during the siege on Ukraine, there would be a heavy price to pay.
Outside of Russia, the U.K.’s adversaries–at least those perceived by the public–are North Korea, Iran, and China. In other words, all major enemies of the island nation are either nuclear capable or very, very close.
To be clear, the official line is that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. However, that was likely a $6 billion dollar problem that the U.S. solved for them during that prisoner swap. Oh, and if the $6 billion dollars doesn’t make them a nuclear power, then the sanctioned $10 billion in Iraq bank accounts, which is being released by President Joe Biden, should take care of it. This, dismayingly, is happening while literal proxies of Iran are attacking military bases in the Middle East.
Don’t worry though–U.S. officials told AP that $10 billion is only to be used for humanitarian trade. Wink, wink.
Despite all the issues around the world and the posturing of nations like North Korea, at the moment there is no greater threat of a nuclear strike on the United Kingdom than that coming from Russia. After all, the delivery of weapons to the Ukrainian cause is still going on, and Britain is all in on the Ukrainian side.
How long will the Russians allow this flow of weapons from NATO to occur?
Putin’s media mouth Dimitry Kiselyov made it very clear: “The island is so small that one Sarmat missile is sufficient to sink it once and for all.”
The British People’s Most Powerful Prepping Plan
On a crowded island where the use of common land is quite a hassle, the best answer for CBRN preparedness is to create your own personal survival headquarters. No matter how big or small that place might be, it should be fortified and outfitted to deal with the challenges you could face.
While it has been widely commercialized and constitutes a nearly $2.5 billion dollar industry, prepping is personal. As you see, your location plays a serious role in how you prepare. So drill down and get to know your local area better, to really understand what you are preparing for.
Gathering information on local threats and resources is called an Area Study and was popularized in the prepping world by Mike Shelby of The Forward Observer.
No matter the threats, you can outfit your home in ways that will allow you to stay there, stay safe, and stay informed as a crisis unfolds. You already have a “survival shelter,” so why go seek out a new one if there is no imminent threat?
Think of staying home or “bugging in” as the smarter and cooler brother of bugging out. Fledgling preppers often go right for the tactical ruck, read a few blogs, watch some YouTube videos, and then fill that ruck sack so full of (unused) equipment that it weighs 70 lbs.
They have no clue where they are going, but when they get there, they are gonna suck some boggy water through a LifeStraw and build a shelter with their Bahco folding saw. As Dave Jones the NBC Guy often says, “if your plan is to go somewhere and do something, then you might have a bad plan.”
Effy’s UK Bug In Prepping Checklist
Water
If you are going to bug in, then you must have a plan for water that goes beyond your tap. Each day, you are going to need at least one gallon of water per person. While it might be easy and convenient to purchase cases of bottled water, gallon water jugs are much more practical for things like cooking and personal hygiene.
Food
Variety is going to be the key to surviving and staying healthy in a long-term bug in solution. Your survival headquarters needs to have shelf stable foods that you enjoy preparing and eating.
You should also have foods that require no cooking, as these can be a big help if you are without power.
Security
Keep your doors locked! Every 106 seconds, a burglary takes place in the U.K. There is really no point in practicing survivalism and turning your home into a bug-in survival fortress if you are just gonna leave the door wide open.
Deter, Detect, Defend: can you do those things? This is the basis of all security. Do you have cameras to detect threats, locks to deter them, and some way to defend yourself, should someone get into the home?
Communications
That cellphone in your hand is a modern marvel. No one in their right mind would rely on something like HAM radio over a cellphone. However, you need a solution, should the cell signal fail.
An EMP, following a nuclear blast, will destroy cell towers even if the detonation is too far away to damage them kinetically. The electromagnetic pulse could cause a massive surge in power and fry electronics.
In the worst-case scenario, when you cannot send outgoing texts or make phone calls, you should at least be able to receive intel about what is going on. This could come from an emergency radio or a HAM radio. If you are intent on protecting them from an EMP, you should get a 5L dry bag from SLNT, as it's cheap and can hold plenty of radios.
Backup Power
We love power in the West. As such, the romance of lighting candles wears off in a couple of hours. This is especially true if our cell phone batteries get below 10%. Plus, we can’t all afford a solar array, nor do we even have the roof space to sun exposure to take advantage of them.
Still, technology is radically changing when it comes to backup power. Powerbanks, for example, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Additionally, a simple laptop charger can not only power your computer, but it acts as a sort of super cell phone charger.
Larger solar generators, like The TITAN by Point Zero Energy, can solve some real power outage problems if you are looking to sustain power for an extended period. Buy once, cry once, but at least you’ll have some lights on.
First Aid
First aid is as much about what you store as it is about training. The most grandiose medical kit–filled with sutures, nasopharyngeal airway, chest seals, antibiotics, razor sharp scalpels, and so on–would do you no good if you couldn’t use any of it properly. In fact, you’d probably wind up killing yourself or someone you love.
So, get some training, get a good manual like The Preppers Medical Handbook, get everyone in your home a set of backup antibiotics from The Wellness Company, and then start building your home medical kit.
EVAC
No matter who you are or how well prepared, you might have to leave home. It doesn’t matter if you are Arthur SAS Badass or not, at some point during a crisis you may have to evacuate, and having no plan for that is probably going to get you killed or put you through a real-life nightmare.
So have a plan to leave, should–you know–a tidal wave of radiated water be en route thanks to a Russian Poseidon torpedo.
With this in mind, MIRA Safety’s EVAKPAK Survival Kit contains the world class CM-6M gas mask, a variety of filters, potassium iodide pills, and a carrying case to get moving when the time comes.
MIRA Safety’s EvakPak survival kit and its content.
Identify a friend or family member’s home that you can evacuate to, or even a boat to get the hell off the island. It’s your call–just don’t wait till the world around you is on fire and you are trapped.
Final Thoughts on Prepping for CBRN Threats in the UK
The world of CBRN threats is changing radically as access increases and will continue to increase. Some days it is hard to even comprehend what the world could look like should access to things like nuclear weapons continue to expand to places like Iran and its proxy militaries.
When nations are at war and talking heads are waxing about Sarmat nuclear weapons sinking the U.K., it is impossible not to want to peek into the world of survivalism.
Though invisible, the weight of all this information and daily breaking news feeds is grinding us all down. Our enemies would love for us to cower away from what makes western nations, like the United Kingdom, exceptional.
We gotta crack on, and seventeenth century English poet and priest George Herbert said it best, “Living well is the best revenge.”