Squat Safety

[finn]

It's about time we have a thread about how not to die in a squat, so I'll post some advice and hopefully there'll be enough info in one place so that maybe a life or two will be spared, since I know we have a few old timers around.

1. Floor boards should not feel squishy/spongy. This means there is either termite damage or water damage or both. Figure out where the beams are and stay on those unless you want to take an express trip to the basement. Tell tale signs of this happening are sagging floors and/or holes in the roof. If you're staying around a while, toss some wood down to spread your weight.

2. Fire needs to stay outside, if there isn't an open chimney, that means the heat goes up and can make the ceiling hot and dry and catch fire, if the sparks don't do that first. But before that happens, you'll probably pass out because of all the carbon monoxide building up in your lungs and will either suffocate or die a little later. If you need to keep warm using flame, heat up some water in a metal container over a squat candle, pour it into your water bottles, extinguish the flame, and have that keep you warm. For more reading about this find the thread about the squat fire in New Orleans.

3. Mold can seriously impact your health, if you're short on good squatting options, you may need to wear a respirator while you sleep. The clicking of the valve might be annoying, but your lungs will thank you for it. Respirators will also help if there's mouse-rat poop around, since that stuff can give you diseases. On that same note, don't open refrigerators in squats, especially if they are duct taped shut because no good can ever come from it.

4. Food needs to be in glass/steel/ceramic containers if you don't want critters getting into it.

5. Be careful what you drag into the squat, since it could have scabies, bed bugs, lice, staph, etc.

That's all I can think of for now.

 

[ent_ink]

For the respirator section I would probably recommend the usual suspects. Army surplus stores,DIY and hardware shops etc. Two links I'll post:

1. The wikipedia page on respirators giving the US and european filter types and ratings. My simple advice is get the best one you can afford.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respirator#Air-purifying_respirators (Scroll Down A Bit)

2. The CDC has a factsheet on respirators. Enjoy.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/topics/respirators/factsheets/respfact.html

 

[fateoficarus]

Barricade like a motherfucker. Floor bolts, ceiling bolts, and a couple of locks. Keeps crazy motherfuckers and owners with weapons out and you safe.

 

[Pheonix]

people think a chimney means it's ok to start a fire but I've never seen an squat fireplace that was safe to burn in. I've seen many squat fires due to idiots that think it's safe to start a fire in a squat. never let someone start a fire in your squat.
remember kids "ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT SQUAT FIRES!!"

 

[L.C.]

I think one of the biggest killers in the north is temperature. Enough said on that one. Another big contributor is o.d.'s. The remedy for that one should be obvious too.

 

[Pheonix]

the cold is the main reason people start squat fires, so maybe we should discuss alternate ways of staying warm.

or resurrect the old "keeping warm" thread
http://www.squattheplanet.com/threads/keeping-warm-warming-insulation-for-squats-in-the-winter.1581/

for those looking for the "NOLA squat fire" thread mentioned above
http://www.squattheplanet.com/threads/8-killed-in-nola-squat-fire.7264/

 

[Deleted member 125]

the keeping warm thread is full of really good info and is extremely relevant this time of the year.

 

[littlejasonsandiego]

EVERYBODY POOPS...throw your shit outside or bucket flush.bring in a 5 gallon bucket of water, wether food stamped or rain water or a nearby friendly neighbors hose. if you dont get it out,poop in a bag then double or tripple bag it, however you like or can afford to handle human shit.. bury it(outside) sneak it out in the night. or in the gnarliest of situations nail the door shut even. hep A wont kill you but you'll be sick for a couple weeks if you get around and don't have your shots. puppies are good at helping spread that too.

 

[TheUndeadPhoenix]

Make sure you have a way to lock your shit up in the squat so nobody can steal it

 

[Earth]

EVERYBODY POOPS...throw your shit outside or bucket flush.bring in a 5 gallon bucket of water, wether food stamped or rain water or a nearby friendly neighbors hose. if you dont get it out,poop in a bag then double or tripple bag it, however you like or can afford to handle human shit.. bury it(outside) sneak it out in the night. or in the gnarliest of situations nail the door shut even. hep A wont kill you but you'll be sick for a couple weeks if you get around and don't have your shots. puppies are good at helping spread that too.

...but don't throw your poop in plastic bags on to the trees next to a river which is monitored year round by nuts like me, because we will rain on your parade!!

 

[Earth]

Make sure you have a way to lock your shit up in the squat so nobody can steal it

another good point: if you are in say an enormus complex thats mostly abandoned, don't be exploring / stealing anything that don't belong to you - ESPECIALLY IF THERE ARE OTHER TRANSIENTS IN THE AREA !!

(I have to straighten out a couple of individuals out here who are about to ruin a good thing due to their curiosity....)

 

[DisgustinDustin]

Don't squat with your spurs on.

 

[fateoficarus]

EVERYBODY POOPS...throw your shit outside or bucket flush.bring in a 5 gallon bucket of water, wether food stamped or rain water or a nearby friendly neighbors hose. if you dont get it out,poop in a bag then double or tripple bag it, however you like or can afford to handle human shit.. bury it(outside) sneak it out in the night. or in the gnarliest of situations nail the door shut even. hep A wont kill you but you'll be sick for a couple weeks if you get around and don't have your shots. puppies are good at helping spread that too.

Bucket flushing seems to be the preferable option

 

[iamwhatiam]

yea and don't throw your fucking condoms and tampons in the damn toilet

 

[iamwhatiam]

should be obvious but boobietrap the entrances. make sure no light can be seen from outside. have possible escape routes in case of raids. sharps containers for any needles.

 

[finn]

One thing about boobie traps is that they should be the noisemaking type, since you don't want to hurt yourself accidentally when you're tired and sleepy or drunk. Also I'll second that it is very important not to intrude on other people's places since you don't know what you might be dealing with. I've heard about some mentally scarred veterans who you do not want to mess with.

You should have some large blunt weapons at hand for when you're sleeping, not just for crazy people, rats will gain a healthy respect towards you if they get bludgeoned or nearly so when they're near you.

Random holes in the floor should be covered up or have at least a board placed over it, sure you know it's there, but you want to be able to catch yourself if you should trip over something. I'm not talking about where you're just on beams, I'm talking about a mostly intact floor with a gaping hole just there waiting for someone to fall in.

When you go into a potential squat, walk slowly and carefully, because of booby traps and (more likely) rotten floorboards, poop or animal/human remains, random holes, etc. Be wary about stairs, too. If you have to go on all fours to make sure you don't go through the floor, it's probably not worth it to keep going.

If you can sleep in a hidden space, more power to you. You can have decoy sleeping bodies in plain sight for intruders, but that's really overkill and a more than a bit creepy.

 

[ent_ink]

You can have decoy sleeping bodies in plain sight for intruders, but that's really overkill and a more than a bit creepy.

I dunno, I have lifesize hate dolls of people I don't like, well re-purposed blow up sex dolls actually anyway they get used as decoys and when I'm done I burn the place down and imagine the real people inside. Real stress relief!

 

[littlejasonsandiego]

...but don't throw your poop in plastic bags on to the trees next to a river which is monitored year round by nuts like me, because we will rain on your parade!!

no rivers by the way kids!!!! ever...

 

[bicycle]

Something out of personal experience: dont mess with electricity if you are drunk. Im happy i am still alive xD
Possible acces to water: there is usualy a crane(pipes) down under the floor at the door or in front of the house under the earth that you can screw open, this gives acces to water again.

 

[finn]

This should be obvious, but in case there are some really inexperienced people around- have your really important items ready to go in a bag next to you. When I was squatting, I used to sleep with most of my clothing on, so all I really had to do was roll out and put on my shoes and grab my bag, if I needed to get out in a hurry.
If there is a crime scene that has not been found by the police in there (as in there are still human remains), it's probably not worth it to stick around for when the police do find it. This means if you're staying for more than one night, do a little bit of careful scouting. Some police will overreact with something as simple as a display skeleton.
I wouldn't stay in a place that's been used as a meth lab, because all the chemicals that make people look haggard and worn are still in there, sans meth. This isn't so common anymore, but something to look out for- which is the used packaging of the ingredients.