Safety & Emergency Disclaimer

1. General Information, Not Professional Advice

Everything in Fendhold is general information for education and preparedness. It is not medical, legal, engineering, electrical or other professional advice, and it is not a substitute for hands-on training, qualified professionals, or official instructions. Conditions vary: your health, skills, tools, weather, terrain and local laws all change what is safe and legal.

We work to keep Fendhold accurate, but content can be incomplete, simplified, out of date, or wrong for your situation. Ratings, difficulty and effort meters, calculators and quiz answers are learning aids and approximations, not guarantees. Some methods are shown for their historical or educational interest and are not recommended as your only means of staying safe; Fendhold says so where it applies. Content saved for offline use is only as current as its last update.

Practice skills in safe conditions before you need them, and keep printed copies of critical information, because phones and batteries fail.

2. Drinking Water

• When safe bottled or treated water is available, use it. Follow any boil-water or do-not-drink advisory from your local authorities.
• Boiling at a full rolling boil for one minute (three minutes above 6,500 feet elevation) kills disease-causing organisms, but it does not remove chemicals, fuel, heavy metals, salt, or toxins such as those from algae blooms.
• Bleach disinfection: use only regular, unscented household chlorine bleach whose label lists its sodium hypochlorite concentration and says it is suitable for disinfecting drinking water. The correct dose depends on the concentration, so follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s instructions and the product label. Doses for treating drinking water and for “shocking” (sanitizing) a tank are very different; shock-dosed water is not for drinking until it is flushed. Let treated water stand for the full contact time.
• Never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar, other acids, or other cleaners; it releases toxic gases.
• Commercial filters remove only what their manufacturer states; follow the instructions and replace parts on schedule. Homemade sand, rock, charcoal or barrel filters, settling, solar stills, and historical methods can improve clarity but may not remove germs or chemicals. Disinfect water from these methods before drinking it.
• Water from floodwater, industrial or agricultural runoff, or sources near fuel or chemicals may be unsafe even after treatment. When in doubt, do not drink it.

3. Food, Foraging and Wild Plants

• Never eat any wild plant, berry, mushroom or fungus unless it has been identified with certainty, ideally by a qualified local expert. Many edible species have deadly look-alikes, and pictures and descriptions in an app are not enough for a positive identification.
• Foraged plants can cause allergic reactions and may be contaminated by pesticides, roadside pollution or polluted water. Foraging may be restricted or prohibited on public and private land; get permission and follow the rules.
• Cook wild game and fish thoroughly. Wild animals can carry diseases that infect people, such as tularemia (for example from rabbits), and feral hogs can carry brucellosis and trichinella. Wear gloves when handling or field dressing game, and avoid animals that appear sick.
• For canning and long-term food storage, follow tested methods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or your cooperative extension service. Improper canning can cause botulism, which can be fatal.

4. Hunting, Trapping, Fishing and Wildlife Laws

• Hunting, trapping and fishing are regulated by each state and, on some lands, by federal or tribal authorities. Licenses, seasons, bag limits, legal methods, trap types and sizes, trap-check intervals, tagging and protected species differ from place to place and change often.
• Many of the traps and snares described in survival guides, including deadfalls and snares, are illegal or tightly restricted in many places. Fendhold describes them for education and genuine survival emergencies; it does not authorize their use. Do not set them where it is not lawful.
• State law summaries and species information in Fendhold are simplified, may be out of date, and are not legal advice. Before you hunt, trap or fish, confirm the current regulations with your state wildlife agency (in Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation).
• Traps and snares can seriously injure people, pets and non-target animals. Never set them where people or pets may travel, and follow all marking and checking rules.
• Wild animals can be dangerous and can carry rabies and other diseases. Do not approach, feed or handle wildlife, and contact your state wildlife agency or animal control about injured or aggressive animals.

5. Fire, Heat and Tools

• Check for burn bans and fire-danger warnings before building any outdoor fire, and follow them. Clear the area, keep water and tools ready, never leave a fire unattended, and put it out completely, until it is cold to the touch.
• Fire-starting methods, including ferro rods, friction, and batteries with steel wool, can start fires unintentionally. Store batteries and steel wool apart and keep fire-starting materials away from children.
• Never use grills, camp stoves, charcoal, or fuel-burning heaters indoors or in a tent, garage or other enclosed space; they produce carbon monoxide, which can kill without warning. Install and test carbon monoxide and smoke alarms.
• Knives, axes, saws and other tools cause serious injuries. Use them only with training, proper protective equipment and care.

6. Shelter, Weather and Exposure

• Hypothermia, frostbite, heat exhaustion and heat stroke can develop quickly and can be fatal. Learn the warning signs and get medical help early.
• Improvised shelters can collapse. Snow shelters can collapse or cause suffocation without proper ventilation. Do not shelter under dead trees or limbs, in dry washes, or in flood-prone areas.
• For tornadoes, severe storms, floods, wildfires and winter storms, follow the National Weather Service and local officials, including any order to shelter in place or evacuate. Never drive or walk through flooded roads.

7. First Aid and Medical Information

• First-aid information in Fendhold is for awareness and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It does not replace professional medical care or certified training.
• For any serious injury or illness, call 911 first. Do not delay seeking care because of anything you read in Fendhold.
• Techniques such as bleeding control, tourniquets and splinting should be performed only by people trained to do them. We strongly encourage taking a hands-on first aid, CPR and bleeding-control course.

8. Electrical, Generators and Off-Grid Power

• Never run a generator, engine or fuel-burning device indoors, or in a garage, basement, crawlspace or near windows, doors or vents, even with them open. Carbon monoxide can kill in minutes.
• Never backfeed a home’s wiring by plugging a generator into a wall outlet. It can electrocute utility workers and neighbors and start fires. Connect a generator to home wiring only through a properly installed transfer switch or interlock, installed by a licensed electrician where required.
• Batteries store a lot of energy. Lead-acid batteries vent explosive hydrogen gas when charging; lithium batteries can overheat and catch fire if damaged, overcharged or shorted. Use proper fusing, wire sizes, ventilation, chargers and enclosures.
• Electrical work, solar, wind and micro-hydro systems may require permits, inspections, licensed professionals, and approval from your utility before connecting to the grid. Water, wind and building projects can also be subject to water rights, zoning and height rules. Follow the electrical code and local rules.
• Do-it-yourself generators and power builds described in Fendhold are educational. Their output estimates are approximate, and they can fail, overheat or injure you if built or used incorrectly.

9. Navigation and Signaling

• Natural navigation methods, such as the sun, shadows and stars, are approximate. Carry a map, compass and charged backup light, and tell someone where you are going and when you will be back.
• Use distress signals only in a real emergency. False distress signals can divert rescuers and may be illegal.

10. Gardening, Livestock and Homestead Projects

Gardening, livestock, construction and homestead projects involve chemicals, equipment, animals, heavy lifting and heights. Follow product labels and manufacturer instructions, use protective equipment, check zoning, permit and water-use rules, and call 811 before you dig so underground utility lines can be marked.

11. Children and Supervision

Fendhold is intended for adults and for teenagers using it with a parent or guardian. Adults must supervise children around water, fire, tools, traps, wildlife, chemicals and electricity, and must decide which activities are appropriate for them.

12. Assumption of Risk and Responsibility

You are responsible for your own safety and the safety of others affected by what you do. By using Fendhold, you agree that you choose whether and how to act on its information at your own risk and in compliance with the law.

Angel Tech Corporation Industries L.L.C., Angel Tech Corporation Holding L.C., and their members, managers, employees, contractors and licensors are not liable for any injury, illness, death, property damage, legal penalty or other loss arising from anything you or anyone else does, or does not do, based on knowledge gained from Fendhold, to the fullest extent permitted by law. You release them from those claims as set out in the Terms of Service, “No Liability for How You Use Fendhold Information; Release”, which also covers minors and others in your care.

The Terms of Service, including its sections on safety, disclaimers, limitation of liability and indemnification, apply to everything on this page.

13. Sources and Corrections

Fendhold content draws on publicly available guidance from organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Ready.gov, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and state wildlife agencies. These organizations have not reviewed or endorsed Fendhold. Where Fendhold and official guidance differ, follow the official guidance.

If you find something unsafe, inaccurate or out of date, please tell us at support@fendhold.com so we can review it.