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Water Boy
supplying homeless campers with critical basics

This page lists battle-tested basics for serving unhoused friends and neighbors here in Oakland, California.

Jump To: Water Containers, Fire Extinguishers, Water Filters, Transportation, Communications

Water Containers

transport and store drinking water

Preferred:

  • Scepter #04933, made in Canada
    • smaller capacity
    • seals watertight
    • lighter blue color easier to mark
    • just one top handle
    • sturdier caps
  • Igloo #00042154, made in Texas
    • larger capacity
    • vent hole does not seal
    • darker blue color harder to mark
    • two handles
    • caps easy to crack by overtightening

Buying:

  • Both are available on Amazon Prime from time to time. (Last Updated: August 2020)
  • Don't pay more than $25 for a Scepter or $20 for an Igloo. (Last Updated: August 2020)
  • NorthernTool.com carries Scepter. (Last Updated: August 2020)
  • Expect huge shipping boxes.

Criteria:

  • high capacity, around 20 liters, but not much more
  • durable, no flimsy plastic or collapsible designs
  • at least one carry handle
  • spout of some kind
  • blue color, marked for water only

Fire Extinguishers

help campers to keep themselves and their places safe

Preferred:

Buying:

  • Don't pay more than $55. (Last Updated: August 2020)
  • Often available in sets at a significant per-unit discount. (Last Updated: August 2020)

Criteria:

  • five pounds of powder
  • 2A:10B:C rated, minimum
  • pressure gauge
  • solid construction, metal operating parts
  • red color

Water Filters

cleans water going into containers for distribution

Preferred:

Buying:

  • Don't pay more than $25 or so. (Last Updated: August 2020)
  • If Amazon doesn't have them, try WalMart.com.

Criteria:

  • handles chemicals and sediment
  • fits garden hoses
  • high throughput
  • resistant to bacteria when not in use
  • NSF/ANSI 42 Aesthetic Effects (chlorine, taste, odor)
  • NSF/ANSI 53 Health Effects (lead)

Transportation

moves containers and extinguishers to camps

Preferred:

  • own vehicle
  • GIG Car, as of 2020-07-29:
    • $15.00 per hour
    • roughly $0.45 per additional minute, depending on vehicle

Criteria:

  • sufficient cargo room
  • safe and easy to load and unload, e.g. hatchback, low truck bed
  • can manage terrible Oakland industrial-zone roads

Communications

receives requests back to exchange empty containers for full ones

Preferred:

Criteria:

  • forwards SMS text messages
  • forwards voice calls
  • can change the forwarding numbers