Large Fierce Mammal

A fire breaks out in your kitchen. You have and are permitted to own a fire extinguisher that is more than adequate to stop the blaze, but prohibited from using it in favour of running away to let the Fire Department handle the situation. An hour later, your house is rubble, and both your wheel chair bound Grandmother and your Cat are dead. Sad, but it’s the way of things.

Is this a realistic scenario? No. It’s quite ridiculous actually, and yet it’s the way too many Canadians see the matter of self defense, whether or not a firearm is involved. All human life is sacred except your own.

In truth, most people really don’t understand the burden of responsibility they carry for their own safety and survival, and the commonalities that link every threat to life and limb. In truth, most people have accepted the idea that no matter what happens, all you need do is call “Them” and “They’ll” take care of it. If it’s bad, “They” will figure out what to do about it. News flash – YOU are “THEM“, because when the shit hits the fan, and you are standing at ground zero, running away may not be an option. The time to get tuned in is NOW.

Reality remains Reality no matter how angry that makes you, and one doesn’t need to look far for evidence that much of the population prefers to live as though things are actually the way they simply wish them to be.  The assumption is that publicly funded agencies and organizations exist for the betterment and protection of individuals, which could not be further from the truth. The list of people to whom you actually matter is very short indeed, and if you’re, “… doin’ it right ….”, you know them all by name.

I’ve spent the past 30 years of my professional life working as a security consultant with clients ranging from government agencies at all levels, commercial and institutional organizations large and small, to private citizens. That includes, but is by no means limited to, designing and personally administering training programmes in self-reliance, wilderness living skills, firearms safety and marksmanship, swordsmanship, personal security, fire alarm technology, the Incident Command System (ICS), emergency communications policies, practice, and procedures, and emergency scene management. It is from this background and depth of experience that I’m speaking today.

In the field of emergency management, we refer to the “four pillars” (4P). As defined by no less than Public Safety Canada (PSC), these are:

• Prevention and mitigation: Prevention and mitigation refers to actions taken to identify and reduce the impacts and risks of hazards before an emergency or disaster occurs.
• Preparedness: Preparedness increases the ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies and to recover more quickly from their long-term effects and involves actions taken prior to an event to ensure the capability and capacity to respond.
• Response: Response refers to actions taken during or immediately after an emergency or disaster for the purpose of managing the consequences.
• Recovery: Recovery refers to actions taken after an emergency or disaster to re-establish or rebuild conditions and services.

At its core, the 4P concept is foremost about preventing the excrement from striking the ventilation appliance, but it carries forward to what you’re going to do when the Dread Prophet Murphy comes to call.

Hand in hand with the 4P, and most particularly in concert with those aspects of it that kick in after all prevention and mitigation efforts have failed, we have the Incident Command System (ICS). ICS Canada defines it thus:

The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized on-site management system designed to enable effective, efficient incident management by integrating a combination of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures, and communications operating within a common organizational structure.

The ICS is used to manage an incident or a non-emergency event, and can be used equally well for both small and large situations. (emphasis added)

ICS grew out of military origins, but today it’s used extensively by public safety agencies and event organizers who need to juggle and coordinate the most efficient use of resources in getting a job done. However, as pointed out in the highlighted portion of the snippet above, this could be your kid’s birthday party, the building of a house, hosting a performance by a major music star, fighting a forest fire attended by 50 different response agencies employing air and ground assets, containing an active shooter situation, or searching for a lost puppy. The strength of ICS is the clarity that comes from breaking a complex, fast moving situation down into manageable portions with a clear chain of command and control.

I have a long standing personal and professional respect for the Police, Fire, Paramedic, and Search and Rescue personnel I’ve known and worked with over the years, but it would be a miraculous day when any one of them could say they were standing at the scene of an emergency incident at the exact moment it transpired, and with all the resources necessary to put a stop to it. Instead, they go when they’re called by those who are first on scene. The philosophy I have always taught and personally embraced is that the most effective first responder is a trained citizen, and the role of those essential ones I prefer to call Professional Responders would be better defined as, “Thanks. We’ll take it from here.”

Advice for the citizenry that is provided by such organizations as Emergency Preparedness Canada as well as Provincial and Regional Emergency Management Organizations encourage people to position themselves to be independent of assistance from professional responders for up to 72 hours in a large scale emergency or disaster situation. I would ask, why stop there? Does not a self-reliant citizenry represent the best of all worlds?

In the next few weeks I’ll be expanding on these realities as I make ready to present a series of educational events aimed at people who want to understand preparedness and bring self-reliance into their life. Stay tuned and get ready to sign up for local sessions!