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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
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WHEN HOURS
BECOME DAYS
During National Preparedness Month,
a search-and-rescue member talks planning, preparation
By AARON BRENIMAN
For EO Media Group
A
s a search-and-rescue volunteer, I
see people making decisions over
and over that lead to dire situa-
tions. Headlines from September alone
speak for themselves:
“Fire turns hikes into overnight camp-
ing trip, followed by tearful reunions,”
OregonLive.com, Sept. 5, 2017
“Coast guard ’copter crew plucks man
from coastal cliff,” OregonLive.com, Sept.
6, 2017
“Jackson County Search and Rescue
continue looking for missing man,” KTVL.
com (Medford), Sept. 13, 2017.
Many people don’t necessarily want
to talk about safety preparation, as, I fi nd,
most of them tend to have a “that could
never happen to me” attitude. I can relate;
I’ve had it, too.
September is Ready.gov’s National Pre-
paredness Month. And since outdoor rec-
reation safety’s my thing, a few tips and
conversation starters seemed appropriate.
They can make all the difference when
things go sideways.
A little planning and preparation goes
a long way for everyday adventures, car
trips, disasters and other weather-related
events.
Photos by Aaron Breniman
Breniman’s 10-essentials kit unpacked. Along with the standard items, he added some personalized ones, such as flag-
ging, paracord and something to read.
RESOURCES
• National Preparedness Month info from
Ready.gov
• Ten Essentials from The Mountaineers
• Caltopo.com (print and share free topo
maps online, send a link with your trip plan)
Planning and preparation
1. Bring a pack and have extra gear.
Even if you’re just heading out for a
short day hike, or a drive exploring the
coast or mountains, you’ll be glad you have
it should you need it.
Always try to carry a few extra items,
including water and food, a jacket or lay-
ers, navigation tools, power bank or solar
charger, fi re starter, tarp or shelter, and a
headlamp to name a few essential items.
Start with a base of essentials and, over
time, build out your kit from there.
2. Make a plan, and let someone know
where you’re going.
Yes, it’s often unnecessary and seems
like an additional hassle. But many times
I’ve seen the survivability window shrink
because, even though friends and family
know a loved one is missing, they don’t
know specifi cally where the person went.
It happens all the time to trail runners, hik-
ers, hunters, mushroom and berry pickers,
and others.
Have a plan, check the weather, make
maps, share your plan and stick to it.
3. Build a car safety kit.
Pretty frequently, I see news stories
about someone following a road too far,
relying on GPS or a phone app and getting
stuck somewhere.
While most of the time safety isn’t far
away, and we merely deal with an inconve-
nience, if the time comes when you need to
• “Find My Friends” app
• “Columbia Take 10” app
Two Garmin GPS units that Breniman carries — a touchscreen for fair-weather
use, along with a unit with manual buttons for poor weather and search-and-
rescue applications.
prepared one can lead to complacency in
others. Offer to send the trip plan to your
emergency contact, and ask someone else
to bring the pack (either a car kit or a day-
pack with the needed items).
This can also be a great opportunity
to involve kids. I have friends whose lit-
tle ones love carrying a pack with a blan-
ket or their stuffed animal, but it’s also a
great opportunity for them to carry (at least
some) of their own gear, such as a water
bottle, jacket or snacks.
Carry your knowledge
bed down in your car and wait it out for res-
cue, you’ll sure be happy for a few simple
things like blankets, water and food.
4. When you’re on or near water,
wear a personal fl oatation device.
I know, most of the time you’re not
going to need it. But when you do, you’ll
be glad you have it. This applies to all
water activities in big waters like the ocean
and Columbia River, or alpine lakes and
small streams.
I love small stream and remote lake fl y
fi shing for its quiet and solitude, but that’s a
double-edged sword if you run into trouble
alone. As the adage goes, though, the best
PFD is the one you’re wearing.
Conversation starters
1. Show me yours, and I’ll show you
mine.
Offer to show family and friends the
kits you’ve put together for your home,
car and any sort of adventure. I fi nd this is
often an easy place to start the conversation
and leads to genuine interest in kit building.
2. Share news articles.
It’s a slightly less passive approach, but
I’ll send friends and relatives news articles
of stories where things went wrong. I do it
with love, and it seems to have a little more
impact than nagging.
3. Engage others in planning.
I’ve found that being considered the
Ready.gov is a great place to start put-
ting together kits, emergency planning,
disaster preparedness, family safety plans
and much more.
They say the lightest gear you can carry
is knowledge, and the best safety measures
are the ones you take before you need
them.
Aaron Breniman, a Portland resident, is
an outdoor recreation enthusiast, search-
and-rescue team member, emergency medi-
cal responder, communications consultant,
college instructor and freelance writer
working on his fi rst book. Contact him or
fi nd him on the socials via aaronbreniman.
com.