Mastering Risk

Send us Fan Mail It has been quite a year, with the pandemic, the great resignation and the supply chain crisis.  Throughout this year, we as individuals have made choices - are we a victim, do things happen to us, is it the government's responsibility to pay my rent when I cannot.  Or, we choose self reliance, where we prepare for all that could happen and we make sound choices based upon ou...

Send us Fan Mail Preparedness over the holidays shouldn't be your primary focus.  Enjoy, consume, eat and all those things that everyone tells you is not good for you - but what if?  Think about the simple animalistic considerations - shelter, food, water.  If you're staying in your country, no real worries as long as you are prepared to walk home from wherever you are.  If you are trave...

Send us Fan Mail After much response and discourse, Part 2 to this series discusses what are the main issues within Canadian emergency management and potential solutions that are achievable within the current framework.  Only in rare cases is additional funding required, for the majority it is to come to agreement on what the actual issues are and then look for internal and available solutions.  A...

Send us Fan Mail Fantastic guest this week to talk about her journey into preparedness, a real world example of the ups and downs of becoming more self reliant.  Lynn is the talent behind Bucketlisthomestead, a Youtube Channel and on other social media.  She provides a unique and wholesome view into the balance of life with a family, health and living through a pandemic on a small acreage, carving...

Send us Fan Mail With the current context of floods in BC, fires across the west, drought in the fields and potential hurricanes in the east, Canadians are being fed the notion that there is a lack of something in the emergency management field - in other words, we could be doing far better to help our citizens, mitigate hazards and overall preparedness and response.  The default for some academic...

Send us Fan Mail Every scholar, amateur and in-betweens have published lists of the coming year's threats and what is likely to happen.  Crystal balls abound.  This episode touches on the threats from a micro perspective, what is uncertainty and how will political and economic woes of the coming year affect your family life.  We explore inflation, elections, restoring and supply chains to und...

Send us Fan Mail Canada like other nations has a multi-leave governance system for emergency management, with many players and voices.  There are good framework agreements between the federal, provincial and territorial governments on access to assistance as well as clearly defined responsibilities for funding arrangements for disaster relief.  Within provinces, the organizational framework differ...

Send us Fan Mail This week is about the very important and uncomfortable topic of going poo in an emergency. Wherever you are and whatever is happening, humans will continue to eject waste into the environment and you need a plan on how to do that.  What is you plan when you no longer have access to a toilet?  How do you flush your toilet when there is no water in the house?  Do you have soap to c...

Send us Fan Mail Headed to the backcountry?  Thinking of snowmobiling this winter, or hiking to your favourite destination for a night out?  AdventureSmart BC provides life saving information to those who enjoy the outdoors, in order to ensure that everyone makes it home safe and has an incredible adventure.  In this conversation we discuss SAR, the mission of AdventureSmart BC, the preparedness m...

Send us Fan Mail Current real time events in BC and across the world require some reflection on our own individual emergency preparedness levels.  Have you completed the plan?  Remember, the first and most important question is to remind yourself that you are responsible for your own outcomes and the government is not coming to rescue you.  The first stage of disaster planning is to ensure you are...

Send us Fan Mail People struggle, around us in society are the obviously vulnerable: those we often refer to as poor, the socio-economically challenged or those with obvious physical limitations and mobility issues.  Under that are those in society that struggle with mental illness, those we on the surface look like  they are doing OK, but are exhausted just trying to keep that image up.  With suc...

Send us Fan Mail Knowledge is power, in Ontario every municipality is required to have an emergency plan, outlining what they will do in the event of a disaster and what they recommend for you to do.  It is a good place to start in your preparedness journey, but more importantly it is a great place to understand the players in the city, what their intentions are and what their priorities will be w...

Send us Fan Mail The series Blunt Public Policy is designed to be uncomfortable, to challenge the issues of the day, present shortfalls and assign blame as well as to present solutions that will actually work. Different from the normal preparedness episodes, these discussions inform the world around us which in turn makes us better citizens, more informed humans and therefore more prepared to weat...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone has an opinion, punditry or reference that counters your thoughts on issues - and most are more than willing to jump up into your life to make sure you are aware of how they feel.  Climate change, COVID and Supply Chain disruptions are examples of topical issues that have a direct influence on your daily life.  Your politicians, no matter whether you support them or not,...

Send us Fan Mail This week's conversation is asking the real questions about preparedness messaging, where to reach people and what they are looking to find out.  Sharon is an enthusiast who is interested in learning about preparedness, passing on the message and growing the community.  She has some great ideas on reaching those like her, what they are looking for and how governments can amen...

Send us Fan Mail Humans need each other.  We congregate in groups, we socialize and anthropological research shows that we have done so since time immemorial.  Hence, it is arguably the most important step in emergency preparedness to create, strengthen and grow your community - those group of people you can count on when the chips are down.  Who do you call at 3 AM?  Who is coming to help you jum...

Send us Fan Mail This week we discuss the elements of planning, specifically for scenarios that you might face.  I focus more on the planning steps and elements than any one scenario, as there are a multitude of potential hazards that may be realized.  How do we integrate a specific scenario into my overall preparedness plan?  What could possibly go wrong and cause a disruption?  We walk through h...

Send us Fan Mail Season 3 commences with a great discussion on emergency preparedness with one of Canada's foremost experts, Ian Foss.  From a background of search and rescue, followed by service in government agencies, with a Masters from Royal Roads - Ian discusses why preparedness is necessary; challenges to get the message across and solutions for communication experts across different le...

Send us Fan Mail Lets dive right into the most controversial issue at play - the IPCC report and the world's reaction to the science, the fires all around us and those few who remain with their heads in the sand.  I offer my points on what the problem is, why humans are responsible, what are our options and how we get there.  I am tired of the toilet-level quality of the discourse on this spe...

Send us Fan Mail This world has endless possibilities, the pandemic has exposed opportunities everywhere - so how do you design the perfect life - CMPP: career, money, passions and people ! We examine how to look at this from scratch, assess opportunity, then include the ever-present minimalism and the intended purpose for physical goods in your life.  Finally, we round it out to this podcast&apos...

Send us Fan Mail A brief discussion on what preparedness means to me, some talk about confusing definitions and the ideas behind becoming a prepared individual.  We chat about self-sufficiency, self-reliance, disasters, emergencies and a myriad of other situations.  Your income is most important, you need multiple lines of income and a plan, a solid plan, when you walk into work tomorrow and your...

Send us Fan Mail Everyone loves a list. If you're looking for the quick and dirty 10 steps to becoming a prepared individual, then here you go. Simple - totally uncomplicated and easy to accomplish.  That must be the goal, otherwise barriers become reasons for off-ramping and not being prepared for coming disruptions. Brilliant - based upon the recommendations and education of the finest mind...

Send us Fan Mail The world is in chaos, panic seems around the corner and if you were to believe the main stream media and the preppier channel - societal breakdown is imminent.  We are exposed to a flurry of complex problems that cause strife in society, challenging to address and difficult to solve, involving significant public resources and the cooperation of multi levels of government.  Those...

Send us Fan Mail The apocotalk will not stop on social media and has now carried into the mainstream media in the form of dire warnings about climate change, pandemic variants, hyperinflation, end of globalization and many others.  So what is a prepared individual living in suburbia suppose to do?  Nothing.  Thats the point of preparedness and adopting a prepared life.  You have established a prep...

Send us Fan Mail As the developed world emerges from the pandemic restrictions, there is a movement afoot to adopt many of the "temporary" programs invoked during COVID-19 to help citizens manage the crisis, as permanent fixtures.  Not necessarily the benefits related legislation, but the framework legislative authority, government management and the new tools adopted in order to best se...