I know many of us lament the lack of preparedness knowledge and training among the general population. We snidely make comments about “Darwin Award” winners and “PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER.” when someone is injured or killed through their own ignorance or mistakes. But it seems to me that part of the blame lies in the fact that our society seems to be more and more distrustful of the role of the private citizen. We see this in the attitude of some professional Search and Rescue personnel, who warn us not to attempt any rescues on our own but rather wait for them to arrive. Otherwise, they say, “there will be two bodies to haul out”. We see this from some law enforcement professionals, for whom many times self defense is equated with vigilantism, or worse. This sort of thing is then repeated as gospel by the all-wise media. It should come as no surprise then that some citizens, hearing this sort of thing over and over from people who should know better, simply come to believe that they are better off leaving these life or death decisions to somebody else.

Now I don’t for one minute doubt that professional SAR people are much better at rescuing victims than I am. If they happen to be on the scene when I need them, then of course I am going to defer completely to them. But if I have loved ones trapped in some collapsed building and there are no rescue personnel on the scene, then I’m going in. Period. Knowing that, would it not be better if I had some knowledge about what to do in that situation? What to watch out for? Is it too much to ask that my government not try to frighten me into staying on the sidelines?

We all know that there are many situations, both urban and wilderness, that could be made more survivable for the general public if they would just take the time to learn, train, and prepare. We know that the tools to do this are readily available on this site and others. What is needed is a change of attitude from government--including the various Emergency Response agencies--and the media. The old saying “lead, follow, or get out of the way” comes to mind.

Regards, Vince