I have a short list of planned EquippedCast podcasts that we are working on, including the usual How To type stuff you'd expect. I'd welcome any suggestions that ETS forum memebers would care to offer. Please bear in mind the following:

We want to keep the EquippedCast length to between 30-45 minutes. That means we'll tend towards fairly narrow subject for depth or shallow coverage of more involved subjects.

We intend to try interviews for some casts, either in total or for a portion. So we also need subjects that can be covered adequately in 10-20 minutes to allow for a shorter interview as well. And, I'm open to suggestions of people to interview, beyond the obvious of survival instructors, survival book authors and survivors themsleves. Suggestions for a combination of a subject and an interviees are also welcome.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions. I'll likely not answer specifc posts unless I have a specific comment or question.

Having listened to your first podcast, I would suggest that you break them up into parts: you had a "commerical" break in the middle of #1, so you might have done it there.

I say this only because I have limited control on playback on my mp3 player, so that when I was forced to stop listening to do something else, it was necessary to start over from the beginning. I was well into the second part when this happened, so it took a while to get back to the original break.

Doug-

A couple of suggestions for interviews/subject matter, made without regard to individual accessibility:

• Offered not as a "survival book author" per se, Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival: Who Dies, Who Lives, and Why. For fellow forumites, he has a web site containing worthwhile reading at http://www.deepsurvival.com/

• Someone with extensive search and rescue experience. “Local” candidate: Sgt. Randy Servis, current executive committee chair of the National Association of Search & Rescue, and SAR Coordinator for Coconino County Sheriff’s Department (Flagstaff, AZ). http://www.coconino.az.gov/sheriff/phonelist.aspx

• Dr. Sheryl Bishop, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, psychologist who specializes in human behavior in extreme environments. Founding member and senior editor of the Society of Human Performance in Extreme Environments.

• Les Stroud, Survivorman, http://science.discovery.com/convergence/survivorman/survivorman.html

• The scope of his talks make him, in my opinion, more than merely a "survivor," Dr. Beck Weathers, of the May 1996 Mt. Everest expedition.

• One of the FEMA Regional Directors (or other appropriate staff member) http://www.fema.gov/regions/ix/about.shtm

• Malcolm Murray, owner, designer and maker of Rescue Reflector signal mirrors (top-of-the-line non-glass signal mirrors). As Doug well knows, Mr. Murray knows his stuff when it comes to signal mirrors, and the story of his products’ evolution is interesting — and he’s not shy! http://www.malcolmmurray.com/rescue/

• Dr. James Wilkerson or other appropriate MD affiliated with the Wilderness Medical Society. http://www.wms.org/

• Someone directly involved in Disaster Services, American Red Cross. http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_319_,00.htm

Dan

Hmmm.... You discussed the 72/120-hour kit, so....

PSKs and EDC
Car and truck kits
Boat kits
Aircraft kits (for pilots)
living in a lifeboat (like a ten minute bit, maybe?)
"You, the survior; you, the tool", about the need for training
something on shelters (iffy)
footgear? it would only be like a ten minute bit
warm weather hypothermia (rain shelter and gear criticalality)
backing up you life- expand on what you talked on about insurance info and the like
Hug-A-Tree, for kids specifically, and thier parents
the survivor mentality
survivors vs survivalists (hot, sensative)

not many ideas, but some

My first, and likely only recommendation, would be a podcast episode on "The Psychology of Survival". In every experience I've ever shared on the topic, this has been the transcendent commonality and foundation upon which all other aspects of survival flow. It is addresses the most imporant tool that we have to ensure that everything else associated with survival works; the human mind.

I would like to hear your concise, complete take on the survival mindset Doug. In all the posts and literature I've read that you've published, it is something you allude to but never completely address. I think that, more than anything else you can speak to, the mental characteristics that make suvival possible, regardless of the abundance or lack of gadgets, the severity of the environment, or the elapsed time, are paramount.

Of all that I could ask you for, or that I have invested herein towards, this seems to me to be so important that without it anything else we could discuss is trival. It is also the only survival issue of which we all share a common interest, regardless of the circumstances in which we might find ourselves.

Agree, hence the recommended interviewee, Laurance Gonzales.

I'd like to hear Chris Kavanaugh in an interview. His experience and everything.

François

An aviation survival podcast would be nice as well. It was actually an FAA seminar that first steered me to your site.

- Steve

I'll second the Survival for Kids

• Survival for the reluctant spouse / parent / child -- A basic introduction to personal survival in various settings from an "expert" (as opposed to my incoherent ravings, which seem to lack... something.) I know my Mom, fer instance, is much more likely to believe something if it comes from someone she doesn't know.
• Hurricane prepation. Not just a list of crap, but a discussion of how to decide whether to stay or go, where to go, what to take, what not to take, what to expect, etc.
• Overview of various levels of local, state and federal emergency infrastructure. I've been fascinated by the bits of info dropped by our resident experts. It'd be great to do a show on, say, flooding and have MartinFocazio as a guest, interview about how they prepare for such an event, etc. Some of our people helped out in New Orleans. That'd be way cool to hear about. AyersTG went to help with the hurricane aftermath, etc. The point of all this would be to help me understand what to expect in the way of help after a given disaster, and what I should do to help them help me.
• Lessons Learned. Do one of these after every major disaster. Heck, do one just like your stories on the front page. Profile a particular disaster, interview the survivers, highlight the mistakes, make suggestions, etc. Just an audio version of some your existing stories would be great, I think.
• PSP Advertisement. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Pick a scenario, say... downed small plane pilot. Show how the items in your PSP are used to help the pilot survive until help arrives. Shameless self promotion and darned useful, too.
• Audio book version of your "gear and equipment" section. Don't just read the existing web site... too much of it is useless without the pics. Rather, make the topic of gear and equipment into one or several shows, and expound about the mindset one should have when choosing and using tools in various categories.
• General musings. I'm absolutely certain you have interesting stories you could tell. Tell us. Please. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />