For a community group you might focus on two or three things - one for the adults and one for the, well, parents and kids:

1a. Discuss veeeerrrryyyy basic outdoor survival kits - I'm talking about the outdoorsafe.com kind of kit. Emphasize that it needs to be on their person - not at home or in the car. Tell them that an easy way to make a high quality kit is to start with a Doug Ritter Personal Survival Pak and then add the extra recommended bits (knife, flashlight, water, ...). Make sure you can tell them where they can buy one in your area.

If you have time, also emphasizing the importance prevention (trip plan, right gear, avoiding risks, using a map/compass/GPS), , health (temperature regulation, hydration, first aid), personal protection (shelter, insects, sun, warmth), signaling (whistle, lights, fire, cell phones, PLB), sustenance (water, basic food), and maybe navigation - though do emphasize the S.T.O.P. idea mentioned earlier (map, compass, GPS).

In a presentation on Doug Ritter's blog he listed his "top 10" survival items as: 1) a mapping GPS w/ knowledge to use it, 2) one-hand openin knife, 3) fire-starter w/ tinder, 4) water & water purification, 5) whistle, 6) signal mirror, 7) duct tape, 8) shelter, 9) flashlight or headlamp w/ constant on switch, 10)sunscreen & insect repellant, and 11) personal locator beacon (PLB). I like his list feeling that a mapping GPS falls in the prevention camp - preventing folks from getting lost in the first place.

1b. You could also discuss urban preparation. Having key paperwork (including insurance info) in one place. Creating a kit with safe water, garbage bags for shelter, a tarp, first aid kit, a multtool, hammer, prybar, flashlights, radio, cell phones ...

2. Review Doug's primer on survival for kids. Go over this for the parents there. Encourage them to have their children carry the basic kid's items: ID tag, loud plastic whistle, garbage bags (see if you can get your local road/highway dept to donate some orange ones they use for roadside collection), water (though I would seperate this from the rest of the kit - due to weight), tiny flashlight, bright bandanna.

This is actually how I got interested in preparedness and survival. My family was at the local county fair, and we came upon a search and rescue crew booth. I talked with them quite a while. Their focus at the time was mostly on trying to get kids to carry a garbage bag and a whistle. They said that just that could save a lot of lives. I was a Cub Scout leader at he time and wanted to echo that message to the boys in my son's den. In preparing for that I came upon the "Hug a Tree" program on-line, and then finally found equipped.org. Life hasn't been quite the same since them ... in a good way.

Ken K.