Your Team - finding others who prep.

[NT2C]

When talking about UFoZS with potential new members, and @12_Gauge_Chimp can vouch for this, I always refer to us as an "emergency preparedness group focused on education and training".  I always follow that up with two other points, the first being that we aren't anything like the nutjobs portrayed in the various media, and the second being that we want to educate and prepare, but also have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously.  I give examples like pointing out that our "official staff uniform shirts" have been Hawaiian shirts with space aliens surfing (2022), space aliens beaming up cows (2023), and space aliens walking with Bigfoot (2024); mention that our official ballcap comes with a tinfoil liner (okay, it's a mylar shower cap) and a miniature rubber chicken.  I stress that our main goal is to get people to actually think about what possible disasters were common for their area and the things they'll want/need during such an emergency. I explain that they can build further from that starting point, and that organizations like ours are excellent resources just waiting to be used.

[MacWa77ace]

an "emergency preparedness group focused on education and training".  I always follow that up with two other points, the first being that we aren't anything like the nutjobs portrayed in the various media, and the second being that we want to educate and prepare, but also have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously.

Everything after this kinda screams 'we craay craay' though,

[NT2C]

an "emergency preparedness group focused on education and training".  I always follow that up with two other points, the first being that we aren't anything like the nutjobs portrayed in the various media, and the second being that we want to educate and prepare, but also have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously.

Everything after this kinda screams 'we craay craay' though,

The tinfoil liners always gets 'em grinning though.  I had one hotel manager/owner that I gave a hat to get so enamored of the liner that he put it on at the check-in desk and told his staff that they were going to be getting them for all future staff meetings.  I'm not 100% sure he was joking.

[Raptor]

an "emergency preparedness group focused on education and training".  I always follow that up with two other points, the first being that we aren't anything like the nutjobs portrayed in the various media, and the second being that we want to educate and prepare, but also have fun with it and not take ourselves too seriously.

Everything after this kinda screams 'we craay craay' though,

I think it loses the humor when translated to print... If you say that with a smile on your face and make it clear it is a way to look at a potentially serious matter with humor ... it comes across better. 

[Moab]

"we aren't anything like the nutjobs"

I'm not so convinced. 

[Raptor]

"we aren't anything like the nutjobs"

I'm not so convinced.

Skepticism is a good survival skill to possess.

Still just because a hypothetical someone is shall we say, reality challenged, that does not mean the solutions offered are not valid.

Sometimes a crazy idea is a creative solution to a problem.



 

[Moab]

"we aren't anything like the nutjobs"

I'm not so convinced.

Skepticism is a good survival skill to possess.

Still just because a hypothetical someone is shall we say, reality challenged, that does not mean the solutions offered are not valid.

Sometimes a crazy idea is a creative solution to a problem.



 

I hope you know I was including myself in that?

And yes. We "reality challenged" do quite frequently come up with solutions that are valid. Lol! 

[flybynight]

"we aren't anything like the nutjobs"

I'm not so convinced.

Skepticism is a good survival skill to possess.

Still just because a hypothetical someone is shall we say, reality challenged, that does not mean the solutions offered are not valid.

Sometimes a crazy idea is a creative solution to a problem.



 

I hope you know I was including myself in that?

And yes. We "reality challenged" do quite frequently come up with solutions that are valid. Lol!

Yea sure.... All of us 

[Moab]

"we aren't anything like the nutjobs"

I'm not so convinced.

Skepticism is a good survival skill to possess.

Still just because a hypothetical someone is shall we say, reality challenged, that does not mean the solutions offered are not valid.

Sometimes a crazy idea is a creative solution to a problem.



 

I hope you know I was including myself in that?

And yes. We "reality challenged" do quite frequently come up with solutions that are valid. Lol!

Yea sure.... All of us

Lmao!!! I WAS!!!! 

[12_Gauge_Chimp]

I like to say that if I'm ever the voice of reason in a situation, things have really gone sideways.

[Lambykins]

I give examples like pointing out that our "official staff uniform shirts" have been Hawaiian shirts with space aliens surfing (2022), space aliens beaming up cows (2023), and space aliens walking with Bigfoot (2024); mention that our official ballcap comes with a tinfoil liner (okay, it's a mylar shower cap) and a miniature rubber chicken. 

We need a ufozs store. 

[echo83]

"Of course you do, Major. Of course you do."

I've repeated this here ad nauseum, but I've carried some sort of pressure bandage with me for years. It has come through for me twice in recent memory; once, when my wife badly sprained her ankle, and once when I tore up my leg with a chainsaw. It's the only thing that kept me from passing out before I got to the back steps in my yard. 

Prior to that, all of my friends and family (for the most part good naturedly) busted my chops about it, even when I'd explain the need in terms I thought everyone understood. 

It was always (and unbelievably still is) "Why do you carry one of those?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm waiting for my friend to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Maybe my kid takes a header into the downstairs window. Maybe my wife sprained her ankle one time. MAYBE BECAUSE I NAILED MYSELF WITH A CHAINSAW."

I generally just smile and joke, "Well, to me it's one of those things that if you need it and don't have it, you'll probably never need it again."

Luckily, they're cool with my prepping. They're grateful when a prep helps them out, and I'm happy to help. I just wish more people would be more ready to help themselves and others.

I think that we are wired to think that terrible stuff can't happen until it is actually happening. It's a failure of imagination. In some cases, it's a good thing, because we'd never leave the safety of our homes. In other cases, it leaves us woefully, well...underprepared.

[EBuff75]

"Of course you do, Major. Of course you do."

I've repeated this here ad nauseum, but I've carried some sort of pressure bandage with me for years. It has come through for me twice in recent memory; once, when my wife badly sprained her ankle, and once when I tore up my leg with a chainsaw. It's the only thing that kept me from passing out before I got to the back steps in my yard.

Prior to that, all of my friends and family (for the most part good naturedly) busted my chops about it, even when I'd explain the need in terms I thought everyone understood.

It was always (and unbelievably still is) "Why do you carry one of those?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm waiting for my friend to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Maybe my kid takes a header into the downstairs window. Maybe my wife sprained her ankle one time. MAYBE BECAUSE I NAILED MYSELF WITH A CHAINSAW."

I generally just smile and joke, "Well, to me it's one of those things that if you need it and don't have it, you'll probably never need it again."

Luckily, they're cool with my prepping. They're grateful when a prep helps them out, and I'm happy to help. I just wish more people would be more ready to help themselves and others.

I think that we are wired to think that terrible stuff can't happen until it is actually happening. It's a failure of imagination. In some cases, it's a good thing, because we'd never leave the safety of our homes. In other cases, it leaves us woefully, well...underprepared.

My nickname at work is 'Pockets' (yes, that is based on the Red Buttons character from the movie 'Hatari') because of all the things I carry with me.  I get asked all the time if I have <fill-in-the-blank> and the answer is frequently "yes."  It used to be that I had a bunch of stuff right there at my desk (to the point that our IT guys would stop by to borrow tools), but now that we work from home I no longer have an assigned desk.  Of course, I still have a ton of stuff in my car, so I can still generally answer "yes," but I have to take a quick trip outside to get whatever is needed! 

A friend and I used to have a sort of joking competition, where I'd be helping him with some small project at his house and whenever he needed a tool that he didn't have right there, I'd quickly try to take care of whatever it was using my Leatherman / pocket knife / fingernail clippers / etc. that I had on me before he could get the proper tool and come back.  Sometimes I even won those races too! 

Fortunately, I haven't needed any of the trauma medical items yet, but I've got them in an ankle kit, just in case my lucky streak ever runs out. 

[flybynight]

one of those things that if you need it and don't have it, you'll probably never need it again

THIS.... Encapsulates what being a prepper is

[echo83]

"Of course you do, Major. Of course you do."

I've repeated this here ad nauseum, but I've carried some sort of pressure bandage with me for years. It has come through for me twice in recent memory; once, when my wife badly sprained her ankle, and once when I tore up my leg with a chainsaw. It's the only thing that kept me from passing out before I got to the back steps in my yard.

Prior to that, all of my friends and family (for the most part good naturedly) busted my chops about it, even when I'd explain the need in terms I thought everyone understood.

It was always (and unbelievably still is) "Why do you carry one of those?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm waiting for my friend to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon. Maybe my kid takes a header into the downstairs window. Maybe my wife sprained her ankle one time. MAYBE BECAUSE I NAILED MYSELF WITH A CHAINSAW."

I generally just smile and joke, "Well, to me it's one of those things that if you need it and don't have it, you'll probably never need it again."

Luckily, they're cool with my prepping. They're grateful when a prep helps them out, and I'm happy to help. I just wish more people would be more ready to help themselves and others.

I think that we are wired to think that terrible stuff can't happen until it is actually happening. It's a failure of imagination. In some cases, it's a good thing, because we'd never leave the safety of our homes. In other cases, it leaves us woefully, well...underprepared.

My nickname at work is 'Pockets' (yes, that is based on the Red Buttons character from the movie 'Hatari') because of all the things I carry with me.  I get asked all the time if I have <fill-in-the-blank> and the answer is frequently "yes."  It used to be that I had a bunch of stuff right there at my desk (to the point that our IT guys would stop by to borrow tools), but now that we work from home I no longer have an assigned desk.  Of course, I still have a ton of stuff in my car, so I can still generally answer "yes," but I have to take a quick trip outside to get whatever is needed! 

A friend and I used to have a sort of joking competition, where I'd be helping him with some small project at his house and whenever he needed a tool that he didn't have right there, I'd quickly try to take care of whatever it was using my Leatherman / pocket knife / fingernail clippers / etc. that I had on me before he could get the proper tool and come back.  Sometimes I even won those races too! 

Fortunately, I haven't needed any of the trauma medical items yet, but I've got them in an ankle kit, just in case my lucky streak ever runs out. 

Hahaha I have 100% been there before with a multi-tool. There's nothing quite as satisfying as deploying a bottle opener from your Gerber before someone else at the party can get theirs off a keychain. 

It's my favorite kind of duel, because nobody gets shot.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

I don't have a team. I have family. There is a family rally point on 60 acres with enough food, supplies and resources to last years. It is permanently occupied by an older retired couple of the family who are hard core preppers and not survivalists.  They have enough room and the desire to host everyone family who comes. It would have to be crazy serious if I couldn't handle things here and had to fall back to there.

If that fails, there is a plan B. Plan B is well.... a rather unbelievable end of the actual world type stuff. If things were that bad it would be unlikely we would be able to consummate plan B due to distance and conditions. Suffice it to say there are some people with incredible resources preparing for such theoretical eventualities where we could go, if we could get there in time to matter.

[majorhavoc]

If that fails, there is a plan B. Plan B is well.... a rather unbelievable end of the actual world type stuff. If things were that bad it would be unlikely we would be able to consummate plan B due to distance and conditions. Suffice it to say there are some people with incredible resources preparing for such theoretical eventualities where we could go, if we could get there in time to matter.

[Uomo Senza Nome]

If that fails, there is a plan B. Plan B is well.... a rather unbelievable end of the actual world type stuff. If things were that bad it would be unlikely we would be able to consummate plan B due to distance and conditions. Suffice it to say there are some people with incredible resources preparing for such theoretical eventualities where we could go, if we could get there in time to matter.

That's right, suck it! we will be on the life ark with the other billionaires.

[flybynight]

If that fails, there is a plan B. Plan B is well.... a rather unbelievable end of the actual world type stuff. If things were that bad it would be unlikely we would be able to consummate plan B due to distance and conditions. Suffice it to say there are some people with incredible resources preparing for such theoretical eventualities where we could go, if we could get there in time to matter.

That's right, suck it! we will be on the life ark with the other billionaires.

Probably more likely the billionaires will be enjoying drinks and hors d'oeuvres in their luxury underground enclave in Kansas protected by their personal security army