“to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Service, Utility, Intrepidity…
One of the most noble pursuits of humanity has been, and will always be, to face the danger and uncertainty that emergencies present “so that others may live.” Our communities growth and ability to thrive rely entirely on the faith that if there was an emergenc that there are people, highly trained and incredibly courageous, that would jump in harms way to protect you, me, and our loved ones.
We call these people heroes.
Today, the departments that supply, train, and organize these groups of heroes are facing a worrying combination of declining volunteerism and increasing emergent call volumes. Did you know, around 90% of the people involved in disaster response and relief are entirely made up of volunteers1? Additionally, nearly 70% of all firefighters2, and 14% (urban) – 53% (rural) of emergency medical service workers in the U.S. are volunteers3.
In this modern age it is critical, and dare I say, PARAMOUNT that we retain our faith and support in the emergency response community.
The Mission
The Scratchgravel Safety newsletter aims to support our emergency responders in the following ways.
- Collaborate, design, fund, and execute technical and operational improvement projects to remove overhead burdens on responders.
- Inform and educate the general population on safety practices and provide an introductory knowledge of how their community will protect them during emergent scenarios.
- Connect you, the reader, to opportunities to become involved with and/or support your local emergency response departments.
- Perform outreach events and activities to inspire, teach, and mentor the next generation of safe community members.
How Can I Help?
Simply subscribing to the free version of this newsletter will provide you with simple and effective safety practices that you can implement in your day-to-day life, as well as, provide you with an inside look of how emergency response works. Both of which will make you less reliant on others in times of distress and request help more efficiently when S.H.T.F…
Taking it a step further, subscribing to the paid tier of this newsletter will directly fund the projects aligned with item 1 of our mission charter. Due to the heavy reliance on volunteers and limited funding from government agencies, some no-brainer ideas never get implemented in response operations. These projects will vastly decrease burdens on responders and help them focus on the work they are devoted to.
Don’t have the means to pay a subscription for the paid tier? No worries! There are so many other ways you can support your community. Reach out to us for some ideas. You may be surprised to find that administrative and logistical volunteers are often the most valued in emergency response organizations.
Finally, if you value our content and support our mission, please consider sharing this publication to two people close to you. This will dramatically increase our outreach efforts.