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| Learning to signal for help by catching light on a reflective surface |
Thanks to Alisha from LEPMPL in Eau Claire for this guest post:
When planning for my summer demonstration programs I wanted to find something new and different than what I’ve ever had before. I had thought about someone coming in to talk about hiking or camping safety or something along those lines. I ended up finding a survival class taught by Kyle Beach who works at the Chippewa Falls YMCA and is starting up a business called Prepared Solutions Group. He was really great to work with and put on a very nice program. I had approximately 110 in attendance. This would work for a children’s (elementary school-age and up) or adult program.
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| Insulation for protection against the elements |
He usually puts on longer classes – like a minimum of 4 hours or a full weekend of survival training in the middle of the woods – but I told him our programs are about 45 minutes. He was extremely flexible and was excited to find a way to make it work.
The program started with a full group presentation giving basic survival tips whether you’re lost in the woods or lost in the mall. Then he broke the program attendees into groups to rotate through three stations for more hands-on experience for survival (based more on survival in the woods than in the mall!).
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| Building a shelter |
The three stations were:
1. Staying hydrated; how to safely transport water using only paper; and signaling for help
2. Starting a fire without matches (outside)
3. Insulating yourself and building shelters
He was great with the kids and presented important information in a fun way. He also does adult programs on topics such as home and vehicle emergency preparedness, self-defense, CPR, etc. He has a lot of experience in search and rescue missions in Wisconsin, California, Alaska and throughout the Midwest for victims lost in the wilderness, which makes for a lot of interesting stories as well.
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| More shelter-building |
His info is:
Kyle Beach
715-797-0074
www.preparedsolutionsgroup.com