Frequently Asked Questions
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Why should we prepare?
How can I PREPARE FOR THE FAIR?
Will there be free stuff?
START WHERE YOU ARE!
What are incremental steps I can take to prepare?
What is the difference between a Go Bag and a Bug Out Bag?
What should I take if I only have 5 minutes? 15 minutes? 30 minutes? An hour?
Does everyone need to prepare?
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: So, you are graduating and going away to college. Even students need an emergency plan, according to Purdue University. Explore WyomingAreYouReady for ideas to implement, starting with decluttering a closet!
Step 1. Declutter a Closet
1. Take a look at your closet in its present state.
2. Completely empty out the closet so you can see the entire space.
3. Make a plan that includes your emergency supplies so you get it right the first time.
4. Organize everything outside the closet
5. Clean the closet.
6. Put things away according to the plan you made.
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: Take a picture of your closet before, when empty, and after organizing and bring it to the fair to get extra tickets for drawings of your favorite emergency preparedness items!
Step 2. Peace of Mind in a Bag
You might see all kinds of labels for what is essentially the same concept:
- Emergency kit / emergency bag
- 72 hour kit / 72 hour bag
- Bug out bag
- Go bag
- Evacuation bag / evac bag
- Survival bag / survival kit
- INCH bag (“I’m Never Coming Home Again”)
- GOOD bag (“Get Out Of Dodge”)
- SHTF bag (“Sh*t Hit The Fan”)
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: Start with a simple list. There are lists for kids and lists for adults. It's like learning any language - it never stops! Some people use buckets, back packs, duffel bags. The key: take it on in small bites. Small steps in the right direction. Inventory what you put in the bag. Keep a copy of the inventory in the bag. Edit the inventory when you think of something you want to add or if youuse something and want to replace it. Share your discoveries with us at the fair and get extra tickets for drawings.
Step 3. Family Emergency Plan
"An emergency preparedness plan doesn’t make you prepared on its own, but it will help you know what you need to do to prepare, and will certainly help you know how to respond when an emergency occurs. After you have your plan, you will have a framework for what you need to do from the moment you are notified of an emergency until the situation stabilizes and you are safe with your family."
A Family Emergency Plan includes:
- Immediate Lifesaving Action
- Communication Plan
- Special Considerations
- Recovery Plan
- Family Emergency Drills and Exercises
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: Search "Family Emergency Plan" and find one that is right for you, or design your own customized plan using parts of other plans. Show us your design at the fair and get extra tickets for the drawings! Want a more elaborate plan? Read this!
Step 4. Have a Growth Mindset
"The popular “growth mindset” model says that one of the key differences between good / happy / successful people and those that aren’t is whether they have an attitude of learning and growing. What better way to grow as a person than to learn practical and useful new skills that can save you and your loved ones, gets you outside and with other people, and gives you comfort and peace of mind that you are a better equipped person who can take care of themselves and those they love."
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: Share the "growth" experiences as you've prepared with us at the fair! Let us know what questions and challenges you are tackling now.
Step 5. Have a Perspective
"It’s only in the last ~150 years that life got reasonably comfortable and only the last ~75 years that you could be an average person but have all your core needs met. A middle-class person today lives like the wealthiest 1% did just a century ago...
This is important because humans are really bad at being tricked by false patterns. You’ve been alive for 20-70 years and it just so happens those 20-70 years align with this unusually awesome period in history.
This ignorance of history causes many people to think that things can’t possibly get worse — after all, things have always gotten better during their lifetime."
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: How has decluttering and preparing helped you?
Step 6. Three Days of Food and Water
"We have lost 250,000 years worth of skills in less than 100"
"For 250,000 years humans had to learn and practice how to survive. Fire, tools, weapons, medicine, shelters, hunting, fishing, navigating, societal structures, and so on.
Even 100 years ago, most people knew enough of the basics to survive in an emergency or off the grid. Your grandparents could probably cook from scratch, start a fire, clean a fish, and repair broken clothing. Can you?
For example, a 2017 survey of survival skills by generation found that people born before 1950 were three times more likely to be able to do simple things like tie a ‘survival knot’.
A recent study by Cabela’s found that 53% of American adults don’t have even just three days of non-perishable food and water. Over 80% don’t know how to get safe food and water in the wild."
PREPARE FOR THE FAIR: Prepare a three-day menu of your favorite meals. Do that once a week between now and the fair (NO duplication!) For every unique three-day menu you bring to the fair, get extra tickets for your favorite drawings!
