IT’S A DISASTER! e-news 23-Sep-2011
Our opt-in e-newsletter shares ideas and stories, program and product announcements, and other resources we hope you find of interest. (Note: Most links open a new window or tab.)
This week's (w/e 9/23/2011) topics:
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Collaborative ideas
SPECIAL PRICING THRU 9/30/2011
IN THE NEWS
DID YOU KNOW…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Collaborative ideas for communities
Disaster preparedness is a difficult topic to get communities to pay attention to ... until disaster strikes. For decades there have been many initiatives and programs offered by agencies and groups to get the public involved, but sadly there is still a ton of apathy and complacency in the U.S.
When we first started this book journey back in 1999 our goal was to develop collaborative ways to help get this life-saving data out to the public while helping fund and support those spreading the word. So … in this Spotlight segment, we are highlighting some of these creative ideas in hopes they can help YOUR community be aware… be prepared… and have a plan!
Collaboration basics using our book:
Agencies, organizations and groups often want to purchase IT’S A DISASTER! books for local volunteers and citizens but sometimes have very limited funding in their budgets. And nonprofits, schools, youth groups and First Responder support teams are always looking for ways to raise money.
One way to help with funding shortfalls is for groups to sell ads to or get sponsorship from local businesses and organizations for books (or CDs or eBooks). FedHealth will print the ads and data for FREE and throw the value in as "match" on your paperwork. Advertisements, lists of sponsors, logos, and other messages can be added to a custom book print, a custom CD or bulk eBook order ... or done in small volume with peel & stick labels.
And groups can collect anything you can for ads / sponsorship -- take cash, lines of credit, barter or trade (basically whatever you can get) ... and keep it all since we customize our products for free..!
Examples of small collaboration:
A Chamber has several members who pool dollars together to sponsor the purchase of several cases of books for all Chamber members (or a community event) and the list of sponsors can be acknowledged on custom stickers placed inside the front of each book.
A youth group takes prepaid orders for books using the traditional fundraiser forms to collect names, # of books ordered, etc. In the meantime the fundraising coordinator sells some ads to a few local businesses using our Ad Program. The youth group keeps all the money collected for the ads since we print stickers for free plus the kids can earn between $7 and $11 U.S. per book sold..!
Either idea could work for Rotary Clubs, CERTs, Explorers, Scout troops, Ham radio clubs, churches, Volunteer Fire departments and others.
Example of a bigger collaboration:
An agency wants 1,000 custom books for residents but has no money in the budget. The Director approaches his Local Emergency Planning Committee about sponsoring the purchase, and the LEPC members contribute money and services in exchange for having their logos and data on the cover and first 11 pages of the book.
In one instance we are aware of, the Director collected enough money to pay for his book order and had several thousand dollars left over to use towards a warning siren. It was a win-win-win for the agency, residents and businesses!
Example of a GRAND collaboration:
A large city or Region wants to purchase customized books for the community although the exact quantity is undetermined initially since various groups are collaborating to bundle orders so they can all earn some funding. The goal is to get thousands or tens of thousands of books combined.
- Rotary club: Starts the custom book purchase process using grant funds and/or collect funds from member donations, sponsorship, ad sales, etc for a minimum of 1,000 copies.
- Boy Scouts: Troop or Council takes prepaid fundraiser orders, sells ads, gets sponsorship dollars or lines of credit or equipment from local businesses and organizations, etc. (Note: Any money left over after the cost of Scouts’ total books needed is kept by their organization.)
- CERTs (or other volunteer groups): Members and volunteers coordinate with local First Responder agencies to see if they have any grant dollars available for public education and/or take book orders, sell ads, get any sponsorship dollars, lines of credit or equipment, etc. (Note: Any money left over after cost of CERTs’ total books needed is kept by their organization.)
- Schools: K-12 schools can coordinate at school or District level and take prepaid fundraiser orders sells ads, gets sponsorship or lines of credit or equipment from local businesses and organizations, etc. (Again .. any money left over after cost of schools’ total books needed is theirs.)
By combining orders, energy and efforts the project becomes an exciting community-wide initiative, helps the various groups raise funds, and gets preparedness data into homes and businesses. This type of collaboration can also help open the lines of communication between the public and private sectors.
Learn more about our funding and ad/sponsorship programs and free customization or call FedHealth at 1-888-999-4325 for a free information kit.
Also check out www.bemoreprepared.org for ideas for CERTs, Scouts, Rotary clubs and others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPECIAL PRICING THRU 9/30/2011
Remember .. we are discounting our business and consumer prices on our customizable IT’S A DISASTER! books even further down to 50% - 66% off list through 9/30/2011. And books can be customized at no additional charge. Businesses click here and Consumers / Preppers click here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FEMA announced the launch of the Ready Indian Country campaign as a part of its ongoing National Preparedness Month outreach. The new campaign will provide disaster preparedness information resources for the 565 federally-recognized tribal nations and communities across the country. The goal of Ready Indian Country is to partner with tribal leaders in asking individuals and families in Indian Country to take basic steps to prepare themselves for emergencies. www.ready.gov/america/getakit/indiancountry.html
Reporter, author and former Green Beret Michael Yon is currently embedded in Afghanistan and releases amazing dispatches and photos from the front lines. Michael’s dispatches have earned him the reputation as the premier independent combat journalist of his generation and his work has been featured on hundreds of major media outlets all around the world. Currently Michael is in Zhari District, Kandahar Province with 4-4 Cav, Task Force Spartan and you can follow his posts on his site or Facebook.
The Salvation Army has developed a program called "Preparing Together", a preparedness initiative for seniors and people with functional and access needs. Get more information and order materials by visiting www.preparingtogether.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Throughout National Preparedness Month, Bill and Janet Liebsch will be appearing on several radio shows. (Note: links have recorded archives.) The 9/22 - 9/30 lineup includes…
On 9/22 Janet appeared on The Survival Mom radio show with Lisa Bedford on The Prepper Podcast to discuss National Preparedness Month.
Janet will join Lynna (@othersideprep) , Toni (@disasteranimals), Jane (@SurvivalJane) and JJ (@RealitySurvival) in a special roundtable discussion about preparedness on The Other Side of…a Preppers Path this Sunday 9/25 at 2p Eastern / 11a Pacific on the Prepper Broadcasting Network.
Bill and Janet will be appearing on Stronger Communities with host Eddy Weiss Monday 9/26 at 11p Eastern / 8p Pacific to chat about "selling preparedness". (show archive will be available here after 9/26)
And to wrap up NPM (and since she is Lisa’s “guest of the month”), Janet will be appearing on The Survival Mom show with Lisa Bedford again on 9/29. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the direct link .. and also check out Lisa’s blog at http://thesurvivalmom.com for updates and great articles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
...seven scientists and other experts went on trial on manslaughter charges Tuesday for allegedly failing to sufficiently warn residents before a devastating earthquake that killed more than 300 people in central Italy in 2009?! The case is being closely watched by seismologists around the globe who insist it's impossible to predict earthquakes and dangerous to suggest otherwise since seismologists will be discouraged from issuing any advice at all if they fear legal retaliation. Source: ContinuityInsights.com
...the global economic impact of the five leading chronic diseases -- cancer, diabetes, mental illness, heart disease, and respiratory disease -- could reach $47 trillion over the next 20 years, according to a study by the World Economic Forum (WEF)?! The estimated cumulative output loss caused by the illnesses, which together already kill more than 36 million people a year and are predicted to kill tens of millions more in future. Mental health, which is typically left off lists of leading NCDs, will account for $16 trillion, a third of the overall $47 trillion anticipated costs. Source: FoxNews.com
...a type of foam capable of killing deadly organisms that could be used in a terrorist attack was recently developed by Sandia National Laboratories?! The foam is made of three components that are commonly found in household items like toothpaste and hair conditioner and is safe to touch .. yet effective enough to kill anthrax spores, according to KOAT.com. Source: BioPrepWatch.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COOL LINKS / IDEAS
Rescue Reel is a personal escape device which allows someone of any size or ability to be safely lowered to the ground from a height of up to 1000 feet. To operate the Rescue Reel, a user steps into a universal harness, attaches Rescue Reel to a clip in the building, and allows Rescue Reel to lower them to the ground. By default, Rescue Reel will automatically lower a person at a safe rate of 6 feet per second but has the option to manually slow their descent using the handbrake. Rescue Reel is available now for reservations. www.rescuereel.com
Inventing a new way to escape tall buildings from TED Blog on Vimeo.
Country singer/songwriter Eric Horner wrote and recorded the Chasing4Life theme song "They Are Americans" - an anthem for volunteers across the country. With each download of "They Are Americans", Eric donates a portion of proceeds to the C4L Disaster Response Team. Learn more
Cold Fire Canada Ltd. is an exclusive Canadian distributor of Firefreeze Worldwide, Inc. environmentally safe products. Their top selling product is Cold FireTM -- a totally organic fire suppression wetting agent that takes the heat out of fire. Cold Fire can save your life and your property. From 275 gallon containers for fire departments to 13 oz spray cans for your kitchen, car, boat or RV, Cold Fire will extinguish a fire quicker and cleaner than other extinguishers. www.coldfirecanada.com
Got a cool link or idea? Email it to Janet at info@itsadisaster.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please help us spread the word about our customizable products and fundraising programs by sharing this with others. New readers are invited to join our mailing list and receive a FREE mini ebook version of IT’S A DISASTER! Be assured we do NOT share the list or your id with anyone.
We’re always looking for input, stories, news, products or services from agencies, volunteer groups, schools and others so feel free to email info@itsadisaster.net anytime.
p.s. If you know an agency, nonprofit, school, church, Scout troop, or volunteer group (like a CERT, MRC, Radio Club, Rotary, etc) who could benefit from our preparedness book and/or funding ideas, please have them call 1-888-999-4325 or email us for a FREE information kit!
Stay safe out there, j & B
Bill & Janet Liebsch
FedHealth
7739 E Broadway Blvd # 416
Tucson, AZ 85710-3947 USA
1-888-999-4325 7a-4p Pacific M-F
www.itsadisaster.net
Twitter: @itsadisaster FB: www.facebook.com/fedhealth
Back to 2011 e-news