You’ve probably never wondered why I decided to create Hoagy’s Outdoor Survival Skills back in 2022. Let me share insight into some of that journey, shaped by different events and people over the years.

Approximately 83% of firefighters in Canada are part of ‘volunteer’ or ‘Paid-on-call’ fire halls, covering nearly 80% of Canada’s landmass. Getting involved in with a small town rural fire department has been a major anchor point for my life over the past two decades. Having the opportunity to train and be mentored under Fire Chief Rick Elder of Dalmeny Fire Rescue is one of the main reasons for my passion in emergency services and giving back to communities. (If you are interested – here is a local news article of Chief Elder being named the 2024 Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs)

So, why does this matter and how does this relate to resilience during adversity?

Being part of a rural fire department in Saskatchewan opened further pathways into training as a Medical First Responder, Search and Rescue (SAR) Search Manager, and in Emergency Management. As a 16 year SAR member and provincial Master Trainer, I’ve drawn on many of these experiences during my courses. The skills I taught to these dedicated groups of emergency responders are the same skills I realized were missing in much of our society. In 2022, a dinner conversation with friends sparked the idea of taking what I knew about survival and packaging it into something I could offer to the people of Saskatchewan.

But before going further, let’s define resilience

Resilience /rĭ-zĭl′yəns/ – noun

1.) The ability to recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune; buoyancy.
2.) The property of a material that enables it to resume its original shape or position after being bent, stretched, or compressed; elasticity.
3.) The act of springing back, rebounding, or resiling.
Taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Resilience. The definition for resilience applies both to how individuals recover and how materials behave when an outside force acts upon them. Emergency Management taught me about resilience in homes, in communities, and in businesses.

So how do we help people to become resilient? How do we help them recover, rebound, and resume their “original shape”?

We do it by giving people – families, homes, communities and businesses – the skills needed to overcome adversity. That is how resilience is created. People with access to skills, equipment and training greatly increase their ability to recover from outside influences. The same principle applies to communities and business – both large and small.

For me, a key component of resilience is something I’ve written about and referenced often. Positive Mental Attitude (view the article here). Without skills, equipment and training, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain positivity during setbacks, and negativity directly impacts resilience.

Being Prepared Matters.

Everyone has skills, but not everyone has the same skills. For every skill – from mundane to mastery – there is a core ability surrounded by countless variables.

At Hoagy’s Outdoor Survival Skills, we teach practical skills that build confidence in survival and adverse situations. At our courses, we also sell and train with a variety of carefully selected products designed to help you survive. We’ve created a personal ‘Pack to Survive‘ checklist (view article and list here) to help you prepare in advance.

Being prepared matters.

In short, that’s what we do at Hoagy’s: we teach people at any experience level how to begin learning outdoor skills, or develop an existing skill set toward mastery.

Resilience – we start by giving people confidence to survive, but our ultimate goal is to see people train, practice, prepare and develop a true competence to survive.

Create resilience within your home

Earlier, I asked how we help people to become resilient? The answer was access to skills, equipment and training.

In 2016 I came across an organization called ‘do 1 thing‘. This non-profit offers practical emergency preparedness steps for individuals and businesses. Their vision is simple: each month, take one small step toward being better prepared.

You may have heard messaging that every Canadian home should have a 72 hour emergency kit, but that can feel overwhelming or expensive to do all at once. The do 1 thing approach removes that pressure by breaking preparedness into manageable focused monthly steps.

Beginning in January 2026, I’ll be adding their monthly action item to the HOSS newsletter. By the end of the year, your home or business will be significantly more resilient in the face of adversity.

When you break down tasks, skills, training training, and preparedness into small steps, you build confidence and competence – you are being prepared for life.

Resilience isn’t built in a single moment or during an emergency – it’s built through preparation, practice, and mindset long before adversity arrives. Just as I’ve learned throughout my years in emergency services, the skills, tools, and training we invest in today shape how well we respond tomorrow. Rick taught me that lesson well.

Being prepared isn’t about fear; it’s about confidence, capability, and caring for the people and communities around us.

Until next time,

Hoagy

Resilience begins with one step.
Train, practice, and prepare with Hoagy’s Outdoor Survival Skills.
Explore upcoming courses and preparedness resources at hoagysoutdoor.ca