Rural Differences Jan. 29, 2011

East Coast vs. Someplace Else

I live in a small, rural county of about 17,000 people, located between two major metropolitan areas in Central Virginia.  We also own some rural acreage in Southeast Wyoming where we hope to move before we are too old to enjoy it.  Both home sites are about 20 miles from their respective state capitol buildings, and are rural enough to shoot in the back yard and we can see just one or two neighbors.

In this Virginia county, people have grown dependent upon the government.  The local weekly paper just had an article about one of the volunteer fire/rescue companies in the county being taken over by the county paid, full time Division of Fire.  It seems that the volunteer group couldn't keep enough members ready to answer calls for service fast enough to please the city folk who have moved here "to get away from it all" but demand the same services and conveniences they had living in the city.  The same people who (not kidding here, ask my wife who was a 911 supervisor) call 911 to report a wild deer in the yard.  So, because part of the county had a volunteer fire/rescue service that was plenty capable for the way its been for years, but that wasn't good enough any more, every one's taxes go up to add to the size of government.

Compare that to the fire department newsletter we got from our Wyoming community the same day as the aforementioned article.  The community has maybe 1,000 - 1,500 wide-spread residents, and little-to-no commercial or business enterprises.  The fire company and auxiliary are very active.  There are 10 emergency sheds in place around the area, each centrally located to a group of residences.  Inside the sheds are AED units, and first responder kits.  Volunteers throughout the community have been trained in CPR/AED and have keys to the sheds.  If you wake up with chest pains, you call 911 to get the squad rolling from the city, but then call your neighborhood's CPR person who will go get the AED then come to your house.  The newsletter had a brief on the 13 folks who recently completed a 24 hour class in Basic Emergency Care.  Twelve people are currently going through Fire Fighter 1 and 2 class and will finish in June.  This fall they will start an EMT class for local residents.  They have numerous volunteers who are trained and participate at whatever level they are comfortable with.  Some only fight prairie fires, others are trained for full structure fires.  Some only keep the trucks cleaned and maintained, others keep the records or even put together the community fund-raising cookbook.

Two similar communities, separated by 1,500 miles and a world of attitude.  If times get worse for us, where do you want to be?  In a place where people depend on the government and have no sense of responsibility, or a place where folks take care of themselves and each other?

EDC Kit Update

Back in June of last year, I wrote about my EDC Kit.

                                                                               

It was serving its purpose, and fit in well with whatever I was carrying.  Unfortunately, I depended too much on the spring clip to hold it on my belt.  Sometime last month, it popped off probably getting in or out of my car at work and I did not realize it.  I tried backtracking to no avail.  So, somewhere in the greater Hampton Roads area, some lucky soul has my EDC kit.  I hope they are using it in good health.

For now, I really don't have one.  I have a flashlight and pocket knife either on me or near me nearly all the time, and a first aid kit in each of the vehicles.  I carry a NukAlert on my key chain, and am keeping my filled Sport Berkey water bottle with me.

I'm on the hunt for a better pouch for the rest of my EDC gear.  I'm thinking about a leather cigarette case with a belt loop.  If I can't find exactly what I want, I may have to break out the old Tandy gear and make my own.

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