Presenter: Patricia Spigarelli Aston, Author, Crisis Preparedness Handbook Third Edition

Topic: First Steps to Preparedness

"We live in a dangerous world of crisis and uncertainty. But you don't have to be in a panic or be confused about how to prepare for anything.

I understand that preparedness is personal. That's why I wrote the third edition of Crisis Preparedness Handbook, so you can be prepared where ever you live and whatever your personal situation!"

About the Author/Presenter:

Patricia (Mason) Spigarelli Aston, the author of the third edition of Crisis Preparedness Handbook, was born and raised in St. Helens, Oregon. She graduated from St. Helens High School and then from the University of Oregon, where she majored in curriculum and instruction. Later, she earned an M.Ed. from Utah State University. She subsequently taught elementary school in both Colorado and Utah. She married Jack Spigarelli and encouraged and supported him as he wrote the original Crisis Preparedness Handbook, testing many of the preparedness ideas, methods, and equipment described therein. Jack updated and revised the book and created the second edition in 2002. After Jack died in 2005, Patricia continued to publish the book and promote preparedness ideas. In 2015, she set out to update and revise CPH but ended up executing a full-scale rewrite and repurposing of the book, creating an all new third edition. Patricia is now married to D. Craig Aston, with whom she creates videos about preparedness and self-reliance topics.

Some topics of discussion:

• What can you do now?
• Is your food storage ready?
• Sanitation

Recorded Video Link: Click HERE

Presenter: Colonel Jim Smith, MSS, CLEE, CPC, NRP, FABCHS, Director of Public Safety Cottonwood Police Department

Colonel Jim Smith has been a law enforcement officer for more than 45 years. He has published several articles related to body armor and published textbooks relating to tactical medicine, WMD, and crisis management. He has a master’s degree in safety from the University of Southern California. He teaches criminal justice related courses for the University of Phoenix and Troy University. He serves as the public safety director of a community in Alabama. Colonel Jim has more than 50 years experience as a paramedic and public safety responder and served as a Captain and Bureau Commander for a metropolitan police agency, and served as public safety coordinator for a large university system. He teaches “TacMed Essentials,” the course designed from Tactical Medicine Essentials for physicians, nurses, and EMSP and has taught at every level of EMSP classes since 1975.

Topic: Save a Life! Basic Emergency Care Everyone Should Know

• How to clean and bandage open wounds
• Expedient splinting
• Combat dressings
• Bleeding
• Tourniquets
• Chest Pain
• Burns

Lesson Materials: EmergencyMedical by Colonel Jim Smith

Recorded Video Link: Click here

Presenter: Paul Seyfried, TACDA Advisor, Underground Shelter and EMP Expert

Paul Seyfried has been interested in national security affairs since his enrollment at Missouri Military Academy and later, New Mexico Military Institute. His interest in self-help civil defense intensified during the height of the Cold War in the late 1980s.  After building his first shelter with Sharon Packer he became acquainted with several nuclear weapons physicists involved with the creation of the nuclear age including Edwin York, Dr. Conrad Chester, and others who had hands-on experience in field testing of nuclear weapons and their effects upon buried shelter structures.  His main interest is in the development and construction of cost-effective blast and fallout shelters within the reach of middle-class Americans. Paul builds and designs all hazard NBC shelters throughout the nation as a co-owner of Utah Shelter Systems. Paul also serves on the Advisory Board of The American Civil Defense Association.

Date: March 11, 2023 at 6pm MST

Topic: EMP and Our Vulnerability

Points of discussion:

• What is EMP?
• How is it created?
• Who can use it for military purposes?
• How does it impact our civilization?
• What should we do to prepare?

Recorded Video Link: Click HERE for link to recorded video.

Zoom Chat from meeting: Click HERE for Chat details

Topic: Nuclear Weapons Effects (TACDA Academy Ch.2)

Presenter: Jay Whimpey PE, TACDA President

Date Recorded: Saturday, April 15, 2023 6pm MST (Utah time)

Recorded Video Link: Click HERE

Mr. Whimpey has begun a series of lessons covering the TACDA Academy beginning with chapter 1, Psychology of Civil Defense which was taught in November 2022.

In an atmospheric detonation, such as was deployed in Japan, it is the blast and thermal component of the nuclear explosion that is the major factor in destruction and death, not nuclear radiation, as the public believes. Nuclear war is survivable!

Link for Recorded Zoom Presentation "Nuclear Weapons Effects": Click HERE

Link for chat during meeting: Click HERE

Neighborhood Preparedness Plan Handout: Click HERE

Topic: 3 Scenarios for Preparedness: Stay, Walk Away, Drive Away

Presenter: Tami Girsberger, Founder of "Prepare My Life"

I will never forget my first earthquake. I lived in Southern California and was home alone with my two-week old son. When the entire house began to tremble all I could think to do was cover my son’s body with mine until the shaking subsided. Although no injuries occurred, feelings of uneasiness lingered. Here was this newborn, completely dependent upon me, and I wasn’t prepared to handle an emergency. What if it had been worse? I needed a plan!

Date: Thursday May 11, 2023 6pm MST (Utah time)

Recorded Video Link: Watch for email the week of the presentation!

Link for Recorded Zoom Presentation: Click HERE

Link for chat during meeting: Click HERE

Neighborhood Preparedness Plan Handout: Click HERE

3 Scenarios for Preparedness: Stay, Walk Away, Drive Away Handout: Click HERE

Topic: Underground Shelter Design

Presenter: Sharon Packer, TACDA Board Member

Sharon Packer has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in physics, and a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering. She has served on the TACDA board of directors for over 20 years in several different capacities. Sharon is an expert in civil defense, EMP and in NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) shelter design.

Some topics of discussion: Learn about underground shelter design in safe rooms, fallout, blast, and storm shelters, and how to protect yourself from nuclear radiation.

Link to Zoom presentation: Click here

Chat Link from Presentation: Click here

Topic: All Hazard Sheltering (TACDA Academy Ch.3)

Presenter: Jay Whimpey PE, TACDA President

Mr. Whimpey has begun a series of lessons covering the TACDA Academy beginning with chapter 1, Psychology of Civil Defense which was taught in November 2022 and chapter 2, Nuclear Weapons Effects which he taught in April of 2023.

Date Recorded: Thursday, October 26, 2023 6pm MDT (Utah time)

TACDA Academy Ch. 3, "All Hazard Sheltering"

Shelter designs are based on disaster threat, however, all have common requirements. Clean, breathable air, protection from heat and cold, food and water storage, and protection from the perceived threat.

Learn about:

• All Hazard Sheltering
• Shelter Supplies
• Risk Assessment
• NBC Targets
• Attenuation Formulas, and more!

Link for Recorded Zoom Presentation "All Hazard Sheltering": Click here

Link for chat during meeting: Click here

Neighborhood Preparedness Plan Handout: Click here

TACDA Chapter 3, "All Hazard Sheltering": Click here

Topic: Designer Food Storage

Presenters: Jonathan and Kylene Jones, TACDA Advisors

Jonathan is a licensed civil engineer and an avid enthusiast of alternative energy sources; especially solar and wind power. He has served in many capacities for TACDA, and has developed the city emergency plan in his own community as a city councilperson.

Jonathan has written numerous articles published in the Journal of Civil Defense on emergency preparedness topics. He co-authored, The Provident Prepper—A Common-Sense Guide to Preparing for Emergencies with his wife. He is the co-owner of Your Family Ark, LLC, an educational and consulting business designed to assist individuals and families in preparing for an uncertain future. Their website is the TheProvidentPrepper.org, and their YouTube Channel is The Provident Prepper.

Kylene has an educational background in business management as well as in family studies. She has also served on the advisory board and on the board of directors for TACDA,  as well as a past editor for The Journal of Civil Defense.  She now focuses on writing quality content for The Provident Prepper.

She has a passion for researching and experimenting, adding a sense of real life to their writing and teaching. A firm believer in hands-on learning, she involves her family in emergency training for everything from fire drills, to living off food storage and garden produce, to turning off the power in the dead of winter just to see if they can survive it.

Lesson Overview:

Designer Food Storage Plans – Food Just the Way YOU Like It

Hunger insurance is easily accomplished by building a pantry stocked with the foods you love. Wisdom dictates that you store food for tough times. Common sense demands that you not add the stress of unwelcomed dietary changes to whatever disaster you may face. This class will show you how to design a food storage plan around the unique preferences of your family and the best way to store your food supplies.

• Understanding basic dietary needs – caloric requirements, nutrients
• Building a 3-month supply of everyday foods - examples
• Longer-term food storage plan - examples
• Home production – edible landscape
• Enemies to your food storage – best storage practices

Link for Recorded Zoom Presentation: Click here

Link for chat session: Click here