Archive: News

Have you ever tried a Canadian coast-to-coast road trip? How about a road trip of comparable distance, elsewhere? If you’re planning a road trip of this length, you’ll want to ensure that you’re thinking ahead about a number of items. This includes answering the following questions before you head off: What is the route we’ll be taking? How long will it take? Where are we stopping? (Consider booking your nights in the mornings. This way, … Read More →

Have you ever considered how much you rely on technology in your day-to-day life? Do you ever wonder how you’d fare 100 years ago, if suddenly you could no longer Google your questions and find answers in minutes? If you couldn’t GPS your location, and you couldn’t just find an app to likely help solve the problem you’re facing? Now imagine you find yourself deep in the woods at dusk. You weren’t planning on being … Read More →

Sometimes, camping just means skipping town for a night or two on the weekend… driving for a couple hours just so you can get out among the trees, feel the sand between your toes, jump in some cool water and—most important of all—escape cell phone reception. Sometimes camping really is just a couple nights, where you throw up a tent, bring whatever food is in your fridge, and just relax. Other times, you’ve planned extensively … Read More →

This weekend, some friends and I are heading to a beautiful, beach campground on a small island just off the northeastern coast of Vancouver Island. It’s an amazing destination spot with plenty of soft sand. We’re all looking forward to a weekend of lying in the dappled sunlight reading books, tossing a frisbee, exploring and playing board games. We’re also looking forward to smokies and beans and other delicious camping foods. Of course, because it’s … Read More →

Recently in our Greater Victoria, BC community, we’ve heard too many local accounts of people drowning or hitting their heads and barely escaping with their lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who have suffered head injuries or other trauma, after accidents that happened while enjoying jumping into a clear, welcoming lake or tubing down a sparkling river. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the families who have lost loved ones. … Read More →

If you’ve looked through some of Total Prepare’s handy products—like our LifeStraw filters, our tents, or our variety of Stove in a Can items—you’ve probably already recognized that a lot of survival gear could be used on a fun camping trip! In fact, a lot of these items would make your camping trip a lot more fun, because you’d be so prepared! If you’re into camping, the summer months of July and August are just … Read More →

Do you live in an apartment or condo? If so, you’re far from alone. As you know, living in an apartment or other multi-family complex, you see your neighbours pretty frequently. But this doesn’t mean it’s easy or comes naturally to get to know each other on a personal level. As we mentioned in a recent blog post, your neighbours will be crucial following a disaster. So it’s important to get to know each other … Read More →

When you prepare for an emergency situation such as a natural disaster, you’re probably not just thinking of yourself. You’re thinking of your household, your loved ones and your community. This is just the way it should be! In the event of an emergency, those who are closest to you are going to be the ones helping you the most. Even just knowing who your neighbours are will help you cope and work together during … Read More →

Emergency Management BC is responsible for building methods and response routines that we can practice to test our readiness for disaster, as a province. On a personal level, these are the top 3 items on your checklist to get prepared for disaster: Know the risks. Make a plan (based on the risks) and share it. Build an emergency kit. It seems pretty straightforward but the world is continually changing, as you know, and new risks … Read More →

Did you know that this year, British Columbia is adjusting the terms it uses to describe the status of wildfires, to align more closely with nationally recognized terminology — and to work better alongside the Canadian Inter-agency Forest Fire Centre? This change is an effort to improve emergency communications across provincial and even international boundaries, and thus face wildfires head on with more confidence. For a full list of these new terms and definitions that … Read More →

How to Survive Summer’s Top 5 Most Dangerous Activities According to one Forbes magazine article, the top 5 most dangerous summer activities are not quite what you’d expect! Number 1 on the list is playground falls, then skateboarding, followed by trampolining, moving the lawn and riding amusement park rides. So today, in an effort to decrease the number of visits to the ER during the summer months, we’re sharing 5 tips with you, to help … Read More →

Running Summer Races During the summer time, many people look forward to local races in their communities. Here in Victoria, BC, Mountain Equipment Co-op puts on a number of summer races and relays. We also have the annual Woman2Warrior race in August and the The Goose Relay & Ultra in early September. Whether you’re preparing for a run, community race, a more competitive and record-breaking race or you’re simply going about your routine that includes … Read More →

With the calamitous wildfires taking place in British Columbia, especially in the 100 Mile House, Ashcroft, and Cache Creek areas, it is more important than ever for Canadians to be prepared for evacuation. With longer, hotter summers making huge wildfires the new normal here are some things that you and your family can do to increase your wildfire preparedness. Talk to Your Loved Ones Communication is key when it comes to preparing for any emergency. … Read More →

Cycling Safely If you ride your bike as part of your regular commute, you’re already aware of the many dangers that can come along with it… If you’re riding your bike in the dark, consider your visibility so that people driving vehicles can see you. You can never have too many bike lights — sometimes flashing ones are the best call – and you can even wear a visibility vest to protect yourself further. If … Read More →

Staying Safe as Play Time Heats Up As temperatures rise, it’s easy to forget about the risks and simply bask in the joy of waking up to sunny mornings and stepping outside without grabbing a jacket or close-toed shoes. But with the glorious times comes an element of danger as well. And it’s especially important to take precautions if you have kids. Why not create a summer safety kit? This way, you can plan ahead … Read More →