I created Paratus as a holiday for myself and all the folks that think like me. A holiday based around and upon our interest in preparedness. I won’t say its been a roaring success, but I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment out of it. But its not the only holiday I’ve made up.

Many people have ‘personal holidays’…days that mean nothing to the world at large but have meaning to them and, maybe, those closest to them. It could be your kids birthday, your wedding anniversary, the day you proposed to your wife, the day you won the Powerball, the day you finished your last tour, whatever…

I’ve designated February 5th as ‘Personal Safety Day’ for myself. (Jokingly referred to as Threatmas .) Although I practice shooting as often as I can, and try to make sure my gear is all up-to-date and in good repair it sometimes escapes my schedule. So..I have one day per year where, no matter what, it’s time to audit, review, update, and maintain the things that are meaningful to my personal safety. No excuses.

Whats that look like? Well, definitely some time at the range. Not target shooting, not plinking, not screwing around. Dead serious drills with a critical evaluation of my own performance and a measured plan to improve what needs improving. All the house guns get unloaded, inspected, cleaned. Batteries in lights get rotated out. Armour is checked for wear and tear. Cameras and video systems are inspected. Stashes of ammo and guns are inspected. Car stranding supplies are checked.  Smoke/CO detectors. That sort of thing. If its meant to keep me alive, safe, and secure…it gets vetted on this day.

Now, these are things I try to do during the year. But, we know how life sometimes makes it tough to do what youre supposed to do when your supposed to do it in the way youre supposed to. So..I gave myself a personal holiday in the year that is dedicated to nothing else but making sure the guns are ready, the fire extinguishers charged, the medications unexpired, the flashlights working, and that sort of thing. In fact, on my time-off request at work I label the reason as “Personal Safety Day”..I was asked about it the first time and although they looked at me a little funny, they approved it. I’d have made a big fuss about it if they hadn’t. Its the hill I’d die on to make sure I dont die on a hill.

Ideally, I try to do these sorts of tasks several times a year. Quarterly would be ideal. And sometimes I hit that mark, sometimes I don’t. But even if I completely drop the ball, PSD is the one guaranteed time it will occur. So, worst case scenario, at least it gets done once per year. (And Im not saying these things should be done once a year. I’m just saying I have this mechanism in place to make sure it does happen at least once per year.)

If I did get to do all these things during the year, on the schedule I’d prefer, then PSD is simply another layer of redundancy. But, for me, its the guarantee that at least the bare minimum will be done even if I completely blanked it out the rest of the year.

I’m not saying you need to have your own personal holiday like this. I’m only telling you what I do in my twisted little world. But…I will say that you should check your gear as often as you feel is necessary..at least several times a year. Maybe every daylight saving time changeover. Maybe every three-day weekend. Maybe on you and your spouses birthdays. Whenever. Assign some not-gonna-forget-it milestone days during the year to use as reminders. But do check your gear. A depressurized fire extinguisher, gun that goes click, empty gas can, dark flashlight, or dead radio battery is the last thing you want when you absolutely, positively need something in an emergency.

Other than the gear, PSD is also a day to wargame things. What else do I need to enhance my safety? To give me better odds? What risks am I exposed to that I wasn’t last year? What threats are in place that weren’t last year? Whats my plan in case this event happens?

And this isn’t just theory. PSD started for me when having the right piece of gear, at the right time, in a working and ready state, saved me from a potentially Very Bad Day. That made an impression and as a result….Personal Safety Day.