The latest Awesome Ottawa award goes to Liam Callaghan to support a survival backpack rental service for the city.

“Aid and Assist’s Borrow a First Aid Kit service provides first aid kit rentals to anyone in Ottawa,” says Liam. “For $25, we deliver a fully stocked kit, retrieve it up to 30 days later, and don’t charge for the first $5 of used supplies. The service is designed for people going on day trips or longer adventures, and for community groups holding larger events once or twice a year that may not have the resources, capacity, or desire to maintain their own comprehensive first aid kits.”

“We currently offer three kit types,” continues Liam, “the Daypack, Destination, and Event kits. The Survival Backpack will expand on our service to add a comprehensive backpack kit designed to provide both emergency medical supplies and wilderness survival gear. It will increase emergency preparedness during long-distance excursions by providing the resources for a small group to persevere through a wilderness emergency for a minimum of 72 hours.”

“The backpack,” says Liam, “will include an emergency radio and flashlight, emergency rations, expandable water containers, water purification tablets, emergency blankets and sleeping bags, waterproof and windproof matches, a compass, parachute cord, a tourniquet, a splint, glowsticks, and more. It will also only cost $25 to borrow.”

By day, Liam is a policy analyst with the RCMP. He and his team used to volunteer and work at the Carleton University Student’s Association, where they pioneered the Borrow a First Aid Kit service for Carleton University students. “Bringing that success to the greater Ottawa area was a clear first step to achieving our mission,” he says.