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Little Things Make a Big Difference
02/23/2011

Do you know someone who has been fighting in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars? That was the question that Oprah and Tom Brokaw asked in a recent show about The Bravest Families in America. That question was easy for me to answer – my father retired eight years ago as a Commander in the United States Navy after serving in Iraq. But the next question they posed really made me stop and think. What you have done to help and honor these brave people and their families? Shamefully, I haven’t done anything. Of course, I always tell soldiers thank you when I see them in uniform strolling through the airport in their fatigues, but a simple ‘thank you’ just doesn’t seem to be enough. I was astounded to find out that only 1% of the American population is “bearing 100 percent of the burden of battle.” One percent is such a small number, especially for such large sacrifices.

I know that people are grateful for the brave work of our soldiers, but it’s also important to remember the sacrifices their families make so that their loved ones can serve. I remember being a little girl when my father was called to serve in the first Gulf War. I was at a friend’s slumber party when her mom came to me and said that he was on the phone and was leaving that night. Of course being a military kid, you always know there’s a possibility your parent will get the call to leave at any given time, sometimes for days, weeks or even months. But you can never truly be prepared enough for when that time actually comes. I’ll never forget that night, and I’ll also never forget when he was called to action for the Iraq War when I was in my sophomore year in college. I am grateful everyday that my dad returned home from both deployments unharmed, but I know that there are so many families who aren’t as lucky.

As difficult as it can be at times having a parent at war, growing up as a “Navy Brat” was an amazing experience that shaped me into the confident woman I am today, while influencing my decision to enter the world of public relations. The military is a unique family of its own because very few people can understand what you go through. All the dance recitals, basketball games, birthdays, and holidays that your parents miss are made easier to take when there are other understanding people in the same boat, and has taught me the value of strong relationships both at work and in life.

Only recently however, did I have my “lightbulb moment” when it comes to the level of obligation we owe troops and their families. Whether you are in support of the wars we are engaged in or are against them, one thing is certain: these soldiers, and their families, are making a huge sacrifice. As Oprah commented during her interview with Tom Brokaw, regardless of your political affiliation, “you bleed the same, and hurt the same.” Right now soldiers are hurting, families are hurting and two parent households have been turned into single parent households because the other parent is serving in the military. We should all feel a responsibility to those families that have sacrificed so much.

I remember my stepmom having to play both mother and father to me and my brothers while my dad was away. While she – like so many other military spouses – did it with a strength and grace that is awe inspiring, the burden doesn’t have to fall so heavily on their shoulders.

So what can we do to help? I was thrilled to learn that at DKC, Bruce Bobbins, executive vice president, led public relations for the Fund for Veterans Education and the Campaign for a New GI Bill to advocate for what became the largest investment in veterans’ education since World War II. The bill covers the full cost of the college education for veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. This was a hard fought campaign, but a great example of work that can be done to improve the lives of our veterans and their loved ones.

Not everyone needs to work towards getting approval of a new Congressional bill in order to make a noticeable difference. Little things are also important. It’s easy to search for organizations in our hometowns that support military families and enable us to lend a helping hand in whatever way we can. I say this as the daughter of a veteran who experienced first-hand the big impact that little acts of kindness can make.

It’s because of these experiences that I want to do something to help. I was a makeup artist for years so I’ve decided to reach out to a group of military moms and give them a day of makeovers. These women need a break and some pampering and if I can help ease their mind if only for a minute, then I am more than happy to help.

One percent of our country is supporting 100 percent. They are doing more than their share. Shouldn’t we contribute?

Written by: Ashley LaStrapes


Posted in Life safety, Non-profit

Surviving Survival School
01/11/2010

Wrapped like a burrito in a wet wool blanket, I’m draped under a suffocating rain poncho, my pink pom pom ski hat poking out under the hood. I crouch on a garbage bag stuffed with supplies, my head slipping precariously close to a cactus. Lightning crackles above the Southern Utah desert sky. Is that a bear in front of me? I think I’m hallucinating. Please let this night end soon. More than anything, I just hate being damp.

So how did I wind up spending a night utterly alone in the Utah wilderness working on a story that would appear in Vogue for our client, explorer extraordinaire Josh Bernstein? Welcome to my tale of survival school.

It all began when Vogue became interested in doing a switching lives type of story with its famously lavendered European editor-at-large Hamish Bowles. We pitched a piece where Josh, the handsome cowboy hat wearing host of Discovery and History Channel fame, would take Hamish through a 4-day course at the Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) – the oldest survival school in the country and a school that Josh owns.

Embracing a challenge, I went along as a DKC embed with hopes of bonding with Hamish and understanding more about Josh’s world on the Utah trail. And so armed with my new purchases from Paragon – a pair of Tevas, some hiking shoes, an unflattering beige outdoorsy shirt and a couple of bandanas, I leave for Utah prepared to go mano y mano in the wilderness without a tent, a sleeping bag, sunglasses, flashlight, toothpaste, bottled water or a Blackberry for four days.

Day 1 – Morning – Provo, Utah

I meet my six fellow survival students in the Travel Lodge lobby. Hamish and I begin bonding over some weak coffee, bagels and loads of anxiety. Josh pulls up in a trailer and we begin our four-hour drive southwest to Boulder with Mozart concertos playing in the background.

Day 1 – Afternoon – Boulder, Utah

We collect our gear in a yurt which is cross between a teepee and a circus tent. My survival supplies include a hunting knife sharp enough to skin a moose that will stay hooked to my belt buckle for four days, an enamel cup, an environmentally friendly bottle for gathering water, a bottle of drops to kill the parasites in my gathered water, and a mix of other random low tech gadgets like cords and strings that will apparently help me survive. We turn in our valuables and turn off our technology. Game on.

Day 1 – Impact phase – The Course Begins – Potty Time

Josh enthusiastically explains the proper ways to go potty in the great outdoors. Pooping seems to require the strategic planning of a military invasion, ample time and lots of sagebrush to use as wipes. I have snuck in some contraband tushy wipes. I have forgone sunglasses, but wet wipes, well, I just have to draw the line some where…it’s a matter of chafing.

I get my first tutorial using my knife and carve my very own spoon out of wood. It’s not elegant, but it’s practical and I am proud. I just hope I don’t get splinters on my tongue.

Day 1 – Night – Somewhere in the Wilderness

For endless hours, I have trekked over mountains and even crawled crab style through a steep crevasse with a cloth sack slung across me like a baby sling. This is the “carry light” phase where I don’t have my blanket, food or any other gear. We hike in the darkness sans flashlights – channeling our tribal ancestors – we are told to tap into our primitive night vision abilities. I’m just praying to the wilderness gods that I don’t slide off the mountain.

Suddenly, we stop marching and are simply told “good night.” Hamish and I glance at each other and nervously laugh. We find a patch of cold sand perched on a slope. With no blankets, we sleep on the damp sand covered only by the thin piece of fabric that was my papoose. Hamish snores. I stare at the stars and panic about switching my contacts in the morning when my hands are coated in sand.

Day 2– Morning—Somewhere in the Wilderness

No breakfast, no toothpaste, no Starbucks. We are still in the “Impact Phase” and haven’t eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. Our guides, who effortlessly glide over the terrain like mountain goats as the rest of us chug along, tell us that they were toasty last night because they were spooning. Hamish and I look at each other sheepishly – maybe tonight we’ll snuggle.

Day 2 – Night – Somewhere in the Wilderness

We set up camp on a beautiful spot where we’re having a group fire and cookout. It’s feeling festive and I’m thinking roasted marshmallows and banana boats until Hamish and I are handed a single carrot, a third of a potato, a half of an onion and two cloves of garlic to make stew for three people. Clearly this is about survival and not about S’mores. I could really use a beer.

Day 3 – Morning – Still Somewhere in the Wilderness

Hamish is holding up remarkably well and is appearing more rugged and tanned each day. He’s even adorning his Panama hat with wild turkey feathers he finds along the trail. Josh still looks refreshed and handsome with his signature stubble growing, and checking myself out in my compact mirror as I put on my lenses, I discover that I look like hell. But there are more important things to concern myself with today like learning how to make fire without matches. Let the party tricks begin!

Day 3 – Afternoon – Trying to Make Fire

Now I know why matches were invented because it’s seriously a pain in the ass to light fire any other way. For hours I yank my bow back and forth across my homemade spindle. If Prometheus could steal fire from the gods for all humanity, why can’t I make a little spark? But as much as I try, I can’t make anything but smoke. I feel defeated.

Day 3 – Afternoon – Post Attempting Fire

We walk for miles on what looks like a cross between the surface of the moon and the Sinai Desert. I feel like Moses leaving Egypt.

Hamish thinks he spots a bear paw print and then Josh notices a large log of bear poop. Everyone hovers around as our guide Dave begins to systematically dissect the poop. Dave points out the pine nuts the bear apparently just ate for a snack.

After a little goading, Josh convinces Hamish to eat the poop, promising that it’s quite tasty. Horrified, I look at Hamish in disbelief. Josh pushes me to try the poop as well. Not to be outshined by Hamish, I take the dare and pluck out a pine nut.

Hamish and I just got Punk’d….it wasn’t poop but an organic fruit and nut bar with the consistency of well, poop. I am gagging ten minutes after the joke is over even while the rest of the group consumes the fig bar.

Day 3 – Solo Night – Near a Desert Swamp

Forgetting to pack bug spray, I am now on the verge of a panic attack when I’m placed for my “solo night” under a tree swarming with buzzing, blood thirsty mosquitoes. It rains again. It gives me little comfort to know that my closest neighbor is within “howling distance.”

Day 4 – Morning – Still Near a Desert Swamp

It wasn’t pretty but I made it through my stormy solo night. This is the last day of the course and the geography is gorgeous – alternating between red rocks and roaring creeks. Hamish and I have fallen into a good rhythm and I think he’s really digging this experience. Josh, who is also a professional photographer and was hired by Vogue to document Hamish’s journey, shoots hundreds of photos.

Day 4 – Late afternoon

We hear traffic which means we are close to civilization. Twenty-three miles later, up and over the Escalante River, through the wilderness, out of the woods and under a hidden fence – we’ve made it!

Epilogue

In November, Hamish’s amazing article comes out in Vogue along with a photo of me and our group. In my life, I never imagined I would appear in the iconic fashion bible Vogue and I’m horrified to see that I’m not even wearing makeup!

But it’s not about me. The article on Josh and survival school is such a sensation that it’s picked up by New York Magazine and other outlets. Hamish says that in his twenty years of writing at Vogue he has never experienced such extraordinary feedback on a story. Apparently, Anna Wintour was so thrilled with the piece that she wants to create a regular first person series with Hamish.

In public relations, we operatives usually stay on the fringes of a story – guiding the piece but not becoming a part of the story. And while close relationships with producers and reporters are crucial, we’re usually not sleeping with them, unless, of course, we’re dating them. So sharing my rations with Hamish and sleeping on the cold sand next to him may not have influenced the outcome of the story, but the intensity of the experience was an incredible opportunity to not only become entrenched in the world of a client but to develop a unique relationship with a magazine editor that I hope lasts a lifetime.

Posted by: Wendy Sachs, Vice President

Posted in Life safety

Preparedness and Response in Communications
10/13/2009

In the world of public safety, clear and effective communication is an indispensable skill set. As any firefighter or EMT will tell you, when time is of the essence and lives are hanging in the balance, there is no room for confusion. This same principle that is true during an on-the-ground emergency rescue also applies to the corporations, organizations and associations that create the nation’s public safety infrastructure. At DKC, we have worked across virtually every corner of this field, building and executing communications plans that connect our clients to the general public, partners and other stakeholders.

The team at DKC is distinguished by its extensive experience, led by Robert Leonard, a veteran of over 20 years in the public safety sphere, and to this day, a volunteer fire fighter in his spare time. His career has taken him from the public sector, serving as Deputy Director of Public Information for the FDNY and Public Information Officer for the New York City EMS, to the private sector, including a stint directing media relations for Con Edison and for the last nine years at DKC. Under his leadership, DKC has built a staff of experts that is in constant communication with the firefighters, EMTs, equipment manufacturers and industry officials that collectively form the heartbeat of the public safety domain.

Our deep knowledge of the issues allows us to work with a diverse range of clients across the public safety landscape, and on campaigns both national and regional in scope. On a national scale, DKC worked with Anbex, a company producing Potassium Iodide pills that had been proven to protect against thyroid cancer in the case of a nuclear accident or incident. DKC secured prominent coverage for the benefits of Anbex in the states with nuclear reactors, which led to a larger national discussion, challenging states that had chosen not to distribute the pill that would protect its residents.

Regionally, DKC helps the Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), which represents 130,000 volunteer firefighters and EMS workers across the state, to impact public safety through targeted, strategic media campaigns. Through our efforts, FASNY has made its voice heard on the op-ed and editorial pages of all the major media outlets in the state, stretching from New York City to Albany to Buffalo and all key points in between. This coverage has resulted in increased attention to fire prevention and has helped FASNY’s efforts to increase its membership.

In addition to a traditional approach to public relations, we connect our public safety clients to the public at large by leveraging the firm’s relationships across a wide variety of industries. DKC built a substantial audience for the Nassau County Firefighters Museum and Education Center on Long Island, New York by connecting the institution with supermarket chain Fairway. Firefighters competed in a barbecue cook-off sponsored by Fairway that benefited the museum, educated attendees about barbecue safety, and drove traffic into the store. When Rheingold Brewing Company wanted to reintroduce its product to firefighters, we helped to create a “Hometown Hero of the Month” program that recognized firefighters on Long Island, one of the most populous regions of volunteer firefighters in the country. Through our relationships with consumer brands, we provide public safety institutions with access to a wide cross-section of the public.

It is also well-established that public safety entities must be extra vigilant about their reputations given the inherent occupational hazards. When the unexpected does happen, DKC is ready to provide crisis support that contains the damage and restores public trust. Following the September 11 attacks, DKC worked with a major telecommunications company to successfully rebut false information that had surfaced regarding the failure of its communications devices in the midst of the rescue effort. We were also brought in by one of the nation’s leading suppliers of fire apparatus to handle crisis communications and provide strategic counsel following a series of issues with their newest deliveries to one of the largest urban fire departments in the U.S.  Thanks to our efforts repositioning the company in that market, the fire truck manufacturer went on to win the next several contracts for fire engines and ladder trucks in that city.

An effective communications strategy enhances the ability for any corporation or organization within the public safety domain to reach its goals. If you’re looking for assistance in this area, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Posted in Life safety, Newsletter