Prepared Youth
Contributed by Debra McGhan
Isabel ‘Izzy’ Brown, a 17-year-old senior in high school, grew up at the gates to Denali National Park; a life surrounded by nature and free-spirited play. Her parents have worked in the park as long as she can remember. The youngest of four, she loved following her three older brothers through the Alaskan wilderness foraging, hiking and living a life many only dream of.
In 2023 one of her older brothers was killed in a tragic car crash that made Brown realize the importance of being prepared for all types of emergencies and disasters.
“Losing my brother just really sparked me to want to learn more about first aid,” she said. “I realize it wouldn’t have made any difference in his situation because of the serious internal injuries, but having grown up in the park, I’ve seen so many times when you really need to know first aid.”
One such experience involved her uncle. “My uncle and his girlfriend were out hiking and they came on a bear protecting it’s kill (food source). They were not aware or prepared with bear spray at the time and he ended up getting seriously mauled. Fortunately, his girlfriend was an EMT and knew what to do so he survived, but he had to have like 1,500 stitches and I know he would have died without his girlfriend’s help.”
Brown said she now sees her uncle’s experience as a good story to tell about the value and importance of being alert and prepared with bear spray and knowing wilderness medicine to avoid a similar tragic encounter.
“I’ve also experienced a lot of natural disasters. Like winter power outages that happen a lot here. You have to have a generator and be prepared to survive for days at a time.”
With motivation from these pivotal events, Brown joined the Youth Preparedness Council (YPC.)
“I didn’t really know anything about emergency preparedness until I got involved with the council. But doing that, I discovered so much more depth of information and activities involved with this realm than I had ever imagined. It’s a really fun and more fascinating field than I had ever imagined.”
The YPC has 10 national regions and one overarching council for the entire US. “I joined in my sophomore year of high school and got to attend the national summit in August of 2023,” explained Brown. “After the national council, I started attending monthly meetings to talk about projects that can be helpful for us individually as well as for our community.
“Then in my second year, I attended the council again and got to serve as the co-chair and work directly with the chair to host meetings and make presentations. It was such a great experience and I learned so much. It was really cool getting to be a part of this and see everyone’s projects. Some were so creative and interesting that I really am excited to be a part of all this. I can really see the value and importance of this program, especially here in Alaska after all the emergencies and disasters I’ve experienced.”
For this summer, Brown is working at the National Park as an Interpretive ranger sharing her experiences and stories in an effort to help others understand the value and importance of being prepared. On September 20, 2025, Brown will be on hand for the 17th annual Mat-Su Emergency Preparedness Expo at the Menard Sports Center to share her experiences and learn from others.
This annual event is a free community service project featuring interactive exhibits focused on providing hands-on training to ensure our community remains resilient and prepared in times of all types of emergencies and disasters.
Made possible thanks to the Mat-Su Borough Emergency Services, Alaska Safe Riders, American Red Cross, AARP Alaska, the Mat-Su Health Foundation, City of Wasilla and more than 80 additional exhibitors and supporters. Learn more at https://ready.matsu.gov.