Built by someone who's done the work
I'm Brandon Nicksy. I served five years as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. After that I spent eight years in industrial technical rescue, starting as a rescue and rope access technician and working up to general manager. I led high-angle and confined-space rescue operations, ran wind-farm projects, and built the training programs and systems crews relied on.
For more than a decade I've also owned and run Civil Safety, a Canadian store for safety, sporting and preparedness gear. That taught me what people actually buy, what they actually use, and where the gaps are.
I live on a rural property in northern Ontario with my wife and our three young sons. Winter here is real, help can be a long way off, and most problems get solved with your own hands, a tractor, and a plan. I run (a full marathon in 2024, a half in 2025), train strength year-round, ski, boat, and keep the property running.
Able Citizen is the practical side of all of that. It's about real capability: a household that's ready, a body that can do the work, and a mind that stays steady when things go sideways. It's not theory or tactical theatre. It's training you can apply this week, explained by someone who's done it.
It's open to every experience level, beginners included, with specialist workshops and advanced training for members who want to go further.
