Who we are
PrepareSmart is a leading national CERT and emergency preparedness kit supplier. The company was founded in 2003 to help schools, businesses, organizations, families and individuals become better prepared in the event of an emergency. PrepareSmart provides high quality safety and emergency preparedness supplies at reasonable, accessible prices.
After over 20 years of “Sharing Their Passion For Preparedness”, Keith & Lisa Oratz have sold PrepareSmart to new owners who share their passion and vision. PrepareSmart is now owned and operated by Darren Branum and Kellie Boylon. Darren & Kellie met while volunteering for Seafair in the Emergency Operations Center in 2013, and 12 years and countless adventures together later, they are looking forward to sharing their passion for preparedness too!
Kellie Boylon
Kellie Boylon is an industrial property manager with over 15 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry and is experienced in budget development, property emergency response and recovery planning, and project and building management with an emphasis on maximizing asset value while minimizing operational costs. She brings a facility operations perspective to emergency planning, is Washington State certified in HAZMAT Operations, has completed several FEMA ICS training courses and has volunteer incident support experience with King County Search & Rescue Association and emergency operations center support with Seafair Emergency Management Group. She also has experience in accounting, construction management, leasing, and commercial real estate appraisal.
Darren Branum
Darren has been a long-time customer of PrepareSmart, is a Washington State licensed EMT, volunteer lieutenant firefighter, and has over 30 years of experience in emergency management and incident response in the higher education and transportation sectors and the fire service. He is a contract instructor with the University of Washington, instructing HAZMAT courses for various off-campus programs. Darren has also supported event planning and EOC management for Seafair events, a community summer celebration to include the Blue Angels air show, hydro plane races, parades, and other Seafair summer events in Seattle in addition to the Seahawk’s Superbowl Win Homecoming Parade. He is a graduate of NEMAA and his most recent achievement was obtaining his Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) designation, as well as being elected to the Board of Directors of the Emergency Management Group-Washington.