*My At Work "Get Home" Kit*

1 June 2004
By Tailgunner


 

I work on the 16th floor of a kinda sorta highrise building. I say kinda sorta because we don’t have really tall buildings here (good thing too). In the event of an emergency I am also one of the building’s emergency coordinators which means I have an easy excuse to keep a small bag of emergency preparedness items at my desk, over and above the emergency kit I keep for the entire office. I keep equipment in my car and at work in the event that I will need to bug out from work. Most of the things that I keep in my office kit are designed to get me back home in the case of an emergency where I could not use the roads or my car. Fortunately I am within 1 quick, or 2 slow, days walk from home. My kit is designed to get me home without carrying everything. I have broken my office kit into sections or modules that are kept in different places.

The part of my kit that is always with me is kept in my attache case. If I go out of the office it goes with me, it contains mostly my comms and chem/bio protection and I call it my personal module. It contains:

2m radio 2AA

FRS radio 3AA

preprogrammed handheld bearcat scanner 4AA (laminated card of relevant freqs also)

flashlight 2AA

cell phone

spare batteries AA x 12

Map and compass

gerber folding knife

tyvek suit/N100 mask/glove kit in gallon ziplock

small first aid kit with medications

20oz bottle of water

small folded up poncho

 

My in the office kit itself is contained in a book bag that sits near my desk and is my office module. It contains:

snacks (2days)

Granola bars

Datrex bar

water (20 oz bottle)

Leather gloves

pr spare socks

pr sturdy tennis shoes

hat (pullover)

emergency blanket

binoculars

flashlight 2D & spare batteries

chemlights

120ft rope & carabineer

leatherman

Am-Fm radio (on my desk)

 

The last section of my kit is kept in the car in a zippered duffel bag, my car module. It contains:

M1894 Marlin .44mag Rifle & 100 rounds of .44mag ammo

Ruger .22 pistol & 200 rounds of .22LR (2 spare mags)

belt, holster and sheath knife

medium alice without frame

compass & map

extra set of clothes & boots (jeans and green chamois shirt)

extra socks (2 pair)

pullover sweater

baseball hat (cammo)

civi-color goretex parka (tans)

3 days food rations (3 MREs)

snacks (datrex bar, granola bars)

water (2 liters)

poncho & liner

matches and firestarter

Am-Fm radio 2AA

CB, handheld 8AA

FRS radio 3AA

flashlight 3AA (LED)

spare AA x 20

flashlight 3D (from car)

small first aid kit

deet mosquito repellant

tyvek suit/N100 mask/glove kit in gallon ziplock

 

The car module is sufficient that if it was all I had it would be sufficient to get me out of dodge and home in good order. I can’t take firearms into the building where I work, so they have to sit outside in my car. There is an additional bag that is kept in the car or truck during winter months that contains a Parka, winter-weight insulated coveralls (or a snowmobile suit), gloves, insulated boots and a heavy sleeping bag (gotta be prepared for -40F weather during the winter months). I also have redundant communications capability on purpose, you never know which will be the one to get through to who you want to communicate with. I also worry about not being able to get to a module, then what would I do? So each is designed to be mostly sufficient if needed, but each also augments the others in some areas.  This works for me right now, but what would work for you?  No this is not all inclusive, but it would get me home 16 miles away.

One other thing that I think is important. My kit is growing and changing, as I learn more I feel a need to include some "extras" like the Tyvek suit kits. Or when my skills change I may be able to leave something else out. My next change is to get a couple of real gas masks so that I can put one in my car kit and have a couple at home. Just when you think you have everything covered you find a new hole that needs covered. Always learning and working to mitigate any problems that might hurt me and my family.
Tailgunner

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