*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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