'Specially those phones with cameras.

The feds (including the military) can be funny tho. When I was stationed in Panama, there was a classified area, run by the Navy, guarded by Marines, where all new military gear was tropical tested. Whenever they had aircraft involved, they required a USAF weather watcher to be on site, and the WW had to have at least a secret clearance. There were only a few of us with a clearance, so we got stuck going out into the boonies quite often (that is where I got the P-38 that is still on my key chain). But from time to time they needed a bunch of grunts, so the Army would sent over a couple of deuce and a halfs, loaded with Pvts and PFC's, none of whom had any type of clearance, and most had their little Instamatics in their empty mag pouches, clicking pics like crazy. Go figure...

The door had a deadbolt lock on it. There were 2 phillips screws that I could have unscrewed and tried to manipulate the lock.

Also, there was a ventilation grate in the bottom part of the doot that also had phillips head screws attaching it to the door frame. I could have easily squeezed thru.

A cell phone would not have helped. There is ZERO cell phone reception in that place due to its construction.

One of many reasons to work in the private sector.

Yes, thats it excactly. You can the greatest of survival stores, but if they are inaccessible when you need them they are useless.

I've had similar events happen to me twice in different settings over the course of a year.

First, I was at my local video store, using the bathroom, and when I was finished I went to exit the door. Lo and behold - there was no knob on the door. I was stuck. Or so I first thought. Luckily I had my Hinderer Rescue knife on my belt, and, using the small L-Bar that comes in the tool kit, I was able to put it in a hole on the knob housing that was left there and just turn it, allowing me to escape.

The second time was at work, and I got locked in the bathroom when the door jammed. The factory I work at has no cell reception either because of the concrete, and because it's so loud no one can hear you scream for help. I used the phillips on my Swisstool to unscrew a draft-dodger on the bottom of the door, put an Inova I have on "strobe" mode, slid it under the door, and waited.

I just sat on the toilet (lid down, and covered with the newspaper, of course, eww), and did some mini-crossword puzzles I have in my pocket sometimes. About 35 minutes later someone noticed the flashing light and helped get me out.

At least you had an unlimited water supply!

Would a whistle have helped in this situation?

I'm looking at the bright side: I've never had a job, nor will I EVER have a job that is so elite that the door wouldn't open. None of the outer doors have locks, and with all of the inner doors, all I would have to do is crawl under!

I never realized that being so low in the employment food chain had ANY benefits!

Sue

Hey,

I cannot remember ever being locked in a bathroom, but a couple of times I have had the lights turned off on me while I was inside.

The bathroom in my office building has no windows and without lights is "blacker than the inside of a cow"!

I need my keys to get back into my work area of the office so I always have them with me when I go to the bathroom, and on my keys is my EDC mini-LED, problem solved.

Mike

Automatic lights, the sensors turn on the lights when you enter and turn off after a while automatically with no movement, very nice, saves energy. . . The sensors can't see you on the throne. After that I started carrying a Mag Solitaire

Great points, bat69; thanks for sharing that. It's a great lesson on a concept the military guys here are surely familiar with: 1st line - 2nd line - 3rd line gear.

1st line gear is always on your person, 2nd line gear is sometimes on your person and 3rd line gear is for longer term sustainment. Adapt as needed to your situation.

For those of you working in various degrees of non-permissive environments (NPEs) another stealth option is Galco's Cop Ankle Safe. I was at an evening function last week where the dress code was tucked-in shirt but no jacket. I could not have a knife's pocket clip showing or my dangling CPR pouch on my belt. The ankle safe worked like a charm.