It's back to school time and, as I do every year, I'm thinking about how to prep DS for potential emergencies. I want him to have some basic preps but not suo much that he has to hire a u-haul. Like his mom, he's prone to over-prepping. He's Not scared, just thinking of the possible adventures. He's excited, for example, about having to walk home on his own. (Isn't going to happen yet because of 2 major roads between home and school. We have a phone tree in place with the neighbours. The plan is for him to walk to and from school with one of us every day.)

He's 8, his school is a 15 minute walk from our house, a 20 minute drive from DH's work and anywhere from about 40 mins to an hour (or more depending on the secenario) drive from my office. All 4 locations are between 2 nuke plants, and near a major highway and national railway.

His top scenarios are: minor accidents, Mom or Dad missing an after school pick-up because of weather/accidents, the potential of a train derailment/chemical spill on the highway, power failures, snow storms, and possibly a nuclear accident. In other words: minor first aid, stranger danger, bugging in at school, bugging out from school and trekking home in bad weather.

So, with that in mind, here's what I'm thinking of adding to his backpack:

-laminated ID card with emergency contact info
-water, snacks and lunch
-jacket (extra hat, mitts and sweater will be added before the cold weather gets here)
-change of clothes
-small flashlight
-lanyard with house key, fox 40 and key chain LED
-small FAK (bandaids, purelle, bandana)

Any other ideas or suggestions?

School policy may prohibit it, but have you considered a cell phone and on the laminated card a list (cleared in advance) of people he can call in an emergency if you and/or DH are unavailable/out of contact?

Thanks BWS! We're considering it. There was a thing called a "firefly" (or something like that) marketed a few years ago that would be perfect. It was a cell phone, but it had no numbers, just pre-programmed buttons for 911, home, and a couple more (like Mom, Dad and Grandma). They don't seem to be available anymore so we're considering something else.

His school is very small (120 kids) and staff keeps a very close eye on him. I'm not overly concerened but it would be good for him to have a way to contact us directly if something was to come up and the school phone wasn't available.

It is possible to restrict some basic cell phones to calling 911 or numbers that have been set up in advance as speed dial numbers. When my daughter got her first phone we set it up that way and I know that some phones are still that way.

IMO that's why the firefly never caught on. It was possible to do the same thing with a normal phone on the plan you already have.

If a nuclear accident is a concern, may I suggest IOSAT™ Potassium Iodide?

Jeanette Isabelle

Thanks Jeanette. All the schools in our region have KI pills for students and we sign off each year giving permission for the school to adminster it in the event of an accident.

They've also got a bug-out plan the involves bussing to an underground shelter, and they practice this drill a couple of times a year.

Thanks gang! I didn't realize you could do the firefly thing with cel phones. Cool!

Put the laminated ID card on the neck lanyard with the other stuff.

It's maybe a 50-50 chance that he will remember/be able to get his pack in a scary situation. If I can leave my purse and paycheck on the seat when I bolted from a burning car, he can!

If you get him a cell phone, get the cheapest and plainest (TracFone?) that is just a phone. He doesn't need a camera and porn access. If it's 'below standard' in attractiveness, it's less likely to be stolen and no great loss if he misplaces it.

Sue

Great advice Sue. (As always!)Thanks!

Wow, bacpacjac, wish I had a mom like you growing up. You may want to consider a phone with a keyboard. As you probably already know, text messages will usually go through even when voice calls cannot. During a large scale emergency I can see the phone system easily being overloaded with everyone trying to call eachother.