It is worth noting that not all companies take this approach. My current employer is one of the large energy companies, and tends to be somewhat obsessive about safety. We do a full evacuation drill of the office complex regularly, and there are several people on each floor who are "emergency response coordinators" (trained in CPR and FA) who check the entire floor after an alarm to make sure everyone has gone down the stairs. We are in earthquake country, and on each floor there is a closet with a cache of basic rescue gear (crow bars, axes, flashlights, etc), and there is also a cache of survival rations on site.

I waas very impressed in one of my temp post retirement gigs that I was able to take FA and CPR training in order to be able to handle customer emergencies (as well as staff, I suppose). We also had regular earthquake drills.

I would certainly think twice about continuing to work for anyone with the policies of the legal firm mentioned.

I have always considered AAA and other roadside assistance to be a bit of a con. It's promoted as this wonderful on-call service that rescues you when you're stranded. But that's no different than any towing company. I don't need AAA to call a tow truck for me. It provides no additional peace of mind, except for simply covering the cost, which just makes it not-cost-effective insurance.

If I break down or get stuck (which happens about once every ten years) I just call a tow truck. Once I just called 911 and they got one for me. I think it was $45 for the tow.

Correct me if there is a flaw in my logic.

David

Amoco Motor Club and AAA used to have great service and reasonable pricing -- when I drove a very old car and could expect to need a tow every year or two it made sense for me. Both had ancillary benefits as well.

Amoco Motor Club has gone the way of the dodo and AAA is very expensive for what they provide. If the warranty on my car provides free towing service, I'm glad to take advantage of it, but otherwise I don't see the utility in paying for that kind of coverage.

I drive an old car, so maybe that's why I always make money back. I expect two or three tows a year, and not always from breakdowns close to home. (I once got a 40-mile tow.) I also need jump starts from time to time, and I can't always wait for my neighbors to come home. For $40-$75 per year, that's not bad.

There are a few companies to do roadside assistance. There isn't just one. I don't use AAA because I found another company I like a little better.

Yes, I'm planning on driving my car into the ground.

"AAA used to have great service and reasonable pricing" is the key.

For many many years we were members. Then one day DW went shopping to the mall and managed to leave the car headlights on, and when she came out of the mall, the battery was dead (subsequently battery replaced). It was a normal, sunny day, so no crazy weather to deal with that would tie up the AAA truck. She was told 1) that it would be FOUR hours for the truck to get to her to jump start the car and 2) she had to "stay with the car" the entire time.

This was not acceptable. DW went to mall security, who got her started and on her way in about 15 minutes.

Thus ended our AAA membership. YMMV.

The problem with that is the ever-increasing anxiety of never being sure if your car will ever make it.

Even so, I am in the same camp - drive it 'til it just don't go no mo'.

Oh, my friend MoBob, I am afraid you are quite mistaken -- it will make it to the ground for sure! It just may not make it where it's convenient for us.

So much of the car still works. It's a shame to throw it away. Besides, what better way to give ourselves chances to practice emergency preparation? At some point I chose not to be worried about whether the car would get me to the destination. I just accept breakdown as a possible outcome, and I buy roadside assistance. But for important trips I'd rent a car. So no worries or anxieties, my friend, and enjoy being frugal and environmentally sound!

I work for a large medical group in a building built with a back-up generator. When our space was built out 20 years ago the powers-that-be decided to not pay the extra money for the conduit and wiring to tie our office lights and outlets in to the back-up generator: "too expensive."
After repeated requests to the powers that be to retrofit the office to the back-up power, since I think it can be argued, that medical offices should be considered "an essential service", fell on deaf ears, I gave up.
One of the requests occurred in the hallway during which conversation THE POWER WENT OUT. I was asked with a smile if I had arranged the outage.
It wasn't until a few thousand dollars of refrigerated/ frozen vaccines were lost due to another power outage that "they" decided to run conduit and wiring, but only to the vaccines refrigerator, not the whole office.

I would advice against lighting anything up

Yesterday, I was in my dad's house fighting several problems, and I felt under-prepared. My kit had been lightened up, and Duct tape was missing. Next time I may lighten up by throwing the bag itself, but not the duct tape.