Being ready for emergencies is more than staying alive during wilderness mishaps, and avoiding those mishaps in the first place. Being prepared for stuff can really help during day-to-day life as well.

I've had a few minor "saves" recently that I'd like to share.

• Spare glasses -- Recently, The Marauder(*) accidentally broke Destructo's(**) glasses while they were playing. The spare pair ordered online came out and promptly solved the problem. I wear contact lenses every day, but I keep a pair of glasses on my nightstand, in my emergency kit, and in my laptop bag. Buying them online made it very affordable.
• Tire compressor -- Unbeknownst to me, one my car's tires has sidewall damage and a slow leak. I parked it with the sidewall damage at the bottom, the tire bowed a bit, and yesterday morning the tire was completely flat. The compressor I keep in the car kept me from missing a customer appointment.
• Cash -- It seems at least once or twice a year I'm parked in an unmanned downtown parking garage and the credit card system goes down. You either pay in cash or you wait until the credit card reader works again. If the ATMs are down, too, you've got a problem.

What other little things have made a big difference for you?



(* - youngest daughter)
(** - middle daughter)

My EDC has really came in handy, well a few items anyway:

1) Swiss Army knife - boyscout huntsman version, it gets used pretty much on a daily basis, trimming threads off clothing, DS using the knife blade to sharpen a pencil or bossman using it to open packages at the office, opening a can of spaghettios for lunch with the can opener, using the screwdrivers to tighten or loosen screws, the saw blade is about the only thing on it that doesn't get used daily, but even that gets used quite often.

2) Fenix E01 - I never EDC'd a mini flashlight until recently, now I wonder how i ever got by without one, everything from lighting up a dark space under the desk to lighting up the way to the front door because we forgot (again) to turn on the outside light.

3) Duct tape - A flat roll of duct tape in my wallet always seems to come in handy, it's last use was at a merit badge fair at the local community college, taping up door latches so the boys wouldn't lock themselves out of their rooms (they were closing doors that locked automatically and couldn't get back in)

4) Bandanna - This one has been a while back, but my bandanna I always carry around in a back pocket now came in handy at a civil war reenactment when someone got too hot and nearly passed out, we needed to cool him down. Got him into some shade, doused the bandanna in water and used it as a cool compress.

5) Glucose tablets - being diabetic, I have to be careful of both high and low blood sugar episodes. The glucose tablets have come in handy a few times for the lows.

Band aids carried in the wallet. Someone gets a boo-boo, you whip out the solution without skipping a beat, and the job at hand continues. In the same vein, first aid training in the case of more serious situations like the two seizure situations I have dealt with on the job. Something about seizures really turns the average bystander into a stump. And that doesn't even begin to cover the incidents experienced in raising 3.2 children.

First aid skills are useful.

Most of my saves are having food bars and water handy because I've planned my meal breaks poorly..Still, nice to have

I can't begin to count the number of times the stuff I was carrying (and everyone scoffed at) was of benefit, usually to someone else who ridiculed what I was carrying. Lights, fire starting, tools, first aid kit, shelter, tape, car emergency kit, maps, umbrella (yes, I like umbrellas), water, sunscreen, you name it. So many times I have come up on someone sitting on a trail or sidewalk looking rough, and I help them out with something and get them on their (correct) way. It is usually something very simple, that weighs almost nothing, that they either chose not to carry or forgot.

Let us not forget the credit card! How many emergencies have been averted by that pice of plastic! Again, usually not my emergency.

truely everyday stuff:
- Flashlight
- SAK
- Phone charger

But it really depends on the situation, last weekend i had a outdoor trip. Before i even left i got a phone call if i could bring two more stoves, somebody else called if i had a spare sleeping pad and on sight i gave somebody a spare blanket. Ofcorse few people had lights so i had to light everything...

Probably my Gen 1 Wave, followed by my AA LED light.

I can't carry my Wave at work, as it is banned along with bowling pins, socks full of nickles, frozen venison sausage, and anything else that HR thinks could be a weapon or is scary.

Those "saves" are so common, that they usually do not even appear as such. That´s especially true when they prevent mishaps from growing to problems.

• Nasty paper cut
  Those band aids really come in handy. Cut is patched before blood is spilled everywhere.
• Broken key in filling cabinet
  Unfortunately an urgently needed laptop was locked in there and someone managed to break it in way that did not allow to unlock. My set of lockpicks has an extractor. That made it easy to clear the lock and use the spare key.
• Button off of secretaries top
  Button was not lost, so having needle, thread and a Leatherman Micra saved the day.
• Cactus needles in a coworkers finger
  Fresnel lens help to find it, tweezers made extraction easy
• Running nose and a mother in distress
  The child attempted to use the sweater sleeve to clean the nose, the mother thwarted that attempt but had no alternative to offer.
  I gave the paper handkerchiefs from my vest to the mother. I still had spares in my backpack.
• Ammo mix up
  A hunting buddy made joke about me carrying a cleaning rod in my gun bag. While making the joke he dropped two shells into his 12 gauge double barreled shotgun with quite a bit of momentum. The 16 gauge shells jammed in the chamber. As I´m not the kind of guy who holds grudge indefinitely, I borrowed him my cleaning rod - and some 12 gauge ammo as well. You never know when you are going to need a hunting buddy´s help, so it cannot hurt to set a good example .

I think being prepared for emergencies is a life style and a mindset. Day-to-day life offer more opportunities to avoid mishaps anyway.

Yesterday, knowing where the closest ER was and the best way to get there turned out to be helpful for a friend of mine. He got a bunch of stitches and a tetanus shot, but nothing worse than that I'm pleased to say.

Pocket knife : each day, everyday, multiple uses.

Just an hour ago, I used it to scrape off lablel of a bottle to use it for something else.

A few hours ago, I used another (sharper) knife to cut a cardboard box to fashion an A5-sized notepad board I need near the computer.

flashlight: usually with me always, except yesterday.
I dropped my pen and couldn't find it under and behind some furniture. Was in a hurry , no flashlight, had to abandon the pen.