I took and completed the EMT course in one state. Passed the examination and moved out of state the next week! Fortunately the next state recognized my certification. Was a volunteer EMT for about a year. Had kids and they took more of my time. A year or two later joined a rescue squad. They required all team members to have or earn their EMT. My certifcation had expired so I took the course again (110 hrs). Passed the examination. EMT requires continuing education credits to maintain your certification. I have not kept up with the con. ed. so it has lapsed again.<br><br>Do I use it? Sure. Everyday with kids around. Instead of wondering if I need to take them to a hospital, I apply a little bit of basic patient evaluation. Running calls for a year also helped me to develop confidence in my skills as well as remain calm during periods of panic. My kids, as well as other kids, visibly calm down as soon as I start treatment. Most times they only require a hug and a bandaid and send them on their way.<br><br>Is it a skill that people interested in survival should learn and practice? I think so. If you cannot put the time in for the 110 hours of EMT, I would suggest the Red Cross 40 hr Advanced First Aid or sometime known as First Responder. A very good intro to First Aid that will help the average joe immensely. What supplies to keep on hand depend on your point of view and depth of your wallet. I have heard some say only keep on hand things you are trained for. Others say keep advanced things on hand in case you have a need and you happen to have a higher trained person around. 95% or higher of the calls I ran while driving an ambulance I used 4x4 guaze pads, roller gauze and tape. 10%-25% of the patients got an IV so the hospital would have a way to push drugs easier or to replace basic fluids. Assisted with the birthing of a couple babies. Messy but nothing terribly supply intensive. <br><br>HAM and other radio based communications seem the most reliable method to keep track of information if/when tv and am/fm radio stations stop broadcasting. They also provide a method of communicating with your own party. We have four FRS radios that we seldom if ever use. My family seems to have developed the skills to return to the exit point or go to locations that make it easy for everyone to find them. I would be happy to have my personal phone service turned off and never miss it so I am probably not a very reliable resouce for the need of communications equipment ;^)