Yes that's an idea. I could fold the goggles and put them along with a 3m mask in a digital camera case or something like a waist pack. What about Dupont Evac-u8, would it be suitable? I don't know much about this product and if it's small enough.
Frankie

Hi Norad,

I'm thinking about buying a Leatherman Juice. As for the law about knives, I've read the civil code but it's not clear. All it says is no weapon are allowed in public places including knives. It says nothing about locking blades or anything. But you can carry a pocket knife in the style of a SAK. They kind of leave it to our common sense.

For the paracord, I made a bracelet as I saw in another post that I can wear comfortably on my ankle but in an emergency I think it would not be a good idea because I would have to undo it and it takes some time.

"It seems we are truly all in this together."

That's what I think and I'm perplexed about the attitude of politicians and people here who are acting like ostriches. They all seem to think that we're not a target like the US. But terrorism is something arbitrary that can hit anywhere under all sort of pretexts. Also, Canada is in the list of the five countries Bin Laden mentionned after 9/11. And it's important to understand that it's not directly related to Bush. During the 90s Bill Clinton wasn't the most warlike and yet they attempted to destroy the world trade center in february 1993 and there has been many other terrorist attacks on american ambassies throughout islamic countries. So if the politic of letting go and doing nothing didn't work out, maybe it was time to use another one. The war on Iraq may have been a mistake but the decisions had to be made and they didn't want weapons of mass destruction to fall in the hands of terrorists groups. It's always easier to rewrite history.

"don't worry about your post somehow inspiring terrorists, psychos, or malcontents."

It's not always as clear between political terrorists and malcontents and isolated psychopaths. They often work together. Political terrorists are looking to hire young malcontents with no future and desperate people. It's always the same pattern. So did Hitler. People could have something to eat when they were hired in the Brown Shirts. You seek poor young desperate people and you provide them with a cause, some slogans and the impression of participating in a great adventure...

Anyway I'll stop here because it's tough to write in english which is not my mother tongue and I don't want to go too deep in sensitive issues...

Frankie

Not to change the subject but your english is very good!

I was recently reading some archived posts in an old forum (that no longer exists) that used to be hosted by CJ Carracci where he had stated that if he was involved in a major disaster (like earthquake or terrorist attack) in a New York subway, the two things he would want the most would be a Leatherman tool and a flashlight.

You asked whether best to travel in front or rear of the train. Seems to me (I'm speculating, and could be totally wrong) that riding in a rear car, if given a choice, would be advisable. In the event of a collision, or encounter with something placed on the tracks, might some of the impact energy be dissipated towards rear of the train?

Reading accounts of several past subway mishaps, looks like deaths are frequently fire-related. In the worst subway disaster (1995, Azerbaijan): "Many of the 300 deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning when toxic materials (vinyl and plastic seat cushions) in the subway cars caught fire."

Despite your opposition to carrying a "gas mask" (can't say I blame you), why not consider one of the small emergency smoke hoods. If you're convinced there's a high likelihood of an incident, and you're serious about making reasonable preparations, something to think about.

This one, for example, claims 20+ minutes of carbon monoxide, toxic gas and smoke protection, and carry size is only 5-in. x 3-in. x 3-in. and weighs 12 oz.

I see the Montreal subway system characterized as "the world's most extensive system of interconnected pedestrian and Metro subway networks...linking buildings...." This being the case, do you carry a small, but accurate map of the system (or at least the section you travel) to help locate escape routes?

I second the recommendation to upgrade the light source you carry. Dense smoke would challenge a keychain light. Maybe something like a small 1- or 3-watt LED flashlight, and a spare battery. One example: my 3-watt Nuwai QIII takes one 3-volt lithium battery, puts out lots of light, and is just 3-1/2-inches long.

Does each subway car have its own emergency equipment (tool for breaking out glass, first aid kit etc) on board? If so, knowing where it's located, and what it contains, would be essential knowledge.

Finally, given the complexity of the underground maze, I wonder if a small compass, used with your map of the system, would be of any use (or might underground minerals make inoperable)?

Good luck with your quest.

Dan

I'm familiar with only a few malcontents in Canadian history; Louis Riel and Albert Johnson, AKA the Mad trapper of Rat River ( and he seems to have been a norwegian- american.) That, and a family of anglais from Vancouver who sold out to chinese immigrants, turned snowbirds and bought a local horse ranch. Never wear a beret on Bastille Day around people who think Chunky Woodward epitomized style <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> You can't influence authorities or evil people. You can influence your fellow commuters. Perhaps a discussion through various mediums locally will generate greater awareness and solutions.

I live in NYC and ride the subway regularly, so I'm pretty much in the same boat (train) as you.

Riding the last car is a good idea, although at night I usually ride in the front car, both because only the front of the train opens at the station I usually go to, and because that's where the motorman is, should I have an encounter with some malcontents (of the ordinary hit-you-over-the-head-and-take-your-wallet criminal variety) - the back of the train is pretty desolate late at night. Otherwise I usually ride in the last car.

I'd definitely upgrade the flashlight - I carry a Pelican M6, although any of the Streamlight or Surefire line would work as well. If you're going to light up a subway tunnel, this is the way to do it. If you've never seen one of these lights before, you must.

My jacket has a back pocket (like a game pocket) and I keep a folded orange reflective vest in there.

Also, being a ham radio operator (call N2ZLQ) I carry around a Yaesu VX-7R. It's a ham transceiver, but with broadband RX coverage, and I have the transit frequencies programmed in, so if the train gets stuck someplace I can hear what's going over the radio. The PA announcements are almost worthless, although even the stuff that goes over the air isn't the most useful either - NYCT keeps their road crews woefully uninformed.

Would Surefire give you light long enough before the batteries went dead? Aren't most around 60 min at max output? I know they go for hours at min output. How bright is min output on a surefire?

My Surefire G2Z only has max output. Somebody on this forum suggested one of the LED drop-in mods. I just checked and they are $35.00 but out of stock. They will up the runtime to 4 hours. I think that may be a better investment than the spare xenon bulb that I was going to get.

Regards, Vince

Chris,

you should know about Marc Lepine (his real name was Gamel Gharbi, the sun of an Algerian muslim father. Something that the authorities and media covered up for politically correctness I guess) because he really marked Canadian history and it took place here in Montréal, at the polytechnic school in december 1989. He shot 14 women and killed himself. People and the media portrayed him as being a psychotic spree killer but he had a purpose behind his act and it's clear that he had a political terrorist side, fighting feminism.

A quote in his letter talking about feminists:
"They want to retain the advantages of being women...while trying to grab those of men..."

http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/mass/marc_lepine/

http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/crime/spree-killers/marc-lepine/

(There are tons of information about him on the internet.)

Frankie