When we lived in San Jose, CA, we had two AA Maglites, one on each side of the bed, clipped to the underside of the top of the bedside tables (aka nightstand). Now we are in New Zealand we have the same two Maglites, with LED upgrade, but not clipped in place. Having seen the comment about torches falling or moving due to an earthquake I must remedy that situation.

Anyway, we (my wife and I) are Civil Defence volunteers, and when we went for training we found we were probably the only people who kept a torch by the bed. The main reason for this (we are told) is to light up the floor to look for broken glass *before* getting up.

A