Commuter Preparedness Kit

I didn't quite know what to call the Subject of this post, but Commuter Preparedness Kit is pretty close to what I'm building. <br><br>I live in the suburbs and recently landed a temp job (YIPPEE! Believe me, after six months of unemployment, any decent job deserves a "YIPPEE!") working in a nearby city.<br><br>I really don't need a "survival" kit, as such. I'm putting together a smallish "preparedness" kit that will fit neatly into a softsided nylon briefcase. I would like one I could take into meetings without drawing attention. Right now I'm using a zippered cosmetics bag that's light gray and doesn't look like a cosmetics bag.<br><br>Thus far it contains:<br><br>standard First Aid items<br>Exedrin<br>Motrin<br>lactase tablets (I'm lactose-intolerant)<br>micro-sewing kit from Travel Solutions (www.franzus.com)<br>mini Bic lighter<br>standard size lighter<br>magnifying glass<br>4-way pocket screwdriver in the shape of a pen<br>50 feet of 550 Paracord<br>50 feet of cotton string<br>three trick birthday candles in plastic wrap<br>several different sizes of safety pins<br>several small paper clips<br>several large paper clips<br>two huge paper clips large enough to use as bookmarks<br>two clip-on shower curtain rings (I find amazing uses for them)<br>bandanna<br>Suunto "Comet" Compass/Thermometer<br>other things I may have forgotten<br><br>On my person I generally carry:<br><br>LFP: money wallet, Princeton Tec Blast, Victorinox Executive, tiny bottle of prescription pain killers.<br><br>RFP: ID wallet, a keyring containing very small REI compass; Victorinox Signature Lite II (a translucent Classic with red LED and retractable pen); Turquoise and Red Photon I lights, and Mini Fox 40 whistle; lip balm; and mini Bic lighter.<br><br>LRP: SwissTech MicroPlus (also amazingly useful)<br><br>RRP: Fisher Space Pen, Kershaw Silver Spur I or II (classy and sharp gentlemen's lockbacks).<br><br>I always take a jacket or coat (containing either a Princeton Tec 20 or 40 and a Princeton Tec Attitude or Impact) with me and leave it in the car if it's too warm to wear. I also carry a water bottle in my briefcase.<br><br>I'm always torn between carrying my Vic SwissChamp, Leatherman PST, and Leatherman Wave. The Wave is too big for my minikit, so it has to go into my shoulder kit (that's another story), which stays in the car. So I have to choose between the SwissChamp and the PST for my minikit.<br><br>Considering my enviroment, which of those tools would you recommend I carry?<br><br>Also, if you have any other ideas, fee free to throw them in the mix. The more, the merrier!

I carry a bunch of stuff for my EDC and I am not sure I need all of it. What I use daily is knife, cord and bandaids (bandaids are for the kids mostly).<br><br>For a commuter kit I would think that the contents would be determined by the mode of commute and the communities passed through on the way. I live some distance from the nearest city and often have a 1+ hour commute by car through mostly suburbs. If I were to commute on public trans through ghetto urban areas I would carry a substantially different commuter kit. My commuter preparedness kit is an attempt to prepare for road-side breakdown and the contingencies of daily life. I give but little concern to self-defense. If I were commuting through urban ghetto I would probably include a weapon of some sort or a fixed-blade or pepper spray. If you are preparing for potential disaster such as multi-car crash, train derailment, building collapse you have such a wide variety of contingencies that you might have a difficult time getting a useful arangement of tools. In a highway commute you might want to prepare for a HazMat experience with snarled traffic pinning you in close proximity to a spilled tanker. Gas-masks might be helpful but a wet bandanna is easier to carry and might work against a wide variety of materials. Building collapse might call for one of those nifty 18" titanium pry-bars or some such. ( the pry-bar would also work in the urban ghetto scenario nicely) <br><br>As always the question of how to prepare begs the question of what you are preparing for.<br><br>

If you are going to be commuting, working, etc. in a defined area, I would certainly include a variety of maps for the region, including at least one map with topographic information. The map is usually useful without the compass, while the reverse is often not.

If you draw a 70 mile radius circle around my house then you will have a good idea of the type of traveling I do without staying overnight. Yep, it sucks, but that is the nature of my line of work. Sometimes I have absolutely no idea where I will be during the course of a day. This area includes five major cities, the Cumberland plateau, the Tennessee Valley and the Appilachian mountains. I suppose that you could call me a commuter. <br><br>I have a soft-sided lunchbox that has three rather large outer compartments (and a false bottom) that I keep gear in. One pocket is dedicated to the stuff I carry at all times, but cannot carry on my person while at work. Its the standard "dont leave home without it collection". Other than that; its not possible to carry everything so I have broken it down to shelter, water, first aid and personal protection. Rations play no role in my choice of survival gear even though I carry everything in a lunchbox. The food is just to give me energy though the workday. It takes a long time to die of starvation. <br><br>The shelter choices include: two 55 gallon drum liners, a space blanket, a very small glass bottle of naptha to refill my zippo, a ranger rick style pocket lantern full of naptha.<br><br>The water choices include: a glass eye dropper bottle full of clorox, 3 small pouches of activated carbon with a mesh container (aquarium filter cartridge replacements), some coffee filters, a one cup flask<br><br>The first aid choices are simply a small first aid kit that I keep adding extra supplies and specialized supplies to. Burn supplies and eye drops are important to people who weld often. <br><br>As for personal protection....I dont think I would feel safe with a tank in some of the places I have to go. Im not going to try to fool myself by thinking that anything less than a large caliber handgun constitutes self defense. The critters in the woods dont scare me, but people sometimes do.<br><br>I carry many more "little" things along these lines in addition to these items, but you get the idea. The criteria are that it fits in my lunchbox's outter pockets and doesnt weigh it down excessively. <br><br>I keep some extra "common-sense" type stuff in my vehicles but I try not to over-do it. <br><br>I'll use this opportunity to speak on lighters since it was brought up. This opinion is common among weldors but probably doesnt really apply to everyone else. Butane lighters of any variety and welding machines (or cutting torches) are a bad combination. Steel melts at 2850 degrees F. Imagine what happens to any butane lighter when a ball of molten steel hits it. Most people carry lighters next to their heart or in a front pocket. I really dont want any explosions in either location. I'm not sure which would be worse This is why you see so many construction workers with zippo lighters instead of cheap plastic butane lighters.

Gotcha covered on the map. Day I got the job, I bought a map of the city.

I look at my Commuter preparations like concentric circles. At the center is me and my clothing, pocket contents, and knowledge. At the outer ring is my home and its contents. Each ring is more capable and provides more backup options and comfort.<br><br>I find I use money, a knife and/or multitool, flashlite and a hat (no hair!) more than anything else, so this is my bare minimum Urban EDC.<br><br>I have an On-body kit, a Daily Carry Bag, a Desk kit including Hat and jacket, and a Car Kit, all which comprise my Commuter Preparedness kit. I have taken quite a bit of time to think about and evaluate the potential reasons I would need these kits and how much redundency is desirable. Like miniMe, I think the planning for potential needs helps tailor the kit(s). <br><br>I generally drive to work, but during my only community "disaster" (Nisqually Earthquake), I could not get to my car which was stuck in a Red Tagged parking garage. Without my on-body kit including adequate clothing and shoes and daily carry bag, I would have been much worse off (OK really just less comfortable). My much improved preparations take into account many alternative means of getting to my wife's place of work (public transit, friends driving, walking), and the ability to contact her or leave messages with others. We also have an expectation of each others response in an emergency.<br><br>I think the preplanning of basic responses to emergencies along with the the tools and techniques that assist is one of the most important areas of preparation for any kit you develop.

Mine has evolved on much the same lines- I do have an Altoids-size tin that I try to slip in a pocket when away from my desk any distance for any length of time (emphasis on try). Above that there are the shoulder pouch resources, the desk resources, and, eventually, the vehicle and home resources. I have been caught outside without the pouch when I returned from lunch to find the building evacuated for a fire alarm. You never know.<br><br>Unfortunately, the current circumstances have me spending the day one very long subway ride away from home and vehicle, with most of a major metropolitan area (and a river) in between. Not exactly a warm fuzzy. A few years back a shorter subway commute turned into something of an odyssey during a major ice storm- that was a wake-up call.<br><br>Yes, I do have maps, though getting enough of them at appropriate scales to really tackle unorthodox methods of getting home would be a challenge. <br><br>I've posted the contents of my kits before, and I won't bore anyone again, but I would emphasize the value of a radio in urban situations. People with eyes in the sky are trying to tell you what's going on, if you're equipped to hear them. Seeing the helicopters and not knowing is not a good feeling.

PresumedLost,<br><br>I agree about the radio. My Daily carry bag contains both a small AM/FM/Shortwave radio and a 2 m Ham radio. My wife keeps an AM/FM/TV at her worksite. I found that the information after our earthquake via the public radio was both good and bad. Traffic reporting via helicopter was decent, damage assessments via radio varied between good and unfortunately sensational. Later viewing of TV "news" made even the worst public radio news look like exceptional journalism. My parents (in Montana) figured everyone in Seattle must be dead given the TV coverage. My wife was smart and listen to both the radio and TV coverage, and figured out that the TV was showing the same building collapse over and over. <br><br>Ham radio via our repeater systems turned out to provide excellent on-site evaluations along with some chatter. The phone patch capability far exceeded the cellphone coverage also.

I am thinking about buying a hand held Ham radio for all of my radio communications needs. <br><br>What is the difference between Citizen's Band, HAM, Marine, and Plane radios, and which do you recommend?

Frequency and legal restictions are the difference. I have had all four. Aviation doesnt require a license any more, but you had better be a pilot conducting flying related business. Marine VHF doesnt require a license, but the same goes for it as for aviation. Marine HF requires a license. ( mine needs renewing) CB, well, its about useless. <br>The most bang for your buck is HAM. It requires a license. You have to pass a written exam to get in on the ground floor. I personally feel that a handheld 2 meter radio is much more versatile than any cell phone in an emergency. I modified mine to do marine also, but its not legal to use such a modification unless you are protecting life or property.

You might want to consider for your briefcase:<br><br>A quality flashlight...something bright but small. I keep a Surefire 6P or a Streamlight Scorpion in my bag...along with an extra set of batteries. If I were buying now...it would be a Surefire Executive E2. LED's work great...but there are times when a very bright light is needed.<br><br>Extra cash and change. <br><br>Phone card <br><br>Emergency space blanket (weighs nothing and takes up very little room)<br><br>Ditto on the small radio<br><br>Kev Mullins<br><br>

I agree with kf4ebp, HAM is the most versatile communication, but does require a license. Your entry level license is easy to get and gives you very useful frequencies.<br><br>Most communities have fairly active 2m repeater systems which can give essentially line-of-site 2m handheld radios tremendous coverage. My community has some linked repeaters that cover from Portland Oregon to Vancouver BC Canada all the way to Montana. Some repeaters also cover other HAM bands like 6m.<br><br>Check out your local HAM clubs and systems and the Amateur Radio Relay League ARRL Getting Started

Thanks for the info. I contacted my local Amateur Radio Club today to begin the process.

While I agree HAM is a great resource (I have one in my daily kit), another thought is a satellite phone.<br><br>Pricing is down to about $35 a month with 30 included minutes.<br><br>http://www.globalstarusa.com/pricing/serviceplans/<br><br>-john<br><br>BTW, this is the guy I have in my kit:<br>http://www.yaesu.com/amateur/vx5r.html

You got a nice kit there, I'm going to borrow some of your ideas. Some suggestions from my kit.<br><br>1. I keep my kit in a small backpack. You may have to abandon your car, and a backpack is easier to carry than an attache. Also frees your hands for emergency work or carriage of other items.<br>2. Signal mirror. I added a small plactic signal mirror after reading of several incidents, where a driver was trapped inside a vehicle for days, with helicopters and other cars in sight. <br>3. Knife and sharpener. I carry a Leatherman Micra on my key chain and a Wave in my backpack.<br>4. I always keep a Lightwave 2000 LED light in my kit: it will burn for about 100 hours on a single set of batteries. Use lithium for their 10 year shelf life. I always keep a backup light in the bag, usually a small 2X AAA light. An ARC LS, LED light usually sits in my pocket, and my Photon II is always on my key chain. I am considering a Petzl headlight since it frees up your hands for fixing your car, or walking.<br>5. I bought a tiny Sangean AM/FM radio that runs on a single AAA cell for news if my car radio craps out or is unavailable.

Besides the kicense difference and the frequency range (assuming HF means High Freq.), what are the practical differences in the two Marine radios?<br><br>I received a reply fron the national park service regarding emergency communications on Isle Royal. His suggustion was a marine radio to contact nearby boats who would then relay the message to the rangers. Besides recreational boaters, there are several ferries plying between the island and the mainland. Plus there are tankers in the shipping lanes, which I have no idea on how often or how far away they are from the island.<br><br>I'd also be interested in advice on specific models, keeping in mind that it's a backpacking trip so size and weight are an import canosideration.<br>Thanks.

Bill,<br><br>Marine radio and HAM 2m band are both VHF frequencies. The HAM band is between 144-148MHz and the Marine band is between 155-162mHz. The Marine radios are "channelized" into frequency pairs that are preset and allocated to specific uses. Channel 16 and 22 are US Coast Guard channels. Marine operators are required to monitor Channel 16 so this can be a great advantage if you can contact boats or ships. Gain as much elevation as you can, and attempt to Call on Channel 16. Most Marine radios come with a very short antenna, try and buy a longer higher gain antenna if possible. <br><br>VHF radios are line-of-site radios and their range is determined by both the power output and antenna gain. Handheld 2m HAM radios generally operate at between 0.5-7watts output, and their practical range is a few miles. Most operators in this band use repeater systems that have elevation and high gain antenna to receive your signal, then rebroadcast it at much higher power to a wide range. In Seattle, it is easy to hit repeaters from backcountry mountaintops from 30+ miles at 5Watts output, then have your signal rebroadcast for ~100+ miles from an unlinked repeater, and hundreds of miles in a linked repeater system. <br><br>Handheld Marine Radios operate at essentially the same frequency and have the same limitations. You generally do not have the ability to use repeater systems with these. The advantage in a Marine Environment is that if you have line-of-site to commercial or public boating, you have a high degree of probability to be able to contact the boat. Your range and elevation are the limitations. Some of these Channels are allocate to Marine Phone Operators, I have never used these, but again these could be valuable.<br><br>National Park Frequencies are again (many times) in the VHF frequency sets. Isle Royale MI has three frequencies 168.525, 169.675, 170.350Mhz. So neither the HAM radio or Marine Radio will cover these.<br><br>HAM radios generally allow the user to Monitor frequencies outside of the broadcast range, so you can monitor Park Service or Marine frequencies but not broadcast on them. As kf4ebp noted radios can be modified to broadcast out of the allocated frequency and it is illegal to do so EXCEPT in a true emergency.<br><br>NOAA Weather is broadcast on 7 VHF frequencies<br>162.550<br>162.400<br>162.475<br>162.425<br>162.450<br>162.500<br>162.525<br><br>HAM 2m and Marine Radios can receive these frequencies.<br><br>The ARRL has an assigned Simplex 2m frequency for its Wilderness Protocol. They advocate monitoring 146.520MHz starting at 0700 local time for 5 minutes, then monitor every 3 hours on the hour. I have no ideal how widely this is practiced, and you are of course limited to line-of-site contacts. But presumably if you could schedule your emergencies on moutaintops and your local HAM community was listening.....<br><br>I have an ICOM 2GAT Ham 2m radio (very old model w 7 watts output power) and a Raytheon Marine handheld. The ICOM is an excellent product, I wish I had purchased an ICOM Marine radio as the accessories and support are much better.<br><br>More National Park Frequencies to monitor can be found at this site:<br><br> National Park Radio Freqencies

>>2. Signal mirror. I added a small plactic signal mirror after reading of several incidents, where a driver was trapped inside a vehicle for days, with helicopters and other cars in sight.<<<br><br>Hmm. Well, motor vehicles have come with mirrors attached for quite some time now.... if the people involved weren't resourceful enough to think of that over a period of days, probably lack of equipment wasn't the real problem. :-)<br>

Very honestly, on the typical backpacking trip I wouldn't bother carrying a radio or any sort. The weight and bulk is better utilized for stamdard emergency gear.<br><br>I worked a project in Isle Royale some time ago - a beautiful area which I want to return to for recreation one of these days. In the summer at least, ISRO is a very comfortable and pleasant area with probably fewer intrinsic hazards than most wild areas - water, water, everywhere.The ranger patrol boats will monitor channel 16 direct and with all the boat traffic around the island you certainly have a "radio rich" environment, so lugging a light radio in a relatively large group might be worthwhile. Just be sure you have charged batteries, be sure that the unit can't be turned on inadvertantly, and that, if possible, you can rob flashlights, etc. for backups for the "charged" batteries. Murphy's Law applies with a vengeance to electrical gear in the great outdoors.

I suppose this is a typical dumb Canadian question, but what is your "Commuter Survival Kit" supposed to help you survive from? Being Canadian, I tend to think of survival as "lost in the woods", not "a flat tire at the corner of Jane and Finch". So I'm not sure how a regular street map fits the "survival" criteria. <br>Of course, I'm baffled by the mere notion of "commuter survival" in general, I'm afraid. Unless you're routinely driving down back-country roads that normally see one car every other month, I don't see how you could realistically get into a survival type situation without doing something incredibly stupid, like taking a short cut through the ravine.<br>If your area is subject to flash-flooding, I'd want a topographic map that shows the high ground and low ground. Other than that, I would say we can only make suggestions; only you can decide if the suggestions make sense. (A snow saw would make sense if you live in Whitehorse, Yukon; less so if you're writing from Jackson, Mississippi.)

I'd forgotten about the small vanity mirror built into sunshades and the rear view mirror. I'll file that away. The woman in the TImes article was injured and had no way of removing the rear view mirror or cutting out the vanity mirror. I always have a small knife on me and the glove box, so I could cut away the car mirror.

http://www.equipped.org/0601rescue.htm<br><br>This is a good article. Having never been to California, I never considered such a thing. <br><br>I have been to Canada though. One thing I never concerned myself too heavily with in Canada, but is a real possibility in the Southeastern US is lack of water. Combine 90 degree heat, 90 % humidity and drought conditions then walk 5 or 10 miles with no water. Im in good shape and it hurts me. <br><br>Honestly though, I think more about plant emergencies than I do breaking down in the middle of nowhere. I have seen a few factories on fire and clouds of chlorine rolling my way. (amongst other nasty things) I see semi's and trains loaded with chemicals I know a little about and sometimes just cringe at what would happen if they wrecked. <br><br>You mentioned Jackson. I was there two weeks ago. I thought I knew what hot and humid meant till I went there. Im happy to be back in Georgia.

I'm currently saving for a SureFire Executive. Not sure which one to buy, though.

A backpack would be better, but I don't have any. I keep the zippered nylon bag inside my nylon briefcase in case something happens at the office, such as a firedrill.<br><br>I also use that case when I'm trying to be inobtrusive. If we go out for a fancy dinner, I can't bring my normal shoulder bag, because I don't want people staring (rude buggers), so I bring that smaller one.

Ah.. depending on the extent of injuries, that could, of course, explain the inability to do almost anything.<br><br>In all recent automobiles that I'm aware of, the rearview mirror in the center is designed to break free pretty easily in a crash to help prevent injuries. In a lot of cases, that means that a good thump with a fist will pop it off.<br><br>Of course, if it's a matter of life and death, I'd happily take the side mirrors if needed. Probably a bit more work.<br><br>People have gotten rescued in autombiles by building fires with gasoline and a tire- huge amounts of black smoke, hard to ignore. That pretty much presupposes that you're anxious to be found by anyone, of course.

I have to say that I've never taken a radio of any kind on a backpacking trip either.<br><br>However, there have been a couple of times on car-camping trips where I was grateful for simple AM/FM radio, mostly for weather forecasts. It's often easy enough to tell that weather is coming, it's harder to guess whether it's going to last for a half day or a half a week.<br><br>Backpacking might be a justification for the tiny Clive Sinclair earbud-AM radio. FM doesn't have the range, though it makes sense in an urban kit.

I'd get the E2 if you're planning on really using it very much. The E1 is very compact and a great little pocket light that produces good light output...but the darn thing heats up very quickly. There's such a little area that you can hold...when your hand moves forward...it'll get warm. The E2 really isn't that much bigger (just longer) but still fits nicely in a pocket or pack. It'll give you a little more handle to hold with more light output to boot. <br><br>The surefire 6P is another option...it's a little bigger, but not by much. <br><br>Kev

>>Of course, I'm baffled by the mere notion of "commuter survival" in general, I'm afraid. Unless you're routinely driving down back-country roads that normally see one car every other month, I don't see how you could realistically get into a survival type situation without doing something incredibly stupid, like taking a short cut through the ravine.<<<br><br>I understand what you’re saying- as long as the infrastructure stays intact, all you genearlly need for a “commuter survival kit” is a credit card. But the infrastructure doesn’t always stay intact.<br><br>I guess the first time I became aware of the vulnerability of the infrastructure was during what they’re now calling the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965, when all of the Northeast and parts of Canada were blacked out for several hours. The whole event was relatively benign, with people pulling together and the worst stories coming from being trapped in elevators, etc. (New York was not nearly as lucky during a repeat performance in 1977), but it acted as a wake-up call to me that I couldn’t really rely on everything in civilization operating smoothly.<br><br>Of course, there have been LOTS of blackouts since… and earthquakes, and tornadoes, and hurricanes, and chemical spills…<br><br>I was in DC in the aftermath of the assassination of Dr. King, when there were tanks in the streets. I was in Maryland for hurricane Agnes. I was in San Francisco when the Rodney King riots happened there, and ended up face-to-face with the rioters at one point. I was in San Francisco again when Oakland caught fire, and the whole city was shrouded in smoke. I experienced one small tremor in California, and one larger one in Connecticut of all places. My parents were caught without power in Connecticut in the ice storm of 1973, and had to live in one room and cook in the fireplace for a week. A few years back an ice storm here caused local power outages in this area that shut down some of the stations in the suburbs, and turned my commute home into a multi-hour ordeal in sub-freezing weather that ended up with having to walk to an artery and flag down a cab to get back to my own vehicle.<br><br>And that’s not even touching the subject of terrorism, which has to be foremost in a lot of people's minds now.<br><br>Pretty much anything that can happen, can happen while you’re at work, or in transit- and any of us that commute are going to be at least a little more exposed, at least a little further away from most of our resources, a little harder to get hold of, a little more vulnerable.<br><br>My current commute is something over 30 miles by best driving route, but I go most of the way by subway to avoid traffic. That leaves me almost 30 miles from my vehicle, with most of a major urban area and a river in between. If going in toward the city is not advisable for whatever reason, the next bridge across that river is considerably further out- making the trip something more than 50 miles. Just for the sake of discussion, if I had to do it on foot, we’re talking days to get home- if nothing and no one is blocking my way back… presuming I don’t want to swim the river.<br><br>There have been several threads here about “urban” survival kits, and the focus is indeed much different than it is for rural/wilderness areas (fewer people see the need for snares and fishhooks, among other things).<br><br>So, if the discussion is not applicable to your lifestyle, or you just don’t feel the need, count yourself lucky. Me, I’ll continue to carry some minimal gear during my commute. <br>

Thanks, HikerDon, for your comments. You comment about the ranger boats is helpful as the reply I received didn't indicated how accesable radio contact or help would be. <br><br>I agree that for a "typical backpacking" trip, a radio would be a luxery item. But my son's known medical condition requires that I "be prepared." He is not a sickly boy by any means, but that's not a indicator of risk, as we have sadly seen recently with the deaths of healthy collage football players. I have seen what happens in an asthma attack firsthand and it's scary. As the lungs start to fill up with fluid, you feel so helpless just watching. You can't tie a splint or apply a bandage or use any other typical first aid technique that you may know. You have to rely upon the medications to take effect and reverse the attack. And you can't always be sure what will trigger it. My son's last bad attack came on a troop sleep-over in the church basement. Apparently, something, perhaps the cleaner they use, triggered an attack. He was hospitalized for two days.<br><br>Yes, adding a radio will increase my pack's weight. And I know that weight is the primary concern when selecting gear. I have heard of dedicated hikers drilling out holes in a plastic spoon handle to reduce weight. Under that type of comparison, a marine radio seems totally out of line.<br><br>However, I cannot take the chance. My son has never had a severe asthma attack in the summer even in remote areas, but if he were to run into something that could trigger an attack, it could be fatal. Adding a 10 oz. (280 gr) radio, such as the Icom M-1V seems trivial if it's truly needed. (BTW, that model also receives the weather frequencies).<br><br>Some folks may be shaking their heads at what may be considered an over protective father. But most floks also don't realize how deadly ashtma can be. It is not the sniffles and runny nose of allergies. A few years ago, one of our corpoate lawyers waas found dead on his doorstep from an asthma attack. He was an intellegent, well read man who knew of his condition. Yet he died within feet of his home, an appartment in the city.<br><br>FYI, The reply also said I could leave my son's electric nebulizer at one of the two main offices where they have electricity. The local ferry circles the island every day, so I'll make note of the schedule and bing it on a special cheat sheet so I'll know possible contact and pull-out points. Also, in a dire emergency, there is helecopter service to Thunder Bay in Canada, weather permitting.<br><br>I'm curious, the email I received seemed short on information, and the NPS web sites make no mention of emergency procedures. Do national parks have SAR and emergency procedures or do they rely upon local agencies?

SureFire has an LED head for these now. I would consider having both styles of bulbs, providing greater options. Pete

I carry a Public Transit Map as part of my Commuter Kit and consider it essential.<br><br>With this I can determine complete alternate routes in the event that my normal commute route is disrupted by bridge failure etc. With this tool, I can also figure out best routes to avoid urban events (riots, demonstrations etc).<br><br>Urban survival is not necessarily calling on the same skills and tools that wilderness survival may use, and indeed "survial" may not even be the best term to describe the need. A commuter kit should be designed to help you deal with the typical and potential atypical events that may arise in your community.<br><br>Where commuter prepardness really is the same as wilderness prepardness in that you need to figure out what your are preparing for. By evaluating the difficulties you may face daily and figuring out a plan on how you will respond and then build a kit that helps you respond.<br><br>My commuter kit centers around dealing with natural or unnatural disasters that disrupt normal urban transit, communication and services. I overlap to wilderness skills in shelter, water, medical, and fire. I reality, it turns out that I just use my wilderness PSK and suppliment my daily carry bag with the urban tools, like the transit map, money, credit and ATM cards, flashlites and batteries, HAM radio etc.

Geez! Remind me never to travel with you! <br><br>I'm also sensing that the stigma about carrying 'survival' gear that we once discussed several month ago seems to be lessening. Last week, one of my coworkers stopped me in the hall and asked if she could use my knife to open a box. I never told her that I carry a knife, she just assumed from my scouting background and books she's seen me read at lunch that I would have one.<br>

Read the letter on "An MDs report From Ground Zero." This report proves the need for commuter survuval in my opinion. Not just from terrorism but here in California we get a lot of Earth quakes. <br>In that event Infastructure probably will not collaspe, BUT how long does it take to die from a wound, what if someone is trapped in a car, wouldn't you need a knife? A blizzard knocks out the roadways for a day or two. Couldn't you frreze to death?<br><br>A ham radio would have kept me from hiking 30 miles when my car broke down. If I had been slightly injured I probably wouldn't been able to make it out. <br><br>As you can see I spend a lot of time thinking of possible scenarios. The most likely to kill me or others are the situations we face everyday.<br><br>This makes carrying a backpack full of gear EVERYWHERE I go important for survival.

Wow! To have been present for all of those major events, you must be the unluckiest person on Earth. Don't stand near me in a lighthing storm!

Just a correction. I only wrote of one event. The others were possible scenarios I have forseen and prepared for.<br><br>There is no such thing as luck. "Chance favors the prepared." But that doesn't stop freak accidents.

Special situations require special measures; given your situation, a radio makes sense. I would imagine you would most likely be able to raise a response on a marine frequency on Isle Royale.<br><br>You ask about SAR in the NPS. It varies from park to park. Some parks are tiny; others are huge. Some are located in downtown areas and others are raw, screaming wilderness, where even the rangers disappear. Larger parks have their own SAR capability, but often coordinate with local SAR groups and the military for larger, more involved operations. I am biased, but I think in general, you are in pretty good hands for emergency situations when visiting a National Park Service area.<br><br>I am not familiar with the specifics of ranger operation on Isle Royale, but they have people at both Rock Harbor and Windigo(east and west ends). When I was last on the island (1983), a ranger patrolled from Amygdaloid Island, about the middle of the north shore. Obviously, while there will be a response, it probably won't be instantaneous, depending upon your location. Isle Royale is isolated enough that I doubt that there is quick response by helicopters, etc. in SAR situations, but I certainly don't know for sure. It might be worthwhile to email or call the Chief Ranger - he should be able to give you current information.

I agree with you that the NPS staff are likely well trained and experience for handling emergencies. Any park with sufficient numbers of visiors will have a wide variety of emergency situations during the year. I just wish their web site offered a little more information so I can be better prepared, both or my son's condition as well as for the rest of the group. As a leader, we have the responsibility of other parent's children as well.<br><br>>>> ... they have people at both Rock Harbor and Windigo(east and west ends). <<<<br><br>We will likely have enough boys for 2 to 3 groups (limited to 10 people). When we plan our itinerary, we may work one of the groups in a loop on the west end to stay reasonably close to Windogo, where I would stash his electronic nebulizer. We haven't even discussed any details yet, so it's very early in the planning stages, which is why I'm trying to gather as much information beforehand so I'm ready when we do get down to the brass tacks!<br><br>>>>...email or call the Chief Ranger <<<<br>I did email the park and received a reply, although it was not signed so I don't know who it was from. The email did provide some information, such as the use of marine radios for reaching park staff. There is the possibility for a helicopter aitlift to Thunder Bay in an emergency, but the reply stated that the few times this was neccesary the weather prevented it. It did say what the outcome was in those situations. :-( I read on the web site that the float plane service is going to be reinstated this year, which would provide another option.<br><br>Again, I seriously doubt that there will be a need for any action of this magnitude. My son isn't a frail, near-death weakling. He's a normal, reasonably fit young man. But if some allergin triggers a reaction, the result can be fatal. I don't expect anything on the island that would trigger such a reaction. The worse situations he's run into to date were the church basement sleep-in I mentioned, and campfire smoke. Camporees are especially hard becasue of the large concentration of troop, each with their own campfires.<br><br>Anyway, my initial thoughts are as follows:<br><br>1. Stash his elecytronic nebulizer at the ranger station.<br>2. Plan an itinerary that's within reasonable distance form this station.<br>3. Obtain and carry an small oxygen cylinder to drive a nebulizer treatment, or get a portable, ultrasonic nebulizer (expensive and relient upon batteries, but lighter than a cylinder)<br>4. Carry a marine radio for emergency contact.<br>5. Carry a heat sheet of ferry schedule and drop off points<br>6. Have a great time!<br><br>I just had to add the last item because my hope is that's the only point that will get used!

I agree. Can you really think of ANY situation in which you would need a compass and fire-making materials in an urban environment? The roads/buildings are ready-made landmarks and you wont be building a campfire on main street. Even in the hugely unlikely event of a complete "roadwarrior" like societal collapse, you could readilly scrounge these things if you needed them. I would focus more on realistic "survival" needs. If I were caught in a terrorist attack, earthquake etc., and I was not immediately preoccupied with my own injuries or need to escape, my first thoughts would go toward coordinating with my family. So I would (and I have) set up some plans regarding a safe meeting point and different ways of communicating (email, cell phone, pager, voice mail). Sure, one should carry prescription meds if one needs them, but the other first-aid stuff you mention is too scant to help yourself or someone else if really injured.

hiker,<br><br>I have been turned around while driving in the city several times, and simple consultation of the compass was very helpful. Another scenario I experienced traveling was popping out of the ground from the subway and having no idea which way to orient the map. Having to walk a few blocks in a circle to get the streets alinged was not nearly as efficient as it having a compass.<br><br>It is hard to conjure up a fire building scenario on Main Street, but not so hard to imagine being forced out of your home into the backyard under a tarp and wanting a fire.<br><br>To me the carrying of a small number of tools that cover primarily wilderness needs is not a burden. A hot spark, compass and map weigh nearly nothing...the piece of mind is worth the weight.

Burt said: "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it." <br><br>Makes sense, within reason. If a mini-compass and lighter doesn't take up too much room, might as well take them.<br><br>Burt may be a survivalist nut, but he knows a thing or too. <br><br>BTW: I just read on Internet Movie Database that, Michael Gross (Burt) will star in the TV series version of "Tremors" in 2003 on the USA Channel. Hope they have some good writers.

It is certainly prudent to be sure that there is O2 available; I am sure there are several backup canisters available, due to the popularity of scuba diving in and around the park.<br><br>For what it is worth, I seldom read of problems at Isle Royale on the NPS Morning Report, a daily roundup of rescues, emergencies, and unusual events around the Service. Lots more action at Lake Mead and Yosemite.<br><br>I'll bet you will enjoy Windigo. It's low key and friendly - a lot like many parks were thirty to fifty years ago.

Just a note: SCUBA divers do not use tanks filled with compressed O2, but compressed air which has the same concentration of O2 that normal breathing contains. Medical O2 tanks have compressed 100% O2 that is for medical use only. Pete

>>Wow! To have been present for all of those major events, you must be the unluckiest person on Earth. Don't stand near me in a lighthing storm! <<<br><br>Nah.. in most ways, I've been extremely fortunate.<br><br>Almost none of the events I named made me feel that I was in personal jeopardy- in most cases, it was something going on "over there", not something I was in the middle of. The few times in my life where I did feel that I was in serious danger were not incidents that made the news.<br><br>The point was that I've seen the infrastructure break down, maybe more than most folks. Sometimes it's widespread, more often it's very local, but it's happening constantly on some scale, somewhere. My experience hasn't led me to trust the infrastructure much, and that certainly applies to a long commute. Urban threats are different, but they are none the less real. Most people, though, are more likely to be prepared in the wilderness than they are for any serious problem during their normal working day.<br>

The compass is good for navigating in a city, when you´re not familiar with the city. When use it regularly, you might discover that it can make sense.<br>Having a flint on me isn´t really neccessary, but it´s so small that it doesn´t hurt. The lighter or matches come in handy, when you have to light candles and no smoker is around.<br>A small first aid kit is enough for many occasions. And it´s much better to carry a small kit than having a big one at home (unless you´re at home of course). <br>Any kit you´re going to carry (or drive around in your car) has to be a compomise.

Right. The O2 is used in first care for scuba injuries. At Channel Islands every boat has at least two cylinders of O2, and each island also had a stash of at least two cylinders. The commercial dive boats using the island also carry O2 routinely. I can recall at least a couple of occasions, converging on an accident scene and computing the amount of O2 remaining with the victim, who would arrive with O2 next, etc.<br><br>I would be very surprised if Isle Royale did not have medical O2 easily at hand. The diving there is often much colder and occasionally quite a bit deeper than most common scuba destinations.

Got ya.

OK, I wont argue w/ the book of burt (makes sense, but wasn't he more of a "survivalist" than a survivor . . . ) but I have to think of a compass to orient you after getting out of subway as more of a convenience than survival equipment.

I'm not an expert by any means, these are just some of my thoughts.<br><br>Water is obviously the most important thing not only for survival, but just for day to day functioning, so since I'm never very far away from my car (as some who have posted are, so their situations may be different) I keep half a case of bottled water in the trunk to supplement the bottle I carry in my backpack. <br>Living just outside of Washington DC, the terrorist attacks changed the way I thought about survival. I used to envision scenarios that could happen while I was backpacking or canoeing, but now I think about what could happen going to and from work and school. A couple people have mentioned smoke and gasses as potential dangers. I could smell the Pentagon burning from my house, and ever since then an asbestos mask (home depot, $5) has been in my backpack and in my car. <br>On a slightly less dark note, I'm supprised that I haven't seen anyone mention gas siphons. the only times I have ever run out of gas were when either there were no gas stations around, or the one that was there was closed for the day. Maybe that's just my luck, but it seems Murphy's laws are always at work, so the next day I bought a length of plastic tubing and a gas can that stay in the trunk. <br> Once again, I don't claim to be an expert, these are just some of my thoughts.

I separate my commuter kit and auto kit into two separate kits. My atomobile kit does include a siphon with a hand pump for exactlt that purpose plus about another 300 pounds of other vehicle recovery gear.<br><br>Good Points.