Preparing for the Daily Commute

Well, a year has come and gone and my maternity leave is over. I returned to work and my daily commute yesterday. As if a sign from the preparedness gods, We even had a pretty long power failure. Given that our office is in a neighbourhood that lost power for a week after the pre-Christmas ice storm, I'm a little preoccupied with prepping.

Contrary to the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach I had when I last did the daily grind, I'd like to lighten things up this time. I've basically looking at three possible scenarios: (1)bugging in at the office; (2)bugging in at a friend's house between work and home; and (3)being stuck my the Jeep during the commute.

An office bug-in is highly unlikely, however, our warehouse is in an industrial manufacturing area, and the neighbourhood is bordered by a national railway and highway, and it also houses a nuclear power plant. I've got meds, FAK & hygiene, N95 masks, LED light, food, a couple of (full) water bottles, and a bunch of other little odds and ends stashed around my cubicle and the office kitchen, and think that with my EDC and the preps in my Jeep, I should be in good shape for a short bug-in. A good friend lives around the corner, so if something should happen here, I'd likely try to make my way there, unless it's a chemical accident.

BTW - yesterday's power failure highlighted some failings in our (group) office preps, like 2/3 of our emergency lights not working, expired fire extinguishers and a missing office FAK, which I'll be discussing with the owner at the end of the week. Nobody around here really cares, and we're too small a company for a health and safety community, so things have slipped, hence my need to have my stand-alone personal preps in solid shape. Lesson learned: don't depend on your co-workers!

Spending the night a friend's house or a local motel is much stronger possibility, in the event of something like the recent ice storm. I've got an overnight bag packed in a backpack, with two changes of clothes, a thermal under layer, toiletries, FAK, LED, enough cash for a motel room, etc. I also threw an MRE and a deck of cards in there, because I'd hate to couch surf and show-up empty handed.

Getting stuck on the road during my 63KM (one-way) commute is possible too. I always keep a small survival kit in there, along with extra hats, mitts, sweater, water, etc. I'm planning to take some short lunch-time hikes on the local trails, so my day hike pack is going to live in my Jeep along with my overnight bag and a wool blanket. It's got the basics of water, shelter, fire, food & cooking, FAK, signalling and knife/saw/headlamp/etc. in there.

The biggest thing I think I need to do right now is remember to bring my cel phone with my every day. I do have a charger in the Jeep and at the office, but after a year of barely using is, I've already forgotten it and today is only day two.

It seems like Scenario 3 might be the toughest. Do you have good cell reception all along your commute route? Do you have roadside service? I pay a little extra annually so I can have a 100-mile tow radius.

Welcome back to work. Don't forget that even if the owner doesn't care much about inoperable safety gear, the Canadian version of OSHA should.

Right you are, Lono. It's not a route I'd like to go, as the owner's a good guy. I'll just pick up the reigns and make it right.

Great idea, Bing! I hadn't even thought of roadside assistance but I'm going to get on it this afternoon. Thanks!

I get pretty much full cel phone coverage between home and work, unless I venture too far North, then it's patchy coverage, but I usually avoid that route in the winter.

Emergency lighting- I work in a windowless enclosed section of a windowless building. Since we have to wear neck lanyard ID I keep a photon light on my lanyard which is light enough to fight my way back to my EDC bag where the maglite lives.

On the occasion of a facility power failure accompanied by emergency lighting failure, after management obtained a few flashlights and placed them along the hallways they thought it would be ok to order everyone back to work in the dark(at their dead computers) because the phones still worked. My objections weren't heard until I suggested we call the Fire Marshall's office and ask their opinion. (I'm not popular here)

On another occasion a co-worker noticed that Facilities had stacked building materials against an exit door on one hallway of the enclosed section making that exit blocked and unusable. My coworker and I moved the junk. Then I called Safety who talked to Facilities who promised to not do that again. When I asked Safety about posting 'EXIT - DO NOT BLOCK' signs I was told that was not necessary.
I ordered the signs and my own expense and glued them to the doors (a little crooked). Take that!
(I'm not popular here.)

On another occasion Facilities started removing the tiles and aluminum angle supports from a false ceiling right at the intersection of two dead-end hallways. They didn't setup an exclusion zone, they weren't wearing their own protective gear, and employees and managers were grinning as they dodged their way thru the work area where people could drop stuff on their heads or stick them in the eye from stuff being handled up on the ladders.
I called the Safety people - who took 5 hrs to respond and immediately shut down the work.
(Did I mention I'm not popular here?)

Rule #1- YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN AT WORK! The company may make nice noises sometimes but they have insurance to handle your injuries...... whether they realize it or not they ARE trying to hurt you!

Jacqui... does your workplace and friend have a "plain old telephone" in case the PBX or portable phones go out due to a power outage along with cell towers?

Great thinking, Les. We figured this out yesterday too. None of the office phones worked. Even the cordless phones went down. There's rarely more than three or four of us in here, and we all have cel phones, but I think a POTS line makes sense. If they don't go for it for business reasons, I'll likely find a personal solution.

As for my friend, she and her family are like-minded individuals, and have very solid preps, including group gear for our Ventures group. (i.e. older Scouts). Not sure if they've got a POTS line but I wouldn't be at all surprised.


I hear ya, unimogbert. When the powers that be don't listen, it's frustrating. When it comes to basic safety stuff, it's required not an option, and I've been lucky here that I don't get any pushback unless I think way outside of the basic box.

+1
Many years ago I worked in a similar environment. We had 2 kinds of emergency lights: 1) totally inoperable and, 2) so dim as to be useless.

It was after a power failure there (thankfully short) that I started to carry a small flashlight on my key ring with me at all times.

I've been through several over the years. At the moment, I carry a Fenix E01 (no association) on the key ring.

In many of today's offices, you can't get to a POTS line from a desk, as everything is going through a digital switch/PBX.

There is a place that you can find that POTS line. The Fax. It is almost always hooked into the POTS via the standard (US standard anyway) telephone plug line.

All you would need to do is unplug the fax from the wall jack and plug in an old fashioned phone. You might even have one laying around at home. Take it to work, throw it into you desk draw and problem solved without involving the boss.

in case you have never looked in your exterior phone service box (telephone network interface) there is probably a socket that you can plug your POTS cord into...mine is under a cover... can by accessed by a screwdriver...that gives you direct access to the outside line...you need a touch tone phone

Thanks guys! Great calls on POTS and lighting.

I always wear a micro photon around my neck, and I've got an LED light, much like a micro photon, built into my watch. (Yeah Coleman!) There's a micro photon on my EDC keyring too, and I have a Peztl e+ headlamp in my purse. I'm a big fan of having a handy light or two, especially as a mom with a kiddo who's a little afraid of the dark and a baby. Diaper changes in the dark suck.

More recent PBX and IP Telephony systems have eliminated the need for POTS lines and emulate one for each fax machine. However, these systems are supposed to be installed with redundant power.

The most important thing is mindset. Take responsibility for your own safety and be ready to handle the possible threats.

Next in importance is situational awareness. Walk around the unsafe holes in the ceiling. Move the boxes blocking the fire exit. Know where the exits are and how to get to them. Know what sounds are normal and who belongs where, if that's possible in your workplace.

After situational awareness comes planning. This can be simple: if the fire alarm goes off, I will move directly to the nearest exit and then to the fire assembly area. If I see a fire and it's small enough to fight it with a fire extinguisher, I will get the fire extinguisher that I noticed because I was paying attention and rock out my Pull Aim Squeeze Sweep. If the fire extinguisher doesn't get the job done I will drop it and run away screaming like a little girl.

Last and least comes gear. That's not a scold directed at anyone in this thread, as far as I can tell BPJ and all the contributors have mindset, situational awareness and planning nailed.

Having been through a wide variety of unpleasant experiences in office buildings, here are the things that I keep on my person:

• Cell phone
• If I drove, car keys
• Flashlight
• Locking folder
• Wallet (including a useful amount of cash)
• A keyring multitool and backup flashlight
• Pistol and spare magazine (where legal to carry)

Cell phone is obvious -- all I do differently is never let it get beyond arm's reach. Car keys can be very helpful if the fire alarm goes off and it's 10 below, or I need something from my car kit. The flashlight has saved my bacon too many times in basements, datacenters, construction sites, bathrooms with malfunctioning motion sensor lights and underground labyrinths of gigantic hospital complexes for me to consider not carrying it. The spare one on my keychain once allowed me to leave my oldest daughter in the designated tornado shelter without her having a panic attack while I went to collect the rest of my recombinant DNA. As we've mentioned previously cash is a great problem solver. While the keychain multi isn't much, there have been times it's been just enough better than nothing to solve small problems quickly.

Don't forget that many cell phones now have a small built in flashlight or the lighted screen can also provide a very limited lightsource depending on the make and model of cell phone that one uses.

I would suggested a head-lamp; leaves your hands free for whatever you may need them for. I have a leatherman squirt on my key chain and find that I use it almost daily. I didn't catch what floor of the building you are on or if you are far from an exit but I would consider a smoke hood as well as eye and ear protection.

What Chaosmagnet said. And remeber; do not hesitate to use a emergency exit. A LOT of people will try to get out, they way they got in.

I have a signal booster in my car for that sort of situation. It can't turn nothing into something, but it extends my range a little bit. It sounds like you should be OK. Cell towers sometimes go down in really bad weather (loss of power, I'm guessing). So maybe you want to plan for that.

I've never had an emergency at work -- except the medical kind, and thankfully it wasn't me. We get bad storms sometimes, but that's often predictable. My biggest threat is car-related problems during the commute, followed by storms/tornadoes, medical emergencies, and violent crimes (robbers, mass shooters).

Unless its a single house converted into an office the fax lines usually come from an ATA (Analog Terminal Adapter off the main phone system which means they will go down with it.

The phone system should be cable of running from a UPS, would be a good time to get one or check the batteries in the current one.

I posted a while back the story of my wife working on floor 20something of a law firm who quietly evacuated all the lawyers before finally letting the staff leave on 9/11/2001 which re-enforces rule # 1.

It is worth noting that not all companies take this approach. My current employer is one of the large energy companies, and tends to be somewhat obsessive about safety. We do a full evacuation drill of the office complex regularly, and there are several people on each floor who are "emergency response coordinators" (trained in CPR and FA) who check the entire floor after an alarm to make sure everyone has gone down the stairs. We are in earthquake country, and on each floor there is a closet with a cache of basic rescue gear (crow bars, axes, flashlights, etc), and there is also a cache of survival rations on site.

I waas very impressed in one of my temp post retirement gigs that I was able to take FA and CPR training in order to be able to handle customer emergencies (as well as staff, I suppose). We also had regular earthquake drills.

I would certainly think twice about continuing to work for anyone with the policies of the legal firm mentioned.

I have always considered AAA and other roadside assistance to be a bit of a con. It's promoted as this wonderful on-call service that rescues you when you're stranded. But that's no different than any towing company. I don't need AAA to call a tow truck for me. It provides no additional peace of mind, except for simply covering the cost, which just makes it not-cost-effective insurance.

If I break down or get stuck (which happens about once every ten years) I just call a tow truck. Once I just called 911 and they got one for me. I think it was $45 for the tow.

Correct me if there is a flaw in my logic.

David

Amoco Motor Club and AAA used to have great service and reasonable pricing -- when I drove a very old car and could expect to need a tow every year or two it made sense for me. Both had ancillary benefits as well.

Amoco Motor Club has gone the way of the dodo and AAA is very expensive for what they provide. If the warranty on my car provides free towing service, I'm glad to take advantage of it, but otherwise I don't see the utility in paying for that kind of coverage.

I drive an old car, so maybe that's why I always make money back. I expect two or three tows a year, and not always from breakdowns close to home. (I once got a 40-mile tow.) I also need jump starts from time to time, and I can't always wait for my neighbors to come home. For $40-$75 per year, that's not bad.

There are a few companies to do roadside assistance. There isn't just one. I don't use AAA because I found another company I like a little better.

Yes, I'm planning on driving my car into the ground.

"AAA used to have great service and reasonable pricing" is the key.

For many many years we were members. Then one day DW went shopping to the mall and managed to leave the car headlights on, and when she came out of the mall, the battery was dead (subsequently battery replaced). It was a normal, sunny day, so no crazy weather to deal with that would tie up the AAA truck. She was told 1) that it would be FOUR hours for the truck to get to her to jump start the car and 2) she had to "stay with the car" the entire time.

This was not acceptable. DW went to mall security, who got her started and on her way in about 15 minutes.

Thus ended our AAA membership. YMMV.

The problem with that is the ever-increasing anxiety of never being sure if your car will ever make it.

Even so, I am in the same camp - drive it 'til it just don't go no mo'.

Oh, my friend MoBob, I am afraid you are quite mistaken -- it will make it to the ground for sure! It just may not make it where it's convenient for us.

So much of the car still works. It's a shame to throw it away. Besides, what better way to give ourselves chances to practice emergency preparation? At some point I chose not to be worried about whether the car would get me to the destination. I just accept breakdown as a possible outcome, and I buy roadside assistance. But for important trips I'd rent a car. So no worries or anxieties, my friend, and enjoy being frugal and environmentally sound!

I work for a large medical group in a building built with a back-up generator. When our space was built out 20 years ago the powers-that-be decided to not pay the extra money for the conduit and wiring to tie our office lights and outlets in to the back-up generator: "too expensive."
After repeated requests to the powers that be to retrofit the office to the back-up power, since I think it can be argued, that medical offices should be considered "an essential service", fell on deaf ears, I gave up.
One of the requests occurred in the hallway during which conversation THE POWER WENT OUT. I was asked with a smile if I had arranged the outage.
It wasn't until a few thousand dollars of refrigerated/ frozen vaccines were lost due to another power outage that "they" decided to run conduit and wiring, but only to the vaccines refrigerator, not the whole office.

I would advice against lighting anything up

Yesterday, I was in my dad's house fighting several problems, and I felt under-prepared. My kit had been lightened up, and Duct tape was missing. Next time I may lighten up by throwing the bag itself, but not the duct tape.

BPJ

From the experience of my 60 yo aching unfit muscles and weak eyes, I would strongly suggest to look at your body first. Cover any personal weaknesses there before anything else.

Just as an example from my side. Eyesight is a big problem in my case. So, I have put the following aids :

- In my glove compartment , a new bi-focal pair of glasses, and a cheap pair of glasses that can serve in emergencies plus I can combine WITH the normal glasses to convert them to reading glasses ( just like a pair of hands-free magnifier lens)

- Also, in my bag, I have put a vision pouch plus a light pouch. In the latter I have put a headlamp, and a 24/3 LED light that can be fixed with a hook or magnet )

The list goes on and on.
Without proper vision , I am helpless
And so, survival begins from there.

I once developed a knee problem, so I put a cane in the trunk just in case. Although, I am ususally fine and the problem is gone, but could return in the worst of times.

So, please find your own personal weaknesses and address them before anything else.

Just my 2¢

Excellent point. I am rather unfit without glasses (can't legally drive without them, for instance), so I am trying more and more to be sure that I have a spare pair handy at all times.

re: glasses... while I too carry a spare set of glasses in the car, I don't EDC a pair... I've posted this before, but if you make a small aperture by curling your index finger over your thumb you can sharpen your focus when you look through the hole... I carry an old plastic card with a 3/32" hole in my wallet for the same reason

Spare contacts and spare glasses in both my laptop bag and my car kit. Don't leave home without them.

Good call on the peephole card. That would probably work well for short term use. I like to keep spare glasses around, though. I'm reminded of the story of Teddy Roosevelt and his practice of having several pairs of glasses with him. Legend has it that at San Juan Hill he had a half dozen pair! It has been written that when he went to war he stitched a couple spare pair into the lining of his uniform.

I'm not as blind as that but I'm pretty nearsighted. There's no way I could drive without corrective lenses. I actually have contacts and no less than six pair of current-prescription glasses! My main pair is worn in the evenings after I take out my contacts. I have another pair in the glove box of my truck and a pair in my knife & tool case that I use at work. There's one spare pair residing in my partially pre-packed camping backpack (as close as I have to a BOB) and a few more stashed in my room.

All that redundancy stems from an incident where I was down to just one pair, and a beat up one at that. I dozed off wearing them and woke up with one of the bows broken off. It was a major PITA trying to find a tube of Super Glue without my glasses so I could fix my glasses! I vowed never to make that mistake again, so when I got a new pair I made sure to get my PD on the scrip.

Very good point, Chisel. I have an on-going battle against over-packing, but it never seems silly to me in the winter. BRR!



Here's a peak inside my day pack, which is part of my GHB:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pnoNOdK2yc&feature=em-upload_owner

I'm lucky that my vision in that my vision is stuck in a place where I need bifocals, but I'm functional without them, except for driving. I keep a pair in my coat, a pair in the Jeep, a pair at my desk and a pair in my BOB, along with a repair kit in all my kits. I lost one lens while hiking this summer, and learned my lesson well.

Sunglasses are crucial for me too, especially when there's snow glare outside.


Getting old sucks!

I hear ya, Chisel! I'm a long time member of the migraine and bad back clubs, and I got a wicked case of plantar fasciitis this fall. It's amazing how debilitating an injury or illness can be, and how fast they can creep up on you.

It amazes me how much energy that pain can suck out of you!!!

wear a neck band with your glasses! or whatever that elastic thing that goes around you head to hold glasses on.maybe not all the time of course but out in the bush it would be a good idea.even in a pocket to put on if the going gets rough.a canoe buddy wears them with his sunglasses out in the boat having lost a good pair some years ago.

It seems like Scenario 3 might be the toughest. Do you have good cell reception all along your commute route? and I'm suggest very best method for you water filtration system.

Thanks Mary and welcome to ETS!

Cell phone coverage is pretty good along my normal routes. I lose connection sometimes in thick bush and on my Northern route home, but generally avoid that way home in the winter.

As for water, my primary method of making drinking water is by boiling and filtering with a bandanna. I also have a filter straw, but I've moved it to the other half of my Get Home set-up, as I can rely on melting ice and snow right now when I'm hiking, although I do have a few MicroPUR tabs in my FAK. I tend to use filters and tabs more when I'm backpacking in the summer and am relying on ground water. Besides, in the winter, I benefit from the heat produced by boiling.

Great advice, canoedogs! I often use my buff, but do have one of those lanyard-thingies too. Using pockets without a hard case = broken or lost glasses.

FWIW, here's a peak at the contents of my day hike kit/Get Home Bag:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pnoNOdK2yc

I like your winter bag big time!! Good planning on your part!!

I am jealous of the lid you've found for your canteen cup. I will find them as soon as I can.

Your preps are definitely NOT foolish or extravagant as evidenced by the Atlanta CarMeggedon!!!