My 100% Non-Hypothetical Kit

For some reason, it just never ocurred to me that over the last few years, I've been carrying a kit in my vehicle that has gradually become the most practical, useful and more importanly constantly used kit I have.

This is a kit that has been with me on fire calls, at the scene of car wrecks, while searching for lost hunters, on river body recovery jobs, at the firehouse during floods, on the road with my kids. It just never occurred to me to take it apart and inventory it before. It's noteable to me that for a kits that gets very regular use, there's some things in there that I'd never have thought to throw in there (like the Radio Shack universal Power Supply) and stuff in there that's just so very "duh" (toilet paper).

For the most part, the list is as what it is. Some of the stuff you might not quite expect/understand, so I made some annoations as needed.

Clothing
1 Complete Change of clothes
3 Pairs of Socks (socks. always have dry socks.)
1 Rain Poncho
1 Pair of Sneakers
1 Crew Cap
1 Pair Winter Gloves

Signaling
1 Fox 40 Whistle
1 Cylume Light Stick (yellow)

Electronics & Devices
1 Digital Camera (Koday CX4200 with 128MB Memory Card)
12 Lithium AA Cells
1 GPS Receiver (Set for USNG/WGS-84)
1 Surefire G2 Nitrolon
4 CR-123 batteries
1 Radioshack Universal Power Supply with ALL tips. (3-12 Volts 100mA) - exceedingly handy when stuff at the command centerneeds to be plugged in - everything from digital cameras to battery chargers.

1 Three-Way Outlet Extender. (SO many times you need to plug in and there's just no room on the generator outlets on the truck. Great for the cell phone chargers)

2 Motorola Talkabout T6500 w/Lithium AA Cells (has WX Radio and GMRS)

2 Motorola Talkabout T6500 Spare Battery Packs

8 "D" Cell batteries - for all the OTHER flashlights. Not mine.

1 Nokia 1100 Tracfone with 1/year service card (charged, ready 2 go)
1 Nokia 1100 Charger

1 2 GB USB Stick with a fuil set of Portable Apps on it (see www.portableapps.com - basically, with the suite of portable apps, I'm able to read & create MS-office documents, get on the internet as needed, transfer files and so forth)

1 Princeton Tec "Attitude" LED Flashlight. just a spare.

Personal Protection & First Aid
3 "Hot Hands" Hand Warmer Packs
1 "Hot Hands" brand tow warmer pack
4 Pair Purple Nitrile Gloves
1 Can 15% Pepper Spray (Helps keep dogs at bay and crazy people too)
1 First Aid "Boo Boo" Kit (scrapes, bruises and burns)
1 First Aid Mini-Trauma Kit (GSW and heavier stuff)
1 Hand towel (oh so handy for so many things)
2 Pair N95 masks (use these on auto extrications, keeps the blood out of your face)
1 Pair Sunglasses (Polarized)
1 Roll of camp toilet paper
X XXXXXXXX

Shelter
1 Space Emergency Blanket (The red/silver kind, not the all silver kind)
100' Orange 550 Cord
8 Lightweight Titanium Tent Pegs
1 Magfire with tinder (dryer lint in film can)
1 Film can with matches
1 Trioxane Tab
3 Trash Bags

Tools
1 Leatherman Tool (Classic Model)
1 6" Adjustable Wrench
1 Folding Utility Knife
1 Pocketwrench II
1 Pair Safety Goggles
1 Roll Flat Duck Tape
1 Film Canister with Nylon Mason Line
2 Permanent Marker
2 Pencils
2 Pens

Water/Food
1 Liter Water (2 .5 liter bottles)
1 MRE or equivilent meal pack
1 Pack of cookies or other light snack (great when you're standing in the middle of the road, at 3AM, waiting for a wrecker, a coroner, whatever and you're HUNGRY)
1 Pack instant coffee & creamer (mmmm)
1 Hobo Tool
1 Metal Cup (to heat water)

Other stuff
Local Maps (street & topo)
Write in the Rain Hip Pocket Notepad & Pencil
A book to read (see the 3AM, sitting in the truck waiting part)
Binoculars (Waterproof, but nothing fancy)
Compass (Silva)
Business Cards for the Fire Company (Great when you need to give the press your name)
Some Ziplock Bags
100' 3/8 Static Kenrmantle Rope
2 NFPA Approved Carabieners
2 Red Bandanna
2 Whiteboard Markers (because they always seem to be missing from the command post)
1 Key Phone Numbers Printout (better than electronic, printed on Rite In the Rain waterproof paper.


Anyway, thought some folks here would like to see an evolved kit that has come from several years of actual use, and compare this to their own expectations. Sure it's missing some of the TEOTWAWKI stuff (no firearms, for example, I'm in the People's Republic of New Jersey far too often), and it's really light on some of the tools and stuff (no saw, no hammer) but for the most part I've never actually needed those when I was on my own on a call.

mtf

I'm only suprised by two things- the lack of road flares/triangles (or did I miss them), and no safety goggles. Or are flares in with the "car stuff", like wiper fluid and oil and the like?

Other than that, it feels good. How big is it?

There are safety goggles on the list.

This is what I ADD to the vehicles I'm in - which often includes a fire truck!

My Personal vehicles all have road flares, tools, water, blankets, FAK, flashlights, saw, batteries, snacks, battery boxes and jumper cables, that's just permanently in the vehicles. This kit is my kind of "situation" bag that gets used in "situations"

What do you pack most of this stuff in?

Sue

Business cards so you can give the press your name?
WHY?
If you're the Chief/Incident Commander or department PIO, I understand.
Otherwise, most professional departments refer press questions, as a matter of policy, to either the IC or Public Information Officer.

"There is nothing so frightening as ignorance in action."

why use N95 masks as face protection? Isn't a visor better option, to stop blood from getting on your face?

I'm often IC or Information liason. That's why the businss cards.
We're a small company, people wear many hats. As it turns out, my work skills (public speaking, presentations) make me a good choice to be Information Liason. I also do ICS planning division, operations, logistics and even (when forced) administration. We're a rural community. Nobody in emergency services does just one thing. Our Chief is a great guy, but when it comes to the media, I usually handle it.

In an auto extrication, I wear goggles, and a helmet mounted visor. However - and there's no pleasant way to put this - there's occasionally sprays of blood, vomit and other unidentified bodily fluids that can splash or spray if the paitent thrashes ot coughs and it will go right under your visor and get on your face. Thus the N95 mask. Not to mention then you have to deal with the idea that the blood just sprayed on your face is also in the air. I prefer to reduce that risk as much as possible.

Great list Martin. You have given me a few ideas. I used to be involved with a SAR team in Northern California, so I used to carry a bunch of similar gear.

One item that I would add that I dd not see and it might be hiding is a couple of 15 foot sections of 1" webbing to make harnesses with. Also maybe a few prusiks to aid in hauling or climbing. Overall a very good list.

Thanks for posting.

Ready

It's usually in a North Face Recon Pack, sometime this shifts to a duffel-style bag, depending on the season. In summer/warm weather it tends to be in the backpack, in winter, a duffel.

Thanks very much for the comprehensive shopping list. I've got a lot of stuff in the back of my truck (under the tonneau cover), but now that I see your list the lightbulb turns on. I've never inventoried the back of my truck. I'll do that and then spend the US Treasury check (mad money) I received just yesterday filling the gaps.

BTW, IMO you need more water, but then I live in SOCAL <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Great post, Martin. Thanks for putting it together.

Ah, I had thought that this was your standard, always in the car kit. So it's basically a deployment bag.

I must have missed the goggles.

I know what you mean by haveing to do a lot of diffrent jobs on a rural dept. I have found that also no matter how much protection you use something (blood,vomit, ect.) always gets on you. But I guess that is part of the job

Sounds like you keep a pretty complete kit, I have a couple of additions. I have one of those white tool boxes that go across the back of your truck, I have only my no kidding E-kit stuff in it, and believe me it's stuffed. I'm not going to disaggree with you on anything you carry, but I carry two cases of bottled water under the tool box and two cases of MREs. Yeah it's extra weight but I live in AZ and water is essential and extra MREs give you the extra time to assess your situation and devise a plan in a uncertain situation. You may have water readily available so the extra water may not be necesaary, but having food to cover you for several days may be an option you may want to consider.

The reason there's not more water in that bag is that it's not a bag that's intended to REPLACE what's in vehicles already, it's used pretty much always for local excursions, as an overnight kit, or just to have a mix of gear that I actually use.

The genesis of this kit came a few years ago when we got a fire call for "wires" which is one of the worst calls you can get.

You sit in the truck, for HOURS, watching the wires spark, hum and eventually grow silent and deadly. Eventually the utility shows up and turns off the power. It was on one of those calls, at 2AM on a sunday morning, where I was wishing I had a book. And a granola bar. So I tossed that into a bag.

Then, maybe a few months later, I was at a body recovery job that went on for days on a cold January. The side sonar crew found it and the divers went in after dark, pulled him up and all I had to do was drive the boat trailer back after all was done. Well it started to snow, and I didn't have a hat and winter gloves, just turnout gear, which was silly...

Anyway, everything in the bag is reactive to situations I've actually been in. The only thing that's really a candidate for removal at this point is the "D" batteries, which are heavy and only used to cover someone else's ass when their maglight goes bad. I'm perhaps not as altrusitic as I used to be.

One thing that might get added in the future is some sort of something to sit on, but I'm really at a loss as to what I can find that's LIGHT, TINY when folded but strong enough to hold my fat 200 lb butt. Something in titanium, perhaps with shock-corded 3/8" poles and a nylon seat, under 2 lbs total weight.

Not really funiture, but how about just a foam sitting mat? Very light, small, reasonable durable and multipurpose.

Sportsmans Guide has a couple of nice folding camp stools with 300 lb capacity in their latest catalog. Item JX6M 107466. $14.97 for two.

As much as I blush to admit it, Walmart's Ozark Trails line has a nice little chair that holds me, and I've got a bit on you. I've had it for two years, and it's held up fine. I think it is rated for 250 pounds, and they are probably clearencing htem to get them gone.

Packed it might be bigger than you want, about 4" dia, and about 30" long, I'd guess the weight about 3 pounds. But what do you expect for somethign that is normally 12 bucks?