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#263686 - 09/23/13 01:54 PM What do you do for family?
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Our equipped hobby sometimes spills over to spouses, kids and family. What prep things to you give to your family? For me its keychain flashlights and equipping car kits.

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#263688 - 09/23/13 03:07 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
gonewiththewind Offline
Veteran

Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1517
Car kit for the wife.

Survival kit for my boys (both scouts).

EDC IDs w/emergency info, flashlight (blocklite), whistle, mental prep before any trip to think through what they are carrying, what the weather is, what they should be prepared for. They can't carry any blade to school, so that is out. Focus is on signalling and shelter for EDC.

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#263689 - 09/23/13 03:18 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3821
Loc: USA
I built and maintain the kit in my wife's car. I equip my family with flashlights (the castoffs from my flashaholism). I keep a stock of keychain flashlights and give them away to practically everybody. My wife and one of my daughters are also licensed hams, and I keep radios in our cars. I've also presented to local Girl Scout troops on what to do if they get lost when out hiking with their troop (hug a tree and blow a whistle, mostly).

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#263697 - 09/23/13 05:39 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
LesSnyder Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
key chain lights and window punches for family and friends

as a former classroom teacher I had about 150 "lab rats" at my disposal yearly for a lot of years....they built either an actual or "on paper"...

hurricane plan
3 day "go bucket"
MRE style entrée from off the shelf sources
land navigation lab
Sun compass from wristwatch
escape and evasion simulation

they were an excellent source for research and observations, especially after action reports following the hurricanes

we were our county's pilot school for Learning Communities, and we chose survival as our primary topic...the initial year we did a large project as a county emergency management team...

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#263729 - 09/25/13 05:45 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
Leigh_Ratcliffe Offline
Veteran

Registered: 03/31/06
Posts: 1355
Loc: United Kingdom.
"Doing for" ain't an issue in my family. However keeping their mitt's off my kit is, and that goes for for my esteemed Father and his 6 year old Grandson AKA my Nephew in particular!
_________________________
I don't do dumb & helpless.

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#263730 - 09/25/13 05:59 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
I don't buy survival stuff for peeps -- family or friends -- because stuff without the right mindset is wasted. What I do is try to influence mindset so they are more inclined to buy their own stuff. What normally happens is some incident occurs and suddenly I have a flashlight or a sharp at hand. Someone gets a cut and there's an FAK in my backpack. Influencing mindset is harder but it goes much further IMO. YMMV
_________________________
Better is the Enemy of Good Enough.
Okay, what’s your point??

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#263731 - 09/25/13 06:40 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: Russ]
RNewcomb Offline
Member

Registered: 04/19/12
Posts: 170
Loc: Iowa
Originally Posted By: Russ
I don't buy survival stuff for peeps -- family or friends -- because stuff without the right mindset is wasted. What I do is try to influence mindset so they are more inclined to buy their own stuff. What normally happens is some incident occurs and suddenly I have a flashlight or a sharp at hand. Someone gets a cut and there's an FAK in my backpack. Influencing mindset is harder but it goes much further IMO. YMMV


I run into this with my son, who I have tried to build a basic car/first aid kit for.

A few months ago, I showed him everything I purchased for him, and showed him what that stuff should be used for.

A couple of weeks ago, he was helping up at big foot-ball game, and for whatever reason, the organizer didn't want the volunteers (my son) to wear a hat. The weather was great that day, but very sunny. My Son got himself a pretty good sunburn.

He came home, was absolutely miserable - I picked him up some solarcaine, made sure he took Ibuprofin to try to keep the inflamation down etc.. but explained to him once your burned, there really isn't a whole lot of great treatment options for the discomfort. I told him the best way to deal with Sunburn is not to get one to begin with.

Then I took him out to his car, had him pop the trunk, and handed him the Sunscreen I put in his kit two months before that he had totally forgotten about.

We'll see if it clicks next time...

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#263734 - 09/25/13 10:46 PM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: RNewcomb]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
What was the "organizer" thinking? Almost any kind of hat is better than being bare headed.....
_________________________
Geezer in Chief

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#263735 - 09/26/13 01:19 AM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: RNewcomb]
UTAlumnus Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/08/03
Posts: 1019
Loc: East Tennessee near Bristol
With the way I burn, I'd have told the organizer that either I wear MY hat or he has one less volunteer. Baseball caps don't cut it even if it has the group's logo on it.

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#263736 - 09/26/13 01:33 AM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: hikermor]
RNewcomb Offline
Member

Registered: 04/19/12
Posts: 170
Loc: Iowa
Originally Posted By: hikermor
What was the "organizer" thinking? Almost any kind of hat is better than being bare headed.....


I have no idea really why they didn't want them to wear their covers, other than maybe it was because they were not in full uniform. I wouldn't have cared, I still would have worn the hat. I suspect next time he'll push back a little harder. He's like me, he tried to keep the peace when he can.

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#263738 - 09/26/13 04:23 AM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
Lono Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/19/06
Posts: 1013
Loc: Pacific NW, USA
For my kids:

Fire extinguisher for their apartments, PASS training growing up so they know how to use it, and then get OUT.

Common sense to buy renters insurance. And to look for overhead sprinklers in their units, and pay a bit extra if necessary for the safety afforded.

Smoke alarm and CO detector check when they move in, you'd be surprised how often the detectors have batteries but are years past their prime in rental situations. Rewiring detectors is about as technical as I get.

A packet of 50 $1 bills in their car glove box. Good for a multitude of purchases, and not larger bills so they're less likely to pilfer for pizzas and daily stuff. Still, they tend to use up the dollar bills, but I can easily come up with enough to replace 50 bucks now and again. So if the big shake hits, odds are better they have a modicum of cash nearby, better than most kids.

A crowbar and a BOB, sits in their closets waiting for the day. 2x7.5 gal water containers if they have room (we make room :-)

A big hint to keep their cars gassed up, at least filling when it gets half way to empty. They don't always get this one, but if you instill the logic of filling with a half tank of gas is a lot cheaper than filling a full tank, all it takes is remembering to fill up when it hits the half way point. Doesn't always take, even with me.

My kids on their own take Red Cross CPR and First Aid classes, its all I can ask.

In past years I've given out preparedness themed gifts for Christmas - water storage, flashlights, etc. Everyone gets the same gift, large family so it might be an outlay but well worth doing. I help my family set up water storage and make suggestions for stocking their pantries, putting together family reunification plans after disasters, and each summer we use up oldish extinguishers on a bonfire doing PASS training for the younger nieces and nephews. Its my own version of a culture of preparedness, but I don't try to push it too hard and come off as a kook. One brother takes on the task of keeping laminated wallet cards with family contact info up to date. We're all getting older, we all look out for family.

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#264428 - 10/17/13 02:41 AM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
mootz Offline
Stranger

Registered: 03/03/07
Posts: 20
Loc: Idaho
For my family, I take them camping/ backpacking and introduce self reliance- it's an easy transition to the bigger stuff. While watching TV, specifically The Walking Dead (which is my daughter's favorite), I inject scenarios and ask what she would do; then the other family members jump in and add their thoughts. That's when it goes to he**, but that's the fun of it. Then they all say, "It's ok, daddy will be here." I love it...

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#264431 - 10/17/13 04:08 AM Re: What do you do for family? [Re: TeacherRO]
benjammin Offline
Rapscallion
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/06/04
Posts: 4020
Loc: Anchorage AK
For my wife and kids, I do whatever it takes to give them the edge. Training, education, equipment, supplies, money, whatever they need.

For the rest of them, nothing. They have no interest in having a relationship with us. They are free to live their lives as they choose, and I wish them well. They can do what they like, as long as they leave us out of it.
_________________________
The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-- Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

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