This has been discussed before occasionally but I would nonetheless appreciate some fresh debate on the topic of urban EDC.

Now, I do keep a BOB at home and I always bring at least a small survival kit on any outdoor activity, even if it's just a short couple of hours walk in the woods. But it has just occured to me that I'm not nearly as well prepared for any serious contingency that might happen when I'm either at work or commuting/shopping/whatever. Which is after all a big part of my everyday routine.

I am lucky in the sense that I work at a location within an easy walking distance (20 minutes) from home. Realistically speaking it is pretty much a low risk environment. I have a desk job and short of a man-made or natural disaster I can see no immediate threats. Fire is potentially the greatest hazard of all. The folks at another department work with fairly volatile chemicals regularly and even though there is little danger of anything going badly wrong we have had a small fire a while ago, which was fortunately contained quickly.

I am in the process of upgrading my EDC kit, which I want to keep as low profile as possible. I always carry a small backpack with me so that is pretty convenient. So far, my only real EDC items in addition to my wallet, cellphone and watch were the following:
- Spyderco Endura,
- Leatherman Wave
- diamond sharpening card
- matches.

There are always some snacks and at least a small bottle of water inside my office. I have added the following items to my backpack:
- Inova X1 flashlight w/ 2 spare batteries
- small tire iron
- BIC lighter
- homemade firestarter
- about 20' of nylon rope
- some string.

Pretty much self-explanatory. The flashlight was really necessary, should have added it long ago. The tire iron may seem out of place and I hope I'll never need it, but it could be used as a small crowbar. Which I think is fairly important - my office is on the 3rd floor and the only way out is through at least two doors with electronic locks. Which have been known to malfunction now and then and the only way to open them is with an electronic card. If that doesn't work I would have to pry the door open or else I'd be trapped inside.

I'd like to keep my kit small but any further ideas would be appreciated. Also, it would be interesting to hear from others who are in a similar situation. Do you carry any survival gear on a daily basis and if yes, do you have any advice to share?