Yesterday, I was stopped in my car for several hours behind a big pileup crash, and as I was stopping witnessed a car go hurtling off the road into a steep, deep ravine.

A trucker and I were able to get the driver of the car up and out of the ditch uninjured, which was good because the first responders were totally saturated for many hours and the motorist could easily have been injured or killed by the cold.

I got some good reminders out of this.

First and foremost, make sure you have not less than a quarter tank of gas at all times in the cold, with half a tank being preferred. It was really cold and windy, and we were far more comfortable inside the car with the heat on than with any of the other options available.

Second, if you do carry a radio (FRS, GMRS, MURS, ham, CB, whatever) as part of your kit, maybe carry two. I was able to hand off a radio to one of the other self-activated civilians checking up on people. Thank goodness he didn't need me, but I had medical gear and training available for those whom the first responders couldn't get to. He had appropriate outerwear and enthusiasm, which was far from nothing.

Third, when you can safely and responsibly solve your own problems and the problems of the people around you, the first responders can stay focused on the people who need them the most.

Fourth, and as always, there's a reason I picked "chaosmagnet" as my nom de plume here. I sure wouldn't have minded if yesterday had been more boring.