My first real use of my emergency kit.

jlfletcher83

jlfletcher83

Joined
Dec 22, 2006
Messages
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Last night we here in south central kansas had the pleasure of a mid april snowstorm. I was traveling to my mothers house around 50 miles from mine when the storm hit. As it had been raining all day as soon as it got good and cold the roads became a disaster. I watched a mustang go into the ditch in front of me so I turned my flashers on set out 2 emergency markers and went to make sure everyone was ok. The driver was in water so I helped her out got a blanket and she waited in my car until a sheriff unit and a tow truck arrived. I ended up staying at moms and this morning we awoke to find that a tree in her front yard had fallen over. Not a large tree maybe 20 feet tall. I went to my car got in my emergency bag and got out my old KA-BAR khukri that has been in there for like 3 years. It took about 2 hours to chop this downed tree into peices that we could carry. Then my stepfather cut his hand up nicely when his cheap pocket knife closed on him. Back to my emergency kit to patch him up. The point is the emergency kit made the entire situation much more comfortable and easier to deal with. Yes I would have preferred a chainsaw and an emergency room but having the tools necessary to handle unforseen situations made it all turn well in the end.
This was not a serious situation but it let me see the short comings of my emergency bag ( i need a pocket chainsaw at least ). Most importantly it reminded me how important being prepared is.
 
Now trade that khukri in on a real axe and you'll be all set ;) Carrying all that stuff seems like wasted effort until the one time you really need it. Note that you really didn't need that stuff, just the people around you. I'll bet the lady driving that mustang was glad to have a blanket and a warm car.
 
Have you thought of maybe a folding saw? That might make work faster than a pocket chainsaw and may last longer as well. I dont have any experience with the pocket chainsaws but they dont look like they are made to last very long.
 
I actually just bought a gerber folding saw after we got the tree cut and left the house. The tree was across the driveway. I am definitely going to buy a medium sized axe as well. I am happy that I was able to use the gear in only a semi-emergency to get a feel for how it will perform in a real emergency.
 
Remember to replace the FAK supplies that you used up. Great to hear that you were prepared with your kit!
 
This is what being prepared is about, dealing with little problems that come up and often preventing them from becoming bigger problems. Im glad you had what you needed and where there to help and im sure those around you were happy for it as well.
 
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