Why keep an emergency preparedness kit in the car?

I’m interested in disaster preparedness — not just as a professional in emergency management –because it is a passion. I always have been. I became a lifeguard as a young teenager, and while working at pools and camps, safety and preparedness really caught and has kept my interest.

During the four years I spent in college, I frequently opened the pool at 6 am. One morning, just as I arrived at the athletic complex, a woman was dropped off in a cab. She wore shorts and a t-shirt and had big cuts and scrapes on both hands and knees. She said she had fallen running. The cab dropped her off at the athletic complex to get her car. She was parked right next to me, and I’d seen her there before.

My first aid training was sufficient to clean and bandage her wounds. However, the pool was a quarter mile away, and I didn’t have any first aid supplies in my car. She didn’t have any either. I felt so horrible and useless. I didn’t even have a bandage.

Personally, I don’t want to end up in a situation like that again. So I maintain a kit of emergency supplies in my car, in my home, and in my office. It’s easy and it comes in handy. I can’t list the number of times I’ve given another mom a bandage at a playground or used my car flashlight to find something under the seats. Preparing for potentially big disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and floods also helps us prepare for little disasters such as short power outages, flat tires or skinned knees.

The emergency preparedness supplies that I have chosen for the Ready Auto gift boxes will help you to be ready for unexpected emergencies or incidents. Many people literally spend hundreds of hours in their cars. Depending upon the day my car can look like and function as a playroom, restaurant, library or entertainment center. As a driver, I may face hazardous road conditions, accidents or traffic jams. Or my passengers may experience injury or illness. As the driver, it is my responsibility to keep myself and my passengers safe. Emergency supplies that I keep in my car help me to fulfill this responsibility.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 6:58 am and is filed under preparedness kit, travel, vehicle safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Why keep an emergency preparedness kit in the car?”

1. Irving says:

   December 16, 2009 at 11:03 am

   I enjoy reading your blog post. Thank you so much for share good information.