Have you looked around work?

In my last post I mentioned being prepared at work for an event that might “lock you in.”
I have touched on that theme several times over the years. It seems that a lot of preparedness minded folks skip over the idea of being prepared at the workplace. Oh, they have their BOB in the car, but they do not necessarily have items in the BOB that will work for sheltering at the workplace.

Think of it this way. I will bet that you built your BOB around the idea of walking home if TSHTF while you were at work, correct? You have a map and compass, several fire starters, shelter cover of some kind and a cooking kit with some trail food. How close am I? Hell, folks that is basically my BOB too.

Here is the difference. I have loose items in the truck for just such a case as getting stuck at work for a couple days. I carry a sleeping bag in the truck that I would not hump on a trek home in an evacuation. I have several meals, MREs, cans of soups and beans, and a few items of clothing to change into if need be. When I was stuck in Detroit for three days I did not have a change of socks. By the third day I hated my socks but could not wear my work boots without them. Now I carry spares of those and a few other items. (I am also smart enough to wash them out a night now too.)

I have a steno notebook in my desk at work that has a list of all the items I know are there that I might need come TEOTWAWKI. I always have to explain that I keep the list in case the world goes to crap and I need supplies and I have a shot at getting them from work. I would never, ever steal those supplies from work. My nearly thirty years of employment is not worth risking over a few hundred dollars worth of goods. I have the list for a TEOTW situation, or if I get stuck at work.

Let’s say a train derails near your worksite and your company is forced to shut down all the air intake equipment and the police seal the building from the outside and quarantine the whole place for 72 hours. Drat, my example just stopped me from going out to the truck for my BOB! Ok, now what?

Have you really looked around where you work for survival items? How about that fire blanket, would it keep you warm enough to sleep? Can you get water from the drinking fountain or do you know where the water jugs for it are kept? Is there a nurse’s station, first aid cabinets, or first aid kits around? Who has access? Is there any way to get food other than breaking into vending machines? Are there coffee filters around that can strain water if need be? The questions go on and on.

You should give work a good going over and see what they have in case you ever need to hunker down there for a few days. Remember that in a Michigan winter you will want warmth long before you want food. It doesn’t matter what survival situation you are in, the rules of three always apply.

Wolverine

Next Friday I will re-post my original work place post from the April ’08 Bison.