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•“Sucky things” This doesn’t mean just
throat lozenges. Most of the time
this is a roll of life savors or other hard
candy. Sucking medicated lozenges
all day will get old really fast, even if you
have a sore throat.
•Some of us need a small pharmacy to operate in the
field, while others don’t know what a pain reliever looks like. What you carry is up to you and what
your needs are. If you are on maintenance medicine, make sure to include it and rotate
your stocks regularly.
•
•Appropriate
clothing will depend on the season.
Don’t wear shorts in January and carry a rain coat in the spring and summer. Dress in layers as the weather
dictates. Don’t forget a hat!
•Appropriate footwear will also depend. In general, you
don’t want to be breaking in new footgear
on a call-out.
•Food and water means enough water for your needs for the
length of the operation. Hydration systems
are great. You might want to keep
an empty water bottle in your car and fill it from the litre or larger water bottles as needed. Keep non-salty snacks in your bag
(gorp, fruit snacks, Power Bars etc).
•You want a bag that can take the load and won’t
“leak” stuff all over the place. Ideally it should have some method to insure closure (zippers) and
should be made of fabric.
•Money: Most events will not
require large sums of cash but you may want to have a few coins for the soda
machines in case they don’t take bills.
•Power:
If you have a wall wart or cigarette lighter connector for your HT, bring it
– you never know when you can power up and it helps to have it.
•Pig
tails should be able to connect to “standard” connectors, like
Power Poles. You may also have a
couple with Power Poles on one end and raw wire on the other. A connector like a Rig Runner or MFJ is
also useful for connecting a system of radios and gear together.
•An
inverter of 400w or more is needed if you intend to run a PC as well. This should be run on an independent
deep cycle battery and the appropriate gage cable should be used to prevent
fires.
•Connectors: you will need a series
of connectors that go from your radio to <blank> where blank is probably
a female BNC or male VHF (PL-259) connector. If your radio is SMA, it is suggested
that you get a piece of cable with SMA on one end to act as strain relief,
rather than going directly into a connector.
•Most
environments are noisier than you want them to be (and the sending signal is
less clear than you want it to be).
A headset and boom mic can make things easier for all parties.
•Make
sure you have a current set of frequencies in use in your area. Create a quick reference card and carry
it with you (even though you already have the frequencies programmed into your
radio). It is also helpful to
carry a copy of the repeater guide and the net guide.
•Flashlights: There are so many to choose from now a
days. Get one that has the most flexibility in terms of power. Lithium powered lights provide lots of
light, but 123 batteries are not easy to
come by in large quantities while AA and D are. You may or may not want to have a “headlight” as well. Again, batteries are a
consideration.
•Multi-tool: A Leatherman, Gerber, Swiss Army knife all
work. Generally you want something
that cuts cable, strips wire and spreads
peanut butter. Some areas will NOT
let you take knives into them. Be prepared to drop your tools at
security check points.
•Duct tape:
The universal fix it tool.
Try not to use it to secure cables. Gaffer’s tape works better because it doesn’t leave a residue that
takes forever to clean and tends to pick up dirt.
•Loose wire: This can be anything from small gage wire
use to secure things to heavy gage for connecting
to batteries. A little is not bad
to have.
•First aid kit: You should always have one – just
in case you injure yourself or someone around you.
•Work gloves: You never know when you will need hand
protection. Worse comes to worse, you have them when you discover you forgot your winter
gloves.
•Collapsible chair: Depending on the exercise/event, you
may find it is a long day standing.
If you have a collapsible chair,
comfort is assured.
•Collapsible table: I am not talking a 4 foot table here,
but something small – either a fabric camp table or aluminum camp table.
Sometimes it is nice to have something to write on. Make
sure it is stable enough for your purposes.
•Pizza pan: A steel plate (see Alan’s demo) can be
very useful in an emergency, especially if you
are assigned to a bus or ambulance made of fibreglass.
•Spare connectors: This is everything from PL-259s to
power connectors. Include a crimp frame and soldering iron if you are expecting to make
repairs.
•Change of clothes: If you are going to be out for more
than 4 hours, you may want a change of
clothes (shorts if you start in long pants, etc.). Possibly a change of shoes for the
drive home.
•Clock: You should always have some sort of time piece
with you. A larger clock may be of
use if you are manning net control.
•Extension cord: A short length of extension cord may be
of help. This includes power cords
as well as coax (RG-58 on a reel is very
useful).
Long activations mean all heck has broken
loose or weather prohibits you from returning to your home.
•Access
to some sites may be by group bus and you will have to leave your personal
vehicle behind.
•After
72 hours, everybody looks and smells the same if rationing water is an issue.
Get over it.
•Shelter: May or may not be
provided for you or your operations.
A sunshade may be sufficient or you may need a tent and
accessories.
•If
you take medications over a period of time, make sure you have more than a
three day supply with you.
•A
toilet kit with (liquid) soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a comb (as
a minimum). Deodorant, razor etc
may also be a good idea.
•You
will want at least on change of clothes, if only to be able to wash out the ones
you are wearing, or to get the spaghetti off. A change of sock and underwear do a lot
to improve your morale.
•If you are lucky, you will be able
to hook up to commercial or other reliable power sources. Don’t plan on being lucky. Also, don’t expect and HT will be
able to do all the work you need it to do.
•If
you are operating away from your home, you will probably be working odd hours
– you will want some light beyond your flashlight.
•If you are deployed away from
home, you may have the benefit of the Red Cross providing shelter during your
down time. You will still want a
blanket or something to cover with and you may or may not luck out and get a
cot.
•Nothing
beats a comfy layer!
•Bring
a book or a deck of cards or a portable game. Be prepared to share.
•What
you bring for creature comforts is limited by what you can carry – but don’t
overload.
•Radio gear should be kept together
as much as possible in one bag.
•Personal
gear should go in a second bag.
•Plastic
boxes are fine if you KNOW you will never have to schlep your gear up the side
of a mountain.
•Never
under estimate the value of a vest.
They range in price from $50 to $$$.
Alex Tilley’s Vest Of Many
Pockets is not cheap, but you will never need another one.
•You
think I am kidding about the H2?
•An additional reason to have a
head set or mic is to tuck your radio out of the way when it rains.
•Make
sure that you can talk through the bag if you wrap your HT in it.
•Yes,
you can stick documents in a Ziploc bag without any problems.
•Most Amateurs have over $5000 tied
up in their go kits. Most also
didn’t by their gear all at the same time.
•If
you are able to buy it all at once, consider a donation to your favorite ARES team
instead – you get a tax deduction and more people benefit!
•If
you find yourself carrying a piece of gear you never use, get rid of it
– it is taking up space and increases weight.
Be Prepared: Well, it is good to be
prepared, but let’s not get too silly. One of the thing I am being reminded of
is that we are not “first-responders” and in most cases, we are
not doing search and rescue (and most of these kits don’t have the gear
for it anyway). In most cases, we
are going to have to put up with a shift or two away from the creature
comforts of home, but we won’t be roughing it in the wilds of the
Outback either. When you stop to
think about it, we are the only support group that practices and responds as a
self-contained unit. In reality,
we will be working closely with other first responders and support staff and
they won’t be carrying three days worth of food – they will be looking
to the Red Cross or the Salvation Army or the kindness of local residents to
provide them food and shelter. It
is for this reason that I am not including a full “wilderness” kit
– frankly, most of us wouldn’t know what to do with it
anyway. I have seen lists
that include some pretty funky stuff (like topos and “ranger”
compasses, fire starter, matches, and a gallon of water per person per day
(and don’t forget the hardhat, safety glasses and respirator).
You don’t need that much
stuff. In most cases, ID, a radio,
batteries, something to write with, something to write on, a list of
frequencies and your brain will get you through 80% of the call ups. This doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t practice – especially since we practice without support,
but when it really happens, we are part of a very large and well supported
team and we shouldn’t forget that either.