It’s the holiday season. This is the time of year, statistically speaking, that residential fires tend to spike. You’ve got Black Friday, Hannukah, Christmas, and maybe even someone’s birthday, so odds are you’re buying something for somebody. Who doesn’t get concerned about the possibility of theft of expensive items. It is also the season of snow, so you never know when you might have a blackout or be snowed in for several days. You are an aspiring prepper and want to be ready for any of these emergencies, but what should you own to be prepared? Obviously something like a flashlight or first aid kit goes without saying. Which urban survival gear does the average person not realize he/she should have. These are items you may not have thought of, to have ready for any emergency.
BACKUP POWER GENERATOR OR EMERGENCY LIGHTS
These can be useful in a number of emergency situations. The most obvious one being, if there is a blackout. Whether you forgot to pay the electric bill, or a nationwide blackout, a power generator or emergency lights will help you wait it out until the power comes back. These are also useful if someone is trying to rob you and cuts the power. The generator runs on gas and will provide a much more significant amount of power than the lights, however will cost you a lot more to buy. The lights generally run off battery power and will be much cheaper than the generator.
SKYSAVER
You might have a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and even a fire ladder. Odds are you probably don’t have a SkySaver. You do not want to be caught in a high rise fire with no way out. Picture this: You leave your dinner cooking unattended, while you’re surfing the web in your bedroom. A fire breaks out in the kitchen and things start to get out of control. You suddenly realize that you have no way out. Fire has spread from the kitchen to the hallway. You shut the door before it gets in the room, but you realize that you don’t have much time. That door is made of wood. Your only way out is the window, but you live on the 16th floor of a high rise building. What can you do? This situation happens more often than you would think and too many people are killed while jumping to their death, because they have no other choice. It’s either out the window or face the flames. A SkySaver rescue backpack will save your life in situations such as these, and it is highly recommended to own for anyone living in a high rise apartment or working in a high rise building.
FIREPROOF SAFE
Perhaps a fire breaks out in your home and you do manage to escape. What do you think will happen to your possessions? First, you have to wait until the fire is put out, and then you must wait until you get the “all clear” to re-enter your apartment. But what happened to your valuables? Important documents, cash, family heirlooms, etc.? One thing that can ensure their safety is a fireproof safe. This will help you keep your head on straight, and allow you to just worry about your own safety (as well as your family’s) should a fire break out, and not run around saving precious documents and valuables.
POCKET KNIFE
Pocket knives have a variety of uses and can be very handy in many different situations. Their uses range from an actual knife, bottle opener, screwdriver, compass, tweezers, toothpick, ruler, wrench, and more. You can even get one that has everything fitted into a card that fits in your wallet.
STOCK OF CANNED FOOD AND WATER
OK, technically this isn’t one item, BUT this is something you should definitely have just in case. There are a whole slew of scenarios where having a stock of canned food and water would come in handy. Any kind of storm (especially snow) during which, electricity gets knocked out for an extended period of time, and you’ll wish you thought of stocking up. Usually when these kinds of storms get reported on the news, everyone panics and runs for the supermarkets to stock up anyways. You’ll be smart and beat the crowds. Canned food and bottled water lasts a long time, however be aware of the expiration dates. If it’s getting close, just eat the food and restock.
Always be prepared for a possible emergency, whether it’s a fire, blackout, winter storm, or break-in. People think to themselves that nothing will ever happen to them, however that’s wishful thinking. You don’t want to be the one thinking that and then end up being completely unprepared in a real emergency situation. Be prepared because some of the items on this list may end up saving your life.
