Car Trunk

This snowy weather that is quite rare for North Carolina to see three straight days of snow has me cleaning out email. One that had temporarily gotten lost was from one of our prep net regulars about what every car trunk should contain. I am not going to share his name as I do not have explicit permission, however suffice it to say that he has enough experience to back up that these items are standard equipment in police cars.

These are some very good items for anyone to consider and there has been a lot of banter recently about the contents. I am wondering exactly how many of these items our fearless prep net controller has in his road warrior truck.

1.  If the trunk of your car is big enough get a small footlocker or plastic box to carry items.
2. Flashlight or lantern with extra batteries
3. 24 inch pry bar, can be used to bend back sheet metal or leverage to lift heavy objects.
4. Shovel, a small shovel can be purchased at any Army Surplus store.
5. Axe or hatchet,  you never know when you may need to remove a tree limb from the roadway.
6. Flares or battery operated blinking lights to warn traffic of lane changes ahead.
7. Fire Extinguisher, Seeing the unthinkable, you are driving down the road and you witness a wreck, people are trapped in a burning vehicle.  I actually witnessed  this.  Myself and several other bystanders had fire extinguishers.
8. Plastic bags  (X-2 each),  various sizes, from food storage bags to large trash bags.
9. Duck tape, has a thousand different uses.
10. Jumper Cables and/or Jumpstart battery pack. I’ve used mine a hundred times helping out stranded motorist.
11. Maps, (local and state), even though a lot of people now a days have GPS, everyone still needs to know how to read a map and use a compass.
12. Tool box,  have a basic tool box or bag with small hand tools. ( Pliers, Wrench, Screwdrivers, in various sizes, & a hammer, tape measure, plastic wire ties, electrical tape )
13. Hand sanitizer, and 1 gallon of water, and  paper towels for cleaning.
14. Work Gloves
15. Safety Traffic Vest, yellow or orange traffic vest
16. First Aid Kit,  get one and fill it with more than just the standard you would buy at the store.  It’s best to make your own based on what you think you may need and your level of training.
17. Blanket, can be used for keeping warm, treating first aid patients, or using as a sanitation barrier.
18. Cooler – special for Summer hot weather,  In the Summer carry a small cooler with small water bottles.  It’s refreshing to have a cold drink and nice to give one to a friend in need on a hot summer day.

The italicised words are his actual comments. Perhaps if he feels so inclined he will chime in via the comments and claim them. Stay safe out there North Carolina!