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Post by ColcordMama on Mar 24, 2013 14:59:15 GMT -7
So you've grabbed your BOB and hit the road, and now you find yourself trapped in a huge traffic jam. Yeah, I know you'd never allow yourself to get into that situation, but it happened anyway. You're on an 8 lane interstate, four lanes each way, all lanes pretty much packed solid with cars. It's daytime, about 75 degrees out, you are down to a quarter tank of gas. There is a grassy median and grass out about 300 feet from the edge of the road to a forested area that seems to stretch for miles. The last town you went through was about fifteen miles ago. You haven't passed so much as a rest area in ten miles. Your passenger(s) are whoever would normally accompany you. You have with you the clothing you usually wear, the possessions you usually have with you, whatever is usually in your vehicle, your BOB(s), and nothing else. How do you deal with these different situations?
1. An elderly man two cars ahead of you slumps over in his seat. His wife starts screaming that she thinks he's having a heart attack. Do you/can you respond, or do you wait for someone else to? What do you do?
2. You suddenly hear gunshots, sounds like they're .22 caliber, you can't tell what direction they come from, and people in cars around you start yelling and panicking. What do you do?
3. You have been sitting there immobile for 4 hours, and now you really have to eat and drink. What do you have with you, and will it be enough?
4. A young terrified couple is stuck in the old Honda next to you. They have a little girl, maybe 3 years old, and now the child is crying and saying she's hungry and thirsty. It's pretty obvious the parents don't have anything with them. Do you help out? Can you and still have enough for your own group?
5. It's been six hours and now the day is fading. People have left their cars and been talking to each other, and you hear that a group of men is going to strike out, try to walk to the nearest town and see if they can figure out what's going on, maybe find a way out of the situation. Do you go with them or stay with your family and car?
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Post by Lawdog2705 on Mar 24, 2013 16:01:13 GMT -7
1. Unfortunately, not being trained in cpr, the most I could do is try to get an aspirin down him.
2. Not knowing the direction the gunfire is coming from, I'm grabbing my gun and hitting the dirt. Once I can assess the situation, I can act accordingly.
3. I keep water in the trunk of my car and food and snacks in my BOB. I would have plenty to sustain both my DH and myself.
4. Having enough supplies in my BOB and my car, I would definitely help the child out. Hopefully, enough snacks to help the parents as well, even though it would only be temporary.
5. Stay put and stay together.
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Post by cowgirlup on Mar 24, 2013 16:09:26 GMT -7
"You have with you the clothing you usually wear, the possessions you usually have with you, whatever is usually in your vehicle, your BOB(s), and nothing else. How do you deal with these different situations?"
Well this is one of those times I'm glad I carry a crap load of stuff in my car!!!
1. If no one or only a couple of people went to help then I'd go check it out after locking the car. I have a CPR shield in the car and I have chewable baby aspirin in my purse. If he's breathing OK then I'd give him a couple of aspirin (providing he's not already on blood thinners) and tell his wife to keep him calm and comfortable.
2. Stay down and be aware until I know what's going on.
3. I won't want to cook any of the FD meals that I have in the car. At that point I also don't want anyone to see me getting in to my storage box. But I always have a large steel canteen with me and granola bars and protein bars in my purse. That's what I'd start with. I do have some MRE items. Food bars and I think a small can of beans or spaghettios in the storage bin too. In addition to what's in the canteen I have 3 liters of water and a small bottle of Gatorade that would get me through a couple of days. (mental note. add more water JIC)
4. I have a bag of gummy candy left over from the movies the little girl can have in the bottom of my purse. Yes, the purse is pretty big! If they have a cup or empty juice bottle Id give her some water but I don't want to be their go to person for all their needs. I am most likely a group of 1. If it's a temporary situation I 'd try to do more if it was safe to.
5. If possible I have pulled off the road onto the grass. I have looked at the map to see what's ahead and near by. I'd also try the cell phone and make some calls. I have also hooked up my emergency CB to see if I can figure out what is going on. If it's a really bad accident or something that will eventually be cleared up I would crawl through to the back of the truck, fold down one of the back seats, spread out some blankets and take a nap. I would not be going off with anyone at that point.
If all the channels are dead, or the news is worth abandoning the car then I will still crawl through to the back of the truck. Re pack my GHB with whatever I need most from the storage box, put on my wool socks and extra hiking boots and change clothes as necessary and start heading for home or another safe place.
I could also head for the woods and set up a camp with the 12x20 tarp I carry but i think half the highway will want to join me and I don't think that would be a good idea.
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Post by Cwi555 on Mar 24, 2013 16:54:41 GMT -7
See comments in red: So you've grabbed your BOB and hit the road, and now you find yourself trapped in a huge traffic jam. Yeah, I know you'd never allow yourself to get into that situation, but it happened anyway. You're on an 8 lane interstate, four lanes each way, all lanes pretty much packed solid with cars. It's daytime, about 75 degrees out, you are down to a quarter tank of gas. There is a grassy median and grass out about 300 feet from the edge of the road to a forested area that seems to stretch for miles. The last town you went through was about fifteen miles ago. You haven't passed so much as a rest area in ten miles. Your passenger(s) are whoever would normally accompany you. You have with you the clothing you usually wear, the possessions you usually have with you, whatever is usually in your vehicle, your BOB(s), and nothing else. How do you deal with these different situations? 1. An elderly man two cars ahead of you slumps over in his seat. His wife starts screaming that she thinks he's having a heart attack. Do you/can you respond, or do you wait for someone else to? What do you do? Have my wife dial 911, retrieve FAK, perform CPR until help arrives2. You suddenly hear gunshots, sounds like they're .22 caliber, you can't tell what direction they come from, and people in cars around you start yelling and panicking. What do you do? Assume the people around me saw something I didn't (active shooter), Both my Wife and myself will draw our carry weapon and get out of car. Wife will retrieve carbine from the pancake safe and yank out the BOB's while I stand guard watching. Once items are retrieved, retreat towards woods with carbine facing toward the line of cars while my wife faces forward with our son in front of her. 3. You have been sitting there immobile for 4 hours, and now you really have to eat and drink. What do you have with you, and will it be enough? There is enough for 72 hours, no problem. 4. A young terrified couple is stuck in the old Honda next to you. They have a little girl, maybe 3 years old, and now the child is crying and saying she's hungry and thirsty. It's pretty obvious the parents don't have anything with them. Do you help out? Can you and still have enough for your own group? We keep two 24 hour kits spare in an unmarked box. Discretely give the couple the box and warn against flashing it's contents to the public as we don't want to be seen as the walmart on the highway5. It's been six hours and now the day is fading. People have left their cars and been talking to each other, and you hear that a group of men is going to strike out, try to walk to the nearest town and see if they can figure out what's going on, maybe find a way out of the situation. Do you go with them or stay with your family and car? If it's been six hours, something drastic has happened. We will have already moved the car off the road which btw, we always edge over towards the wooded side or the closest thing to it when approaching a standstill for this reason. If we haven't seen law enforcement for that period of time, we will not move in the daylight, rather wait until night, then move out to the forest on our own. Joining a strange group at dusk is not a wise move
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Post by missasip on Mar 25, 2013 10:25:31 GMT -7
This is a nightmare and I see as a worst case scenario. Been stuck on I-10 west out of LA at West Covina in the summer of 1978 headed west on a Friday at 4pm. 12 total lanes, 6 east, 6 west. 4 hours to go about 45 miles. We may have averaged 2 MPH.
1. The gentleman in the car slumped over is gonna be a causality more than likely. Getting out of your vehicle is not a real option IMO. As much as I hate not to, I will not respond. Yes I have been trained in CPR/1st Aid for over 30 years, but this is a fluid situation, that could turn dangerous at the blink of an eye. 2. See the next part has turned dangerous. Gunshots. This could be some road rage rearing its ugly head or maybe something more. I have armed myself before that happened and will be keeping a wary eye out for trouble. Staying in the vehicle is still the safe option at this point. 3. I will have been eating and hydrating already for quite a while. One thing about being in my truck/car, I have more than a weeks’ worth of food/water. Between my BOB/GHB and vehicle bag and normal compliments of supplies I keep in it, I would be good to go for a good while. 4. As much as I shouldn’t, I would pitch them 2-1ltr bottles of water and probably a large bag of jerky/lifesavers. I’d tell them this would be it and to use it well. Can’t let a child suffer, if I can help it. 5. If 6 hours have elapsed, there is something up at this point, especially if there has been no word from some sort of LEO type person. Abandoning my vehicle at this point is not what I would do. If I’m by myself, leaving is dangerous and staying is dangerous. Sleeping with one eye open, in my car is going to be the option I’ll take at the moment. My main supplies are here and though it’s been 6 hours, 10 minutes later the traffic may start to move or word may come of what has happen. If I leave my vehicle with a pack/guns someone is gonna see me and wonder what I’m up to. No leaving until I know I need/have too.
It’s a fluid situation and paying attention is what needs to be done during the whole process.
Jimmy
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Post by thywar on Mar 25, 2013 10:32:58 GMT -7
As I'm reading this and the responses I notice everyone has water/fluids of some type.. Six hours (no. 5) I'm hoping you have some way to 'rid' yourself of those same fluids. As a diabetic you can bet no way I'm going to make six hours without it.. If you have intake you better have a way to handle output.
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Post by ColcordMama on Mar 25, 2013 10:58:25 GMT -7
Very good responses all! Good point, Thywar... do you leave your vehicle unattended to make a peepee dash for the cover of the woods, or do you discreetly use an empty can or bottle inside the car? Tough call, huh?
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Post by Lawdog2705 on Mar 25, 2013 11:41:46 GMT -7
As I'm reading this and the responses I notice everyone has water/fluids of some type.. Six hours (no. 5) I'm hoping you have some way to 'rid' yourself of those same fluids. As a diabetic you can bet no way I'm going to make six hours without it.. If you have intake you better have a way to handle output. It's called, open both car doors, obviously on the same side, and go OR pee in a cup and toss it. BTW... if you still need coverage with the doors open, have your better half hold a towel or some sort of coverage in front of of you.
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Post by missasip on Mar 25, 2013 13:27:20 GMT -7
As I'm reading this and the responses I notice everyone has water/fluids of some type.. Six hours (no. 5) I'm hoping you have some way to 'rid' yourself of those same fluids. As a diabetic you can bet no way I'm going to make six hours without it.. If you have intake you better have a way to handle output. Having worked from a bucket truck for a lot of years, two bin doors work... Rest assured you won't be the only person looking to drain.... It's a minor thing really. Having said that I know you ladies may want to be a bit more private... Jimmy
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Post by thywar on Mar 25, 2013 13:31:06 GMT -7
As I'm reading this and the responses I notice everyone has water/fluids of some type.. Six hours (no. 5) I'm hoping you have some way to 'rid' yourself of those same fluids. As a diabetic you can bet no way I'm going to make six hours without it.. If you have intake you better have a way to handle output. It's called, open both car doors, obviously on the same side, and go OR pee in a cup and toss it. BTW... if you still need coverage with the doors open, have your better half hold a towel or some sort of coverage in front of of you. I don't keep that big of a towel... Any gatorade bottle will work.. and depending on what lane you ended up in.. you could just stand with both doors open.. but whizzing on hot asphalt between two doors with an audience somehow doesn't sound appealing. Keep the empty gatorade bottle..
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Post by xwing on Mar 25, 2013 14:35:24 GMT -7
Unless i have someone to watch my back i do not run to the rescue . Preferably one to watch me & one to watch truck. With backup i would access his condition..breathing , airway, pulse etc and treat accordingly. As to gunshots....get low and OBSERVE . I do not draw my weapon as i may be mistaken for the shooter but i do check that it is wear its supposed to be. Never reveal your weapon till its time to shoot. Remember even without gunfire you should always have 360 situational awareness. Food? Our GHBs have food for 2 days & be streched to 4 if needed. Our BOBs have food for 5 to 7 day or longer if rationed. We keep case bottled water in truck& Suv plus a liter in each pack....yeah we good to go. Yes, the little one get food &water. Mom & dad on their own. Iknow, im mean....but they can go much longer than the kid Do i leave my party in daylight with people i dont know? ARE YOU NUTS!? Heck no! Like Jimmy get off road as best as posslibe to give me bettrr visibilty . After darkness and security concersn dictate if i leave....under cover of darkness....no need everyone seeing our gear. My method of operation....be courteous to everyone & have a plan to take them out swiftly.
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Post by Lawdog2705 on Mar 25, 2013 16:21:48 GMT -7
It's called, open both car doors, obviously on the same side, and go OR pee in a cup and toss it. BTW... if you still need coverage with the doors open, have your better half hold a towel or some sort of coverage in front of of you. I don't keep that big of a towel... Any gatorade bottle will work.. and depending on what lane you ended up in.. you could just stand with both doors open.. but whizzing on hot asphalt between two doors with an audience somehow doesn't sound appealing. Keep the empty gatorade bottle.. LOL
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Post by angelhelp on Mar 25, 2013 16:43:40 GMT -7
I've had to use the "between 2 doors" maneuver. It can help if one wears a long skirt since there's a built-in apron effect.
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Post by thywar on Mar 25, 2013 16:47:51 GMT -7
I've had to use the "between 2 doors" maneuver. It can help if one wears a long skirt since there's a built-in apron effect. I step out of my truck wearing a long skirt and I'm going to have more problems than having to pee.. geezz.. can't these be universal non gender solutions..
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Post by cowgirlup on Mar 25, 2013 17:02:50 GMT -7
I've had to use the "between 2 doors" maneuver. It can help if one wears a long skirt since there's a built-in apron effect. I step out of my truck wearing a long skirt and I'm going to have more problems than having to pee.. geezz.. can't these be universal non gender solutions.. LOL! But I bet a lot of people would steer clear of you!!! Maybe it's time to invest in a cheap plastic poncho JIC ;D Not the clear one!
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