Emergency Kits and Self Defense Products – Is There a Fit?
There is additional attention given to disaster response, emergency supplies and emergency planning and there has been a surge in sales of 72 hour go bags and emergency kits, sometimes called bug out bags. Many kits have the same supplies.
All Kits contain basic tools, and hygiene and first aid supplies. The product line up from each category depends on how many individuals the kit is supposed to support and, not surprisingly, the cost. Unless you assemble a kit one piece at a time, it's hard to fond something perfectly suited to your family. But that needs to change. Soon you'll easily be able to include an assortment of other useful products like GPS trackers, supplementary power, equipment repair kits and more choices for food, water and communication. But something that I feel is missing from the current kits are personal defence and security options and I think that's a mistake. Consider what kind of situations your preparing for. Since natural and man made disasters and emergencies are the reasons we buy these emergency supplies, ask yourself, under those circumstances, will people be at their best?
Not too likely, is it? The sad truth is that whe society is threatened we'll see vandalism, looting, theft and violent crimes. It puts defense products in a new light - doesn't it? There are lots of products to choose from so if you're opposed to something that seems too luch like a weapon you can at least have some alarms, or police quality flashlights. At least. Also, there are lots of OC pepper spray alternatives- as long as you are living where pepper sprays are legal. Also there are pepper sprays used for animal deterrents and those sprays are more widely allowed. You'll find your choices are not limited.
Tasers & Stun guns are also candidates to include with your kits. Like it or not, they could very easily prove to be necessary. If you do include them with your kits, be sure that you check them periodically to make sure they're functioning properly. And don't forget about the batteries. While we're talking about it, store them safely, far from the reach of children. They're weapons that can be harmful. Although a taser can be used as a stun gun after the cartridges have been discharged, you'll probably want to have an extra cartridge on hand.
Finally, you should really consider some self defense training. You'll learn more than physical technique. You'll learn how to stop certain situations from escalating and how to not look like a victim. Actually, you might want to learn these skills anyway.
So when you're bringing all your emergency supplies into one place, give some though about whether there should be some defense products in there as well.
May 11 2009 | home security | No Comments »