What’s in your kit? Packing emergency kits or grab-and-go bags

“As the owner of a very fluffy, white 22-month-old Samoyed boy, his evacuation go-bag is bigger than mine,” laughs Sue Gardner-Clark, director, Health Emergency Management, IH. “Angel needs brushing every night (with multiple brushes). A lick pad with peanut butter is required, otherwise I am wrestling the brush off Angel as he thinks it’s a great chew toy.”

In Sue’s kit:

• Toothbrush, peanut butter flavoured toothpaste, and peanut butter
• Dog bed and cool mat
• Water sprayer
• Dog food for two weeks, spare bowls, treats
• Dog toys
• Shampoo, detangle spray, towels, and pet wipes
• A spare lead
• List of pet-friendly hotels  
• A spare crate, as needed

“With all that stuff and Angel, there is hardly any room left in the car for my stuff!”    

Sue’s kit almost includes more items for her dog, Angel, than her.

Angel is in good hands should Sue be faced with an emergency.

“As someone who has had caregiving responsibilities within my home and for others, I’ve had to ensure that I can not only care for myself, my wife and our senior dog, Shiloh, but that I can continue to function for those whom I’m responsible for,” says Anne Morgenstern, director, Emergency Response, IH. “As such, our evacuation kit has always included a box that contains important documents that is clearly marked, ‘Take in case of fire!’”

In Anne’s kit:

• Important document box and cash
• Photos of our IDs on our phones
• Spare glasses, contacts, medications
• Bottled water, water purifying tablets and dehydrated/canned foods for seven days
• Dog food for seven days plus a leash, meds, bed, toy and poo bags for Shiloh
• Battery bank with solar charging panels
• First aid kit, flashlight and candle
• Sleeping bags, warm clothes and shoes
• Emergency stove and cooking pot
• A tarp, rope, safety vest and gloves

“Twelve months of the year, we have our grab-and-go bins ready at all times. For the spring, summer and fall, we have our trailer that can be mobilized within about 20 minutes. We always ensure vehicles are topped up with gas during fire season.”

“Honestly, my trailer is my grab-and-go bag,” says Colin Swan, specialist, Health Emergency Management, Thompson/Cariboo – Chilcotin. “It offers comfortable accommodation for four and is ready for deployment in 20 minutes. It’s fully adaptable to city life or living off the grid. The trailer has water, food, sleeping quarters and a generator, and I can pull it everywhere.”

In Colin’s kit:

• A trailer stocked with potable and non-potable water
• A food supply
• Extra clothes
• A dual-fuel generator and batteries

“Throw in a sturdy bin with the important documents, and I'm good to go to the hills.”

Colin’s emergency kit is on wheels and ready to go in 20 minutes.

The ‘Fun Finder’ is ready for adventures… and emergencies.

“I don’t have a kit per se, but I do have items that are always with me, either in my car, in my purse, or on my keychain or phone,” explains Anne Benn, specialist, Health Emergency Management, South/Central Okanagan.

In Anne’s kit:

• Car: First aid kit, water purification LifeStraw and water purification tablets, personal hygiene supplies, flashlight, some tools, clothes, flip-flops, blankets, towels, bathing suit
• Handbag: Water, snacks, medications, glasses, hand sanitizer, phone battery
• Key chain: Multi-tool, whistle, carabiner
• Cell phone with emergency alerting notification apps, and completed emergency contact information

“Have an in-town and out-of-town point of contact,” advises Anne. “In my case, if the phones don’t work, the family plan is to come home. And if that doesn’t work, we go to a central location within our community. We also have pictures of anything important in our home and stored in the cloud.”

“As Mike Tyson said, ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,’” says Andre Bloemink, specialist, Health Emergency Management, East/Kootenay-Boundary. “I would not enjoy being punched in the mouth, but you cannot have a plan without information. Any good plan allows for self-sufficiency and does not burden the system further when everyone else is scrambling.”

In Andre’s kit:

• Small solar-equipped RV stocked with fuel, water and non-perishable food
• Second vehicle topped up with fuel to carry other necessities such as small family heirlooms, photos, hard drive and pet essentials
• Fireproof box with essential documents, ID and cash
• LuminAID solar lights

“Our family lives in three locations at any time of the year. We still maintain a family plan that includes local hazards, egress routes and 48-hour check-in time if communication systems are affected,” he explains.

“Everyone is equipped with various phone apps that will provide their area’s source of truth information and alerting, such as Voyent Alert or Alertable, the BC Wildfire app, or the WeatherCan app.”