by Mike Bernier KF5NPM
(Rick K5ECX is taking a break this month, and suggested I fill in for him with an article. This is a transcript of my last presentation on our local ARES training net that talked about “tuning up your Go Kit”)
Go Kits. We’ve all heard about them, and how important it is to have one if you’re out in the field on a SKYWARN alert or other emergency. Go kits contain three different kinds of items – radio equipment and related gear to help you do your job as an emergency communicator, tools and materials to keep you safe and potentially help others, and supplies to help keep you comfortable and fed while you’re away from home. I’m not going to go into all the specifics of those items; we have detailed checklists you can download from the TECO website that recommend what you should have depending on how long you’re in the field, broken down into what you need when you’re out for just a couple of hours to a long-term assignment that could span several days.
Instead, what I’m going to focus on are the things in your go kit that you need to check and possibly replace periodically, such as when seasons change. It doesn’t hurt to do this more frequently; as part of my training in Civil Air Patrol, we check our supplies after every mission, but that may be a little extreme for our purposes in ARES; I’d say checking our go kits every couple of months or after going out on a few alerts is probably not a bad habit to get into.
Let’s start with the heart of your go kit – the radio. If you have a HT thrown in your bag or glovebox that you haven’t seen since you put the kit together months ago, now’s the time to take it out and make sure it’s still working. Turn it on, hook up that mag mount antenna if you have one, get on the local repeaters and make some contacts (nothing fancy, just do a little ragchewing while you check things out). Look at the battery pack on it, change it out if you need to, charge up all the batteries you have for it, and if you have one of those packs that uses replaceable AA batteries, check it too to make sure the batteries haven’t expired or started leaking.
Moving on to other tools and materials, there’s not a lot to do here. If you have anything in your kit that is mechanical such as portable tools or similar items, check to see if any of it requires cleaning or lubrication to prevent rust or seizing up. Like with your radio, if any of your gear uses batteries, check to make sure everything’s up to date and charged up, and replace any batteries that are within a couple of months of expiration or if they’ve been damaged or leaking. The last thing you need is to be out in the middle of a storm at night needing a flashlight and finding all your batteries are dead. If you have a GPS, make sure its maps are up to date; and if you carry paper maps, make sure they’re current as well.
By the way, while it’s not part of your go kit, it’s always a good idea to check out your car’s systems as well. Look especially at the battery, battery cables, and other wiring that you use for powering your mobile or HT.
Lastly, let’s talk about comfort items – food, water, clothing, and so forth. If you carry food in your go kit, pull it out and make sure its freshness date is still good – if you’ve got another 3-4 months on it, you should be okay. If it doesn’t or it’s already expired, toss it and replace with fresh items. What you choose to put in your kit is up to you, but I think we all agree you don’t need to be out in the middle of nowhere with your stomach rumbling, and the only food in your vehicle has turned three colors and has furry-looking stuff growing on top. The same goes for bottled water – if you use disposable bottles you buy at the grocery store, remember that leaving them in your car for weeks at a time can change the taste of the water and may do other stuff to it as well. They’re so inexpensive, don’t even think about it – just take them out and put new ones in. If you use refillable containers such as canteens, dump out what’s in them, clean the insides thoroughly, and then refill with fresh water. And, if you have a long-duration go kit that includes clothing items, check to see if you need to replace anything to be more comfortable for the season at hand. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think long-sleeve flannel shirts would be very comfortable to wear in July. Check toiletries and any medications you carry as well, and replace as needed.
It’s not complicated, but taking time to review these things while you’re waiting for the next alert – and you know we’ll have one sooner or later – will mean when you get that call you’ll be prepared to go out and do your best.
73
Mike