While many of the items in the office emergency kit below may not have been helpful during 9/11, I’m sure that the dust masks would have been much appreciated. In fact, according to a recent news article one woman might still be alive if she had had a dust mask. She died months after 9/11, but the medical community finally confirmed that she died as a result of inhaling the dust as she was running away from Ground Zero.

Every Office Should Have One

Since 9/11 many employers have invested in emergency disaster kits for their offices. These kits are usually placed in every department, floor or work group area, ensuring that there are enough supplies to cover the number of employees in that area.

Whether the disaster is natural or manmade, emergency survival supplies can make a great deal of difference is how employees fare. As an employee, encourage your employer to stock the appropriate number of survival kits for the number of employees. If your employer has made provision, make sure that you know where these emergency survival supplies are stored.

Remember: You can have your own emergency survival kit in your desk. Don't wait for someone else to do what you should be doing."

Office Emergency Kit Contents

The typical Office Emergency Kit will contain:

• 2400 cal food ration bars
• 25 oz water packs
• Solar blankets
• Tub tent
• Work gloves
• Germicidal tablets
• Toilet liners
• Wet naps
• Waterproof matches
• AM/FM solar radio
• 12 hour light sticks
• First aid kit
• 5 pack candles
• Latex gloves
• Toilet chemicals
• Dust masks
• Port-a-pottie (5 gal bucket w/lid)

Note: If you create your own kit, a 5 gallon pickle bucket and some heavy-duty garbage bags will serve as a toilet

Commercially-prepared kits come in a variety of sizes, having supplies for 1-100 people. These office emergency kits are stocked based on a survival window of 72-hours before outside assistance arrives or conditions allow safe evacuation.