By Ashvika Sista

If you had to build an emergency kit using only five items, what would you put in it? To find out what people would choose, I asked 10 people this question and recorded their answers. The group included seven high school students, one college student, and two high school teachers. Everyone had different ideas, but there were also several items that appeared more than once.

First-aid supplies were one of the most popular choices. Several people included items such as Band-Aids, gauze, rubbing alcohol, tourniquets, tweezers, scissors, and first-aid kits. One college student included gauze, an EpiPen, rubbing alcohol, Tylenol, and a phone. Several students also chose tourniquets, Band-Aids, or other medical supplies. One teacher included a first-aid kit, while another included Band-Aids and scissors.

Food and water were also common answers. Multiple students included water in their five items. Food was another popular choice, with people choosing things like energy bars and canned beans. One student chose water, food, a flashlight, a tent, and a phone. Another chose water, an energy bar, a tourniquet, an AED, and a phone.

Phones were another item that came up several times. Multiple students chose a phone as one of their five items, and one person chose both a cell phone and a satellite phone. One teacher also included a radio along with a cell phone. Other people chose items that could help with different emergency situations, including flashlights, emergency blankets, multitools, fire-starting kits, fire blankets, and tents.

Some of the answers were more unusual. One student chose a flare gun, while another included tinfoil and a towel. One teacher chose a fire blanket, and another chose a fire-starting kit and multitool. Although these items were not included by everyone, they showed the different ways people think about what they might need during an emergency.

There were also some important items that did not appear in the responses. No one chose important documents or identification, and no one included a portable phone charger or battery pack. Medications were also mostly missing, with only a few medical items such as an EpiPen and Tylenol being mentioned. Other things people could consider keeping in an emergency kit include emergency contact information, extra batteries, and supplies that are specific to their individual needs.

Overall, the answers showed that people think about many of the basic things they might need during an emergency, especially first-aid supplies, food, water, communication, and light. However, an emergency kit does not have to look the same for everyone. The most useful kit is one that fits the needs of the people using it and the types of emergencies they may experience.

Even though we cannot predict when an emergency will happen, we can prepare for one ahead of time. Taking a few minutes to think about what you would need and putting together an emergency kit can make it easier to respond when something unexpected happens.