Time-saving buckets for survival available

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 17, 22 September 1987, Page 15

Time-saving buckets for survival available

A tightly sealed innocuous white bucket may be just the thing which saves a life in the future. This is according to the director of the Ministry of Civil Defence, Edward Latter, who spoke at the launch of New Zealand's first commercially available domestic Civil Defence survival kit. Designed, packed and distributed by Medic Corporation Limited of Lower Hutt, the kits are part of the current AMP Civil Defence "Helping You to Help Yourself" campaign. They can be purchased by the general public from pharmacies nationwide including those in the Waimarino and come in two versions retailing around $49 and $110. Mr Latter said that to his knowledge this is the first time a person can walk in from the street and buy a Civil Defence survival kit already made up instead of having to gather up the items from various sources. "This does not mean to say that the Ministry does not encourage families to make their own survival kits," Mr Latter said. "Rather, I see this commercially available kit as an item of convenience for people who just do not get around to doing their own thing," he said. "And "the beauty of this kit is that it can be kept in one place at all times in one container which is tamper proof and needs to be opened once every three years to replace one or two medical items." Mr Latter said informal research highlighted the disturbing fact that a large number of New Zealand homes do not have Civil Defence emergency kits, and of those that do, items have either been "borrowed" or have become dated. The AMP Civil Defence domestic kits, which have been developed by Medic Corporation in consultation with the Ministry over the past two years, contain all items as recommended in the yellow pages of the telephone book except canned food and sealed water containers, and in the smaller kit, a radio. In addition, both kits have first aid and Civil Defence instructions, a complete first aid kit, pencils, notebooks, ropes,

water purifying tablets, plastic bags and batteryless torches, so there is no problem with battery corrosion. The smaller version has a mountain safety survival bag while the larger more elaborate kit contains a silver rescue blanket, dust mask, solar powered radio, multi-use pocket knife and double quantities of almost everything else. Mr Latter said that although Medic Corporation is the first company to market such survival kits

nationwide, he would encourage any ready made domestic kit aimed at saving lives in emergencies. "The Ministry's main objective is to ensure that ultimately every New Zealand home has a Civil Defence emergency survival kit," Mr Latter said. "We will do everything in our power to encourage this - whether it be that people follow the telephone book instructions and make their own or purchase a ready made domestic kit," he said.