In Case Paralyzing Snowstorm

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by MechEng83

I'm not sure why so many people are jumping on the OP for asking this question. I think he's trying to prepare for uncertainties. Think of this as an "Emergency Preparedness Kit" Do you have a first aid kit in your shop? (FYI, the answer should be "yes") Do you plan on having to use it? No -- you prepare in case you need to.

Sometimes, bad weather can come without sufficient notice (a la Geogia this past week). It's best to be prepared for these occasions and never have to use them rather than the reverse.

If we all just sat and were afraid that bad weather might come, or the road might be closed, or some other uncontrollable situation, we'd never get anything done.

You don't get it, it's not about taking no risks, it's about avoiding reasonable risks when it is easy and prudent to do so. It's about ensuring the risks are worth the rewards. Clearly they have enough warning to avoid a serious storm, then they clearly have enough time to cancel the meeting(s).

And yes, we all hope to never have to use our shop's first-aid kit. But being stranded in a school greatly raises the consequences of any accident, shifting the risk/reward analysis results.

Here is a hypothetical situation: an open fracture. Someone nicks their finger on a saw, to the bone. Not an uncommon shop accident. This type of injury requires IMMEDIATE antibiotic treatment. Typically a drive to the ER, a few stitches, and IV/pill antibiotics and you're good to go. Do you keep IV antibiotics and sutures in your first aid kit? On the other hand if you're stranded in a school for two days the bone could easily get infected because all you've got are some band-aids and alcohol swabs. They could be looking at surgery, long-term or life-time antibiotics, or having their finger/limb amputated to stop the infection from spreading.

Now, I realize that sounds a bit dramatic, and is unlikely to happen, but it illustrates the issue very nicely: being stranded raises the stakes for any mistake or accident significantly. This is, of course, on top of any transportation/travel hazards.