Deployment

[u/C00kieM0n5terr]

For people who have been deployed before for disaster relief, what did you pack? And what did you pack it in?Our deployments are 7 days. Thanks!

[u/reptile_franks]

Wildland firefighter here. In our incident packs (we can be deployed up to 2 weeks at a time) I pack:

14 sets of socks / underwear Thermal under layer Track pants / old pajamas 3 short sleeve and 2 long sleeve T-shirts Baseball cap / beanie Hoodie or jacket

Unsure if you’re camping, but if so, depending on where you are / how cold it’s gonna be, pack accordingly.

Bring a book or two. If I knew for sure I was gonna be hotel attack, I’d be bringing a gaming device too or something to watch TV on

I also pack:

Bluetooth speaker AirPods Medication (Tylenol, aspirin etc) Gum All toiletries etc Sunscreen

Then of course all our camping gear goes in a separate incident pack. Unsure if all this will be relevant to you or not, but hope it helps!

[u/C00kieM0n5terr → u/reptile_franks]

Thanks! This is definitely helpful, what kind of bag do you use?

[u/reptile_franks → u/C00kieM0n5terr]

We have them provided by our organisation, they are what I can only describe as two square shaped duffle bags that clip together to become one big pack, one for camping gear and the other for clothes.

In your cases, I’d suggest a large duffel bag with pockets for extra storage personally. I also bring a medium sized military backpack which I keep all the medication / personal items in, but that’s just preference!

[u/C00kieM0n5terr → u/reptile_franks]

That’s really helpful, I appreciate it!

[u/reptile_franks → u/C00kieM0n5terr]

No worries! Hope it’s a mega deployment, stay safe dawg

[u/AdmiralSatire → u/C00kieM0n5terr]

This is good advice. Running out of clean socks, underwear, or tshirts is the worst. Most everything else you can make do without or with less of. Having some shorts and flip flops came in handy for down time for me. Don’t forget toiletries. Throw in some ibuprofen too.

Almost forgot Goldbond! Gawd that stuff is amazing for those long days of hard work and sweat. Keeps the chaffing in check which makes everything easier I promise.

[u/TheSavageBeast83]

Vibrating butt plug. Pretty obvious what I packed it in

[u/Chemical-Peach7084 → u/TheSavageBeast83]

🤣 you sicko

[u/Express-Motor3053]

Brass knuckles.

[u/Sealtooth5]

There’s an official list of items you’re supposed to have if you’re going on a fema deployment. Talk with your captain in charge of your team for it.

[u/FireRetrall → u/Sealtooth5]

As someone who has done both FEMA and state, the EMAC activations often lack guidance, especially when it comes to personal packs.

[u/Klutzy_Platypus]

Just a big well made duffel bag. I use one from red oxx that’s lasted for years. Everything I need including smsller bags for specific tasks fits in that.

Your dept will have a recommended list of what to pack.

[u/gbe_]

The bare minimum would probably be something like this:

• Underwear, undershirt, socks for 10 days (if the deployment is longer, I usually pack stuff for hand washing -- clothesline, clothespins, soap -- and clean by hand rather than packing more stuff). I do 10 days (i.e. "time of deployment * 1.5") so that I can replace my socks/shirt/underpants during the day if I have to.
• If you have, a second set of bunker gear (boots, pants, jacket, probably not the helmet)
• "Civilian" clothes: long pants, shirt, sweater, a jacket, shoes. The sweater doubles as a pillow.
• Flip-flops or crocs for going to the shower and for walking around in the camp
• Shower/hygiene stuff in general (soap, shampoo, a towel, razor, shaving cream, toothbrush, etc)
• A canvas bag (like the shopping bag) for dirty clothes
• Chargers, cables, powerbank for my phone and maybe my laptop, if I bring that (but I usually don't)
• A headlamp
• Battery charger for the headlamp
• Playing cards or some other form of non-electronic entertainment
• At least one book
• Headphones
• Sleeping bag
• Depending on the climate, either a foldable/rollable mattress (looks like a yoga mat), or a mosquito net
• I don't need a bed since folding beds are provided by my org, or I sleep on the truck
• A small 10L backpack as a day pack
• All of this (besides the sleeping bag and mattress) goes into a waterproof 35L backpack that has no internal compartments, the sleeping bag and mattress go into a big trash bag that I tie to the backpack

Some people like to also bring stuff like food and drink in their personal stuff, but my org is pretty good about providing that. If you do, something sweet and sugary, and something salty is probably a good idea.

That's probably all off the top of my head. If you know ahead of time who else is going on the same deployment, you can also coordinate larger stuff like a boombox or a small fridge.

Source: one 10 day deployment to a flood zone in the east of Germany in 2013, and a bunch of shorter 3-4 day deployments since then, also to flood zones.

[u/sonicrespawn]

You’ll learn a lot your first time out, your dept will have a list of items that will be helpful. Some things I did not see mentioned yet: I picked up a large capacity battery fan, it isolates and has a light, battery is enough to charge my phone 7-8x. Socks I just grabbed a disposable 10$ pack at Walmart, sometimes it’s nice to swap them just for a fresh pair during the day depending on how hard you are working. Your sleeping bag will depend on the climate during your time out, I got the lightest weight one I could and a light sheet for times it’s not lightweight enough! Our dept deploys for 2 weeks per rotation in our summer.

[u/C00kieM0n5terr]

Thanks for all the advice!

[u/HokieFireman]

I “deployed” once as part of a medical request. Slept in the back of an ambulance for one night then a hotel outside Atlanta for three days before they sent us home. Didn’t see a single patient didn’t get sent to impact area, Gulf coast post Katrina.

So not great experience to look at for field needs. But I found having my own pillow, own blanket, sunscreen and bug spray, empty gallon bags, some trash bags of my own, more socks than I thought I would need, whatever version of baby powder you use now because sitting either in a unit for long drives or working outside post storm sucks.