Compact Car Emergency Kit - The FirstMile

• Small enough for a glove box or under a seat at 4 lbs
• Arrives assembled and ready to go in the car today
• Orange HELP flag so passing drivers know you need assistance
• Squeeze flashlight runs on hand power, no batteries to check
• 2,400 calorie food bar and sealed water pouches rated for trunk temperatures
• First aid supplies for the cuts and scrapes that happen on the road
  

• New drivers. Small enough to stay in the glove box, simple enough to use without instructions, and priced so it is easy to replace when the food bar gets eaten in a parking lot.
• Second and third vehicles. The car that only goes to the grocery store still has winter ahead of it, and it is usually the one with nothing in the trunk.
• An older parent's car. Nothing in this kit needs strength or good light to use, and the HELP flag does the work of flagging someone down.
• Anyone who keeps meaning to put something in the trunk. This is the version that actually happens.
• Not sure? If this is the only kit in the car you drive every day, look at the RoadReady instead. The FirstMile is built for the other cars.

Food and water
2,400 calorie food bar
3 water pouches, 4 oz each

Tools and first aid
First aid supplies: 4 adhesive bandages (1" x 3"), 2 gauze pads (2" x 2"), 2 antiseptic wipes
Emergency whistle

Light and signaling
3 LED squeeze flashlight, hand powered
Orange HELP flag

Shelter and warmth
Emergency blanket

• Flat tire on a road with no shoulder. The HELP flag in the window tells passing drivers you need assistance rather than leaving them to guess.
• Waiting for a tow after dark. A squeeze flashlight that works on hand power, and a blanket for the wait.
• A breakdown in cold weather. An emergency blanket holds body heat while you stay with the vehicle.
• A long wait with a hungry kid in the back seat. A 2,400 calorie bar and water that need no preparation.
• Cuts and scrapes on the road. First aid within reach instead of at home in the bathroom cabinet.
• A new driver's first breakdown. Something in the glove box they can use without calling you first.

• Keep it in the glove box or under a seat. A kit in the trunk under the stroller is a kit you will not reach in the rain.
• Check it twice a year. The daylight saving weekends make an easy reminder.
• Rotate food and water annually. A parked car swings from freezing to well over 120°F, which is harder on supplies than any date on the package.
• Hang the HELP flag in a window on the side facing traffic, then stay with the vehicle.
• Add your own three things. A phone charging cable, a small cash reserve, and any medication someone in the car might need.
• Tell everyone who drives the car where it is. A kit only works if the person behind the wheel knows about it.

Most breakdowns are not emergencies. They are waits. AAA handles close to 30 million roadside assistance calls a year, and most memberships cap you at four service calls annually. A small kit in the glove box means the ordinary stuff does not have to use one up.
Source: AAA

Being seen is the part people forget. The orange HELP flag is the single most useful item in this kit and the one most car kits leave out. Hung in a window on the traffic side, it tells a passing trooper, plow driver, or neighbor that you need assistance rather than leaving them to decide whether to stop. Stay with your vehicle while you wait, which is standard National Weather Service guidance for winter breakdowns and good advice in any season.

About the water. Three pouches is about 12 ounces. That is drinking water for a wait by the side of the road, not a supply for a day. Ready.gov, FEMA's preparedness campaign, puts a full day at one gallon per person, which is more than any glove box kit can carry. If you want a kit that covers a longer wait or a second person, our RoadReady kits are built for that.

What is not included. This kit does not contain jumper cables, a tow rope, a reflective triangle, a tire inflator, or a seat belt cutter. Many drivers keep those in the vehicle separately, and the RoadReady Deluxe and Premium levels include several of them.

Add your own essentials. Prescription medications, a phone charging cable, and copies of important documents are personal to your household. The Red Cross recommends keeping at least a seven day supply of any prescription medication.