Emergency equipment often comes in compact kits to be kept at hand under a desk, in the trunk of a car, or in UN warehouses. One can think also of Swiss knives, ambulances, and fire trucks as designed with the same kitlike efficiency in mind. The national chapters of the International Red Cross sell many different types of preparedness kits, suitable for different local conditions. The most common kits contain a generic supply of items for dressing wounds and stopping bleeding, but such kits are becoming more and more specialized.

Readiness and preparedness, two words commonly used in the United States after 2001, are a habitual way of life in many parts of the world. Designers have added their touch by integrating preparedness into the landscape of the everyday. Design can provide grace under pressure. In regions of the world prone to devastating earthquakes, such as Japan, fire-resistant hoods are distributed to children. In California, also earthquake-prone, compact emergency chambers are concealed under tables. In Israel, where tension is a way of life and the entire population is equipped with gas masks to resist biochemical attacks, designers have devised masks and respirators that allow for such soothing human activities as having a soda or hugging one's child.

Emergency Highlights  Click images for larger view in a new window.

Objects designed for use in emergency situations are the epitome of functional design. Conceived with efficiency and economy in mind, they must be as sturdy, light, clean, and intelligent as possible in order to minimize errors and ensure well being. Designs include: