AAR: The Forgotten Flashlight

GoBag.One™ | GoBag or Stay Home™

One cheap mistake in the dark can cost an hour and a lot of confidence. This AAR came from a short outage and a simple oversight: the flashlight was “somewhere” in the house… not where it needed to be. We ran the night anyway and captured the lessons so you don’t repeat them.

Key Takeaways

On-body beats on-shelf: If it isn’t on you or at a marked station, it’s missing when you need it.
Headlamps > flashlights at home: Hands-free light makes everything else safer and faster.
Label the lanes: “Fresh / In Use / Dead” battery bins stop the midnight scavenger hunt.

Main Points

Situation & Conditions
Evening thunderstorm, quick grid failure, ETA unknown. We’d staged GoBags by the door and radios in the kitchen. The “house flashlight” was not on its hook. We burned 10 minutes checking drawers and backpacks before switching to headlamps from vehicle kits.

Actions

Lighting: Two headlamps deployed (low/red for navigation). One small lantern staged in the kitchen on low for task lighting.
Comms: NOAA/AM radio scan on the hour; phones in airplane mode between checks.
Food & chores: No-cook snacks and water; dishes deferred. Fridge/freezer closed with temps logged at +0:00 and +2:00.
Security: Door wedges staged, window shades drawn to limit glow. Exterior sweep canceled—rain+slick deck, headlamps sufficient indoors.

Outcomes
Power restored in under 3 hours. No injuries, but the initial scramble was avoidable. The missing flashlight was later found in a toolbox—borrowed during a weekend project and never returned to station.

What Worked

Headlamps as default: Once on, the search stopped feeling chaotic. Tasks went two-handed and calm.
Low-mode discipline: Red/low preserved night vision and didn’t advertise through windows.
Status board: Quick notes on time, fridge/freezer temps, and radio updates kept everyone synchronized.

What Failed

Uncontrolled borrowing: The “house flashlight” wasn’t a house asset—it was a community orphan.
No battery lanes: AA/AAA scattered across drawers meant uncertainty about what was fresh.
Single-point dependency: Relying on a single flashlight station failed on the first borrow.

Fixes Implemented

Station tags: Hook-and-tag at three locations: bedside, kitchen, breaker panel. Tag reads “Return here.”
On-body standard: Each adult keeps a small light on-person evenings/weekends; headlamp lives at bedside.
Battery lanes: Labeled boxes: FRESH (sealed), IN USE (open pack), DEAD (recycle bin). Rubber-band spare set to each lamp.
Color coding: Household lights in one color (e.g., orange). Tools/workshop lights in another (e.g., black) to prevent cross-pollination.

Loadout Changes

Add: One compact headlamp per bed, one lantern for kitchen, one micro flashlight on keyring.
Swap: Big tactical “drawer queens” → lightweight lamps with lockout and moonlight modes.
Stage: Panel hook with headlamp + spare cells in a taped zip bag; return policy printed on the hook tag.

Pro Tips

Borrowing log: Put a sharpie note on the station: “If you take it, write your name + date.” The friction prevents disappearances.
Lockout matters: Choose lights with electronic or mechanical lockout—no surprise dead cells.
Practice blind: Once a month, navigate bed→panel→kitchen on low mode only. Return everything to its hook before bed.

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After-Action Review: The Forgotten Flashlight