Personal/Rape Alarms

[DWx]

We were given them as freebies this week at uni but to be honest I don't think I ever would carry it with me. Practicality-wise you really need to be holding it in your hand if you were getting attacked and the one I was given really needs two hands to set it off.

Does anybody here actually carry them? Anybody ever had to use one?

[joesteph]

Does anybody here actually carry them? Anybody ever had to use one?

If it's the same as I'm thinking of, I had bought what I called a "screamer" for an uncle of mine, as he was a man who walked everywhere, but was now older and, due to a health condition, could not possibly call for help. My concern was that he'd fall or have a health issue and be unable to cry out.

He's since passed away, but the device was really a two-handed one, meaning, if at night and concerned about being attacked, you're likely walking along with your key chain in your hand, and the "screamer" attached.

Edited October 14, 2008 by joesteph

[Tiger1962]

I don't have one but if I did, I'd carry it and probably hold it in my hand if I were walking to a parking lot or somewhere else at night that had limited pedestrian traffic around. I have the *panic alarm* sounder on my car key chain though.

[joesteph]

We were given them as freebies this week at uni . . .

I just realized . . . They wanted to give something for protection, but didn't want to give something that would be weapon-like, such as pepper or tear gas spray.

If you live on campus, then campus security can be alerted without your having sprayed anyone.

Are there any campus rules about spray devices, DWx? I don't usually carry it, but I do have a combination tear gas-pepper spray, called Sabre. I'm sure there are a lot of them on the market; I got mine by Internet. I even practiced with it in my backyard, and realized that it's excellent in dealing with multiple attackers; you don't fire it like a gun, you spray two or three shots ahead of you, and they go wide enough to cover your adversaries.

Then run, do not walk, to safety.

Edited October 15, 2008 by joesteph

[DWx]

Does anybody here actually carry them? Anybody ever had to use one?

If it's the same as I'm thinking of, I had bought what I called a "screamer" for an uncle of mine, as he was a man who walked everywhere, but was now older and, due to a health condition, could not possibly call for help. My concern was that he'd fall or have a health issue and be unable to cry out.

He's since passed away, but the device was really a two-handed one, meaning, if at night and concerned about being attacked, you're likely walking along with your key chain in your hand, and the "screamer" attached.

You're probably thinking about the same thing. The one I was given emits a 130 decibel beeping and you use them to scare the attacker and attract attention. When I say two handed, its like on a key chain and you can quite easily carry it in the palm of your hand, its just that to set it off you have to pull out this pin and ideally you need two hands to do it. I'm just thinking of a situation where say you were grabbed with one arm, its kinda hard to work the pin out to set the alarm off with just one hand.

Campus security is pretty good. There's always loads of people about at night anyway.. its actually kinda weird when you come back to halls at like 3 am and there are people just going about their buisness normally. I'm not sure what the rules are on pepper spray type things. I would have to check on that one...