Contingency planning
Contingency planning helps people navigate through the consequences of an accident in ways that you prefer. For minor accidents, basic information such as medical needs and an emergency contact may be enough. For fatal accidents, details such as how to inform your family and how you want your possessions to be disposed of become relevant.
Plan formulation
Consider the following questions:
- What are the conditions for your emergency plan to be carried out. (Medical emergency? Incapacitation? Death?)
- Who are your primary and secondary points of contact for your plan? The primary may not always be unreachable or unwilling.
- Who has ultimate decision making authority on your behalf? A decision making committee is possible, but consider how they will be behaving in the event of your death.
- What level of detail do you want shared, with who, and when. Contact info for a family member, context of their relation with regards to kink, and what level to inform them.
- What happens to your possessions. Can be as specific as "this item goes to this person", or "everything goes to this group of people to decide". Any amount of detail is better than none.
- Is it acceptable for people to post media they made with you? Do you want anything done about the media that already exists on the internet?
Pre-scene planning
Informing other participants in a scene how to respond to an emergency will reduce adverse outcomes. At minimum providing contact information for a trusted friend that knows what to do will help in a low-trust scene where you do not want to reveal too much personal information.
Remote check-in
Scheduling a time to check in with a friend. Inform them of where you are going, what is planned, and for how long. Establish what steps to take in case you do not respond within the agreed time frame.
Cell phone emergency contact
Modern smartphone operating systems have features to allow anyone to access your emergency medical information when the phone is locked.[1][2] Include at least one emergency contact from within your kink circle.
Tamper-resistant document
Write emergency instructions and seal in an envelope, or package it in another tamper-resistant form.
Worst case planning
In the event of your death, a plan will help your friends navigate while they are dealing with the trauma.
Informal written plan
An informal document distributed among friends. This may not supersede the laws on intestacy of the jurisdiction you die in.
Advance directive
An advanced directive is a legal document that takes effect if you become ill or incapacitated.[3]
Power of attorney
A power of attorney is an agreement between you (the principal) and a trusted party (attorney in fact). The trusted party may act on your behalf and does not need to be an attorney. Typically this agreement is only valid as long as you are alive and able to make decisions, but a durable power of attorney can maintain effect after you are unable to make you own decisions. Specifics on how and what power of attorney can do depends on the jurisdiction.[4]
Will
A will is a legal document that describes your wishes and instructions for managing your property (estate) after death.[5] If you do not have a will, your property will be distributed according to the laws of intestacy of the state or country that you die in.[6]